June 22, 1979
Henson Associates
Children's, Comedy, Musical
DVD
B-
I'll always have a soft spot for this first of what would become many Muppet movies, this one released when I was eleven. Yet I will admit that it's not as good as I remembered. One of its strengths is also its greatest weakness. There are lots of celebrity cameos, some of whom I've tagged, but most of these people aren't given much to do. After all, if you're going to cast Richard Pryor, can't you give him something funnier to do than sell balloons to Gonzo? Even the Muppets, and there are many of them, are for the most part not being used to their full potential.
In fact, the best sequences are mostly in the first half hour, with either Kermit on his own, singing the still lovable "Rainbow Connection" and (still impressive) riding a bicycle, or singing and joking with Fozzie. (My favorite quote is later though: "Bear left," "Right, frog.") As they pick up more passengers, the energy diffuses. (Unlike in James Frawley's Big Bus.) There are moments here and there, like the psychedelic painting of the Studebaker, and the always wonderful voice of Orson Welles, but not enough to quite put this in the good, let alone great, category.
Charles Durning is Doc Hopper, while Austin Pendleton, who plays his assistant Max, was Fred the Professor (the one who gets Jackie Gleason among others high) in Skidoo. Muppet performer Robert Payne was in Beach Party, back when he was known as Bobby. Twenty-year-old Tim Burton (yes, that Tim Burton) was an uncredited Muppet performer. Tommy Madden, who's One-Eyed Midget, was a hospital visitor in Rabbit Test. H. B. Haggerty, who's a lumberjack here, would be Awful Abdul in Million Dollar Mystery. If you haven't seen the movie before (or it's been awhile), I'll let you spot the rest of the cameos.
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| The second and the second-best song, "Movin' Right Along" |
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