A Hollywood agent persuades Kermit the Frog to pursue a career in Hollywood. On his way there he meets his future muppet crew while being chased by the desperate owner of a frog-leg restaurant!
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Reviews
To me, this movie is perfection.
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
This movie is just such a classic! Even someone who has never been a big muppet fan can and will enjoy this very well made film. The voices of them and how they act are of course pretty much the exact same as always. I like how the film starts out. It begins with Kermit just resting on in his swamp while singing and playing his music. A supposed talent agent comes by in a paddle boat and points out Kermit's blatant musical talent and says he should travel to Hollywood and audition. Kermit likes the sound of that idea and leaves his swamp home behind for Hollywood. On the very first stop along the way, he comes across Fozzie the bear and makes quick friends with him at a restaurant that serves deep fried frog legs. There is a man who advertises them at the restaurant and he spots Kermit and wants to catch him. This man becomes our villain. Kermit and Fozzie continue their journey to Hollywood. Their car ride is accompanied by fun musical numbers to entertain along the way. Eventually we come into contact with more muppet characters and then they stop at a county fair where a county fair pageant is being held. Enter miss piggy. She comes onto the big screen and as you may guess, her and Kermit lock starry eyes with one another and that's all it takes to take her with them to Hollywood. The scenes with Kermit and Piggy are very well written and I loved seeing them on screen together. They have a date night at a hotel they stop at and as if the movie wasn't already good enough then we get a Steve Martin cameo as the obnoxious waiter serving them. Then eventually we wrap the movie up with a dual against the villain and seeing if all their Hollywood dreams come true. 9/10 for the muppet movie. And it's an awesome pick for family viewing!
With the Muppet Show being a big hit on television, The Muppet Movie quickly followed but a non Henson company man (James Frawley) was tasked to direct which led to creative differences and a film that is a little distant from the hit television show.After meeting a Hollywood agent (Dom DeLuise) by chance, Kermit the Frog leaves his swamp to go to Hollywood. He is pursued by fast food mogul Doc Hopper (Charles Durning) and his henchman (Austin Pendleton) who wants Kermit to promote his failing frog legs business.What is essentially a road movie Kermit meets other Muppet characters such as Fozzie Bear in El Sleezo bar, Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the Great Gonzo and Miss Piggy.In a sense the film maps out how the Muppets formed and the film is a mixture of slapstick, star cameos, songs, comedic set pieces as well as taking satirical swipe at the commercialisation of modern times. The film has a surreal even Pythonesque appeal with humour directed at kids and adults but it does not always quiet come together but is still better than some sequels which had more direct control by the Henson clan.Lord Lew Grade pulled some favours as he enticed stars such as Telly Savalas, James Coburn, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, Cloris Leachman, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Madeline Kahn, Elliot Gould, Carol Kane, Bob Hope and even Orson Welles.
Kermit and his new found friends trek across America to find success in Hollywood, but a frog-legs merchant (Charles Durning) is after Kermit.I am not quite sure on how to rate this film... it has many great cameos, particularly of stars of that era (some of whom have since been largely forgotten, I fear). Mel Brooks is great, Orson Welles is great (despite his short appearance)... Bob Hope, Steve Martin, and more...And yet, I just feel like it never hits the highest notes. Sure, the puppetry was amazing and I much prefer it to CGI. But the Miss Piggy romance song? Terrible, terrible song and should probably have been cut -- it drags the pace down and is hard on the ears. And the plot is so simple, it is not much to speak of. So we have a good technical achievement here, but as far as a story goes, it is not much. The same film with actors instead of Muppets and this would have been forgotten.It has been a while since I have seen "Great Muppet Caper" or "Muppets Take Manhattan", but I feel like they were better films... even the new (2011) film may be a better film...
Maybe it's my age, or maybe it was due to the fact that I was rarely allowed to watch children's television, but my early life was sadly without Jim Henson and his hugely successful creation The Muppets. Because of this, I've always felt somewhat reluctant, and almost undeserving, to tackle the Muppet movies, feeling that my lack of childhood experiences of Kermit, Miss Piggy et al with hamper my enjoyment of them, or I will somehow not 'get it'. Well, after 27 Muppet-free years, Marc swayed me into finally taking the plunge, and, I'm happy to say, The Muppet Movie was an amazing experience, and one that made me feel like I'd known the vast array of characters for years.After a chance meeting with a Hollywood agent, Kermit the Frog leaves the comfort of his swamp in order to travel to Hollywood for an audition. Yet he is pursued by fast-food chain store owner Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), who sees Kermit as the perfect face to head his advertising campaign to promote his failing French-fries frog legs business. Kermit has other ideas, and after a punch up in the El Sleezo bar, he escapes with Fozzie Bear (a-wacca-wacca!) and his Studebaker. Further down the road he picks up more eager passengers, such as Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the Great Gonzo, and Miss Piggy, who falls in love with Kermit after winning a beauty pageant.While the 'origin' movie is quite often the route that TV series take when taking the leap into movies, The Muppet Movie benefits from taking an almost classical take on the road movie. It is not about the destination, but the journey, and the journey is peppered from hilarious set-pieces, satirical swipes, and quite beautifully written (and performed) songs. The Muppets always appealed to all ages, and adults have the pleasure of enjoying many self-reflexive moments and audience awareness (Kermit turns to camera and says "I hope you appreciate I'm doing all my stunts!"), as well as cameos from the likes of James Coburn, Mel Brooks, Bob Hope, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Madeline Kahn, Elliot Gould, and Orson Welles.Amongst all the mayhem, there is also a quite beautiful moment in Gonzo crooning "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday", recollecting his past in the sky and desire to return someday. "Rainbow Connection" is also a great song, but my favourite musical moment has to be "Movin' Right Along", gleefully sang by Kermit (on his banjo) and Fozzie - the movie really came to life for me here. It's moments like these that really make this movie special, and something that can hopefully still be cherished by modern consumerism-obsessed children (if they can pull themselves away from their i-Phone). Marc warned me that if this film didn't leave me feeling warm inside then there is no hope for me. Well, thankfully it did, so maybe there's hope for me yet.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com