The Muppet Movie

Rating:
Summary: Great movie--but what the HEY? Censorship!
Review: I love the Muppet Movie. Its nods to film noir and buddy films, the music by the fabulous Paul Williams, the celebrity cameos, the characters--especially Miss Piggy and Fozzie.

Now then, I always watched the Muppets very aware that the movies were working on both the child and adult level, and happily put in the DVD anticipating my favorite muppet joke of all: when Kermit walks into a bar after having lost Piggy and says, sadly, "I'll have a grasshopper, please."

Great joke! Kids won't know what a "grasshopper" is or that he is boozing over being stood up--they'll just tune out til the music!

So why did they cut it from the DVD?

Especially when they kept the visual that Kermit drank alllll the champagne after Piggy left, and Rowlf's assertion that every night he has "a coupla beers." This PC thing has gone too far. I suppose it's not enough to deduct a whole star--except it's my all time fave muppet moment.

Oh well, love the movie. And love the DVD option of watching it in French, where they have to change Piggy's trademark "Moi!" to "Me."

Rating:
Summary: "A bear in his natural habitat....a Studebaker!"
Review: This is one of the first films that I ever remember seeing, and it is still one of my favorites today. This story about the Muppets' cross-country excursion to Hollywood is beautifully told through the wonderful vision of Jim Henson. It answers the question about how the Muppets first came together, and offers the audience a glimpse into the lives of the various eccentrics that made up 'The Muppet Show' before they became famous. My favorite is, of course, The Great Gonzo, the "prince of plungers." His out-of-this-world weirdness always adds more fun to the chaos of the situation, as Kermit and Co. try to outrun the evil Doc Hopper and make it to Hollywood on time to audition. I also love the big Studebaker that Kermit and Fozzie drive around in as they sing "Moving Right Along." All of the songs are memorable, from "Rainbow Connection" to Gonzo's "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday." I have seen this movie a million times and I will watch it a million more. It's just one of those films that you can never get tired of viewing.

Rating:
Summary: A Cute Movie that's Great For All Ages!
Review: I saw The Muppet Movie in a movie theater when I was around 14 years old. I didn't want to go see it because I thought it was a kiddy movie and I was too old for it but my mother made me go and watch it with her and I'm glad she did because I wound up really loving the movie and thinking it was really cute, funny and entertaining and I've been a Muppet fan ever since and I realized that even at 14 it was still ok to watch and like family movies even though at the time I doubt I would have admitted it to friends and schoolmates. I very highly recommend this movie. I don't own it on DVD or video but I might buy the widescreen DVD!

Rating:
Summary: Better than a Bucket of Doc Hooper Frog Legs!
Review: I had the pleasure of introducing my two and half year old son to the magic of the muppets through DVDs of the original "The Muppet Show", the syndicated TV program, that I had watched and enjoyed, while growing up in the 1970s. He loved Kermit & company's surealistic, yet hilarious comedy and music, so the next logical step was to move on to the Muppet's various adventures on film. Luckily, the first DVD I bought was the original 1979 film, "The Muppet Movie". The plot is quite simple.In his hometown swamp, Kermit meets up with a lost and nervous agent (played by the ever hammy, Dom DeLuise) who informs him that a major Hollywood studio is looking for frogs with talent.Armed with a dream of making people happy through his dancing and singing, Kermit goes on a road trip to the West Coast to break into the movie biz. Along the way he picks up new found friends Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, Miss Piggy (starting their long running, tumultuous romance), and the rock group, Dr.Teeth & the Electric Mayhem, who all share in dreams of Hollywood fame .Unfortunately, Kermit also gets the attention and ire of Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), a Col. Sanders knock-off, who wants to force our hero to be the spokesfrog for his fast food, frog legs chain, "alive or stuffed". What an adventure! This is a wonderfully entertaining film, which will appeal to both kids and adults alike. Its obvious, that Muppet creator, Jim Henson and his fellow performer, Frank Oz were at their creative peaks.The writing is sharp and never 'dumbed down' ("I think I've lost my way"..."Have you ever tried Hare Krishna?") and the musical numbers are well staged (including Kermit's now classic, "Rainbow Connection"). What's more the film is filled with entertaining cameos from 1970's Hollywood including Madeline Kahn, Richard Pryor, James Coburn, Mel Brooks, Elliot Gould, Steve Matin ETC. My son and I have now collected all the DVDs in the Muppet's cannon of films and we pretty much agree, that this movie is by far, the best of the lot! For great family entertainment get "The Muppet Movie"!

Rating:
Summary: The first and the best
Review: This is the first and the best movie featuring the muppets. The movie opens with the cast of the muppets viewing the film about how they got started. The film opens with Kermit in his swamp singing the Oscar nominated "Rainbow Connection". He is encourage to go to Hollywood by a movie agent played by Dom Deluise. Along Kermits journey he meets the other muppets that will eventually be part of the Muppet Show (They even run into Big Bird who is going to New York to break into Public Television). They all are overcome with the desire to go to Hollywood. But, Kermit is followed by a sinister restrauntuer who wants Kermit to help him sell froglegs. The final confrontation is a take off of Gary Cooper and "High Noon". The final showdown with Animal is a riot. They finally all make it to Hollywood where the Hollywood producer, played by the legendary Orson Wells, makes them stars. The movie is corn ball and sweet with several Hollywood stars having cameos, including Milton Berle and Bob Hope. I never tire of seeing this movie it is great entertainment for children and adults. The score is very good with some good songs.

Rating:
Summary: Creme de la Kermie.
Review: Mini review of one of my alltime 10 favorite films.

Many people question why this is on my top 10. I think the question is why is it not on theirs? This is pure entertainment for the whole family. It is a movie that works on all levels. The story is enchanting. The music is charming and whimsical. The muppetry is fantastic. It is hard to imagine a better opening to a movie than the rainbow connection sequence.

The movie is a cornucopia of awesome quotes. I think my favorite still remains: If frog's couldn't hop, I'd be gone with the Schwinn.

The cameo roles are excellent as well. Steve Martin excels as a put upon waiter. Dom Delouise is impressive as a hollywood agent adrift in a swamp and Mel Brooks steals the show as a german mad scientist.

Rating:
Summary: Better than a Bucket of Doc Hooper Frog Legs!
Review: I had the pleasure of introducing my two and half year old son to the magic of the muppets through DVDs of the original "The Muppet Show", the syndicated TV program, that I had watched and enjoyed, while growing up in the 1970s. He loved Kermit & company's surealistic, yet hilarious comedy and music, so the next logical step was to move on to the Muppet's various adventures on film. Luckily, the first DVD I bought was the original 1979 film, "The Muppet Movie". The plot is quite simple.In his hometown swamp, Kermit meets up with a lost and nervous agent (played by the ever hammy, Dom DeLuise) who informs him that a major Hollywood studio is looking for frogs with talent.Armed with a dream of making people happy through his dancing and singing, Kermit goes on a road trip to the West Coast to break into the movie biz. Along the way he picks up new found friends Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, Miss Piggy (starting their long running, tumultuous romance), and the rock group, Dr.Teeth & the Electric Mayhem, who all share in dreams of Hollywood fame .Unfortunately, Kermit also gets the attention and ire of Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), a Col. Sanders knock-off, who wants to force our hero to be the spokesfrog for his fast food, frog legs chain, "alive or stuffed". What an adventure! This is a wonderfully entertaining film, which will appeal to both kids and adults alike. Its obvious, that Muppet creator, Jim Henson and his fellow performer, Frank Oz were at their creative peaks.The writing is sharp and never 'dumbed down' ("I think I've lost my way"..."Have you ever tried Hare Krishna?") and the musical numbers are well staged (including Kermit's now classic, "Rainbow Connection"). What's more the film is filled with entertaining cameos from 1970's Hollywood including Madeline Kahn, Richard Pryor, James Coburn, Mel Brooks, Elliot Gould, Steve Matin ETC. My son and I have now collected all the DVDs in the Muppet's cannon of films and we pretty much agree, that this movie is by far, the best of the lot! For great family entertainment get "The Muppet Movie"!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome movie but poor DVD quality
Review: Bottom line - if you like the Muppets, you will love this movie! However, the DVD's video and audio quality is poor (that is why the movie has 4 instead of 5 stars). I am not an audiophile but it is really noticeable. The movie looks and sounds like a copy of a VHS tape. I can't believe that they haven't re-mastered this and re-released it. Maybe Disney will help us out!

Rating:
Summary: Good movie!
Review: I have this movie on vhs. It's an excellent movie if you want to find out how the muppets supposedly started. It's a must buy for true Muppets fans.

Rating:
Summary: Bad quality DVD -- and the movie is not very good either.
Review: Plenty of other reviewers have already commented, correctly, on how low-quality the image is on this DVD. In an age when movies from the 50's are restored to crystal clarity, this treatment of a movie from 1979 is unacceptable. But another problem is that the movie just isn't very good either. Sure, we all love the Muppets. But look objectively at the movie itself. The plot about the villain trying to kill Kermit feels too nasty given the overall light tone of the film. The assassin brought in to shoot Kermit with a speargun is especially creepy. Of course, scary elements in kids' films have a long and respectable history. But here, they feel out of place. Another problem is the utterly moronic level of much of the dialogue and the extreme overacting. Yes, I know, it's a kids' film. But Disney has shown us how kids' movies can entertain adults as well. Although it has its moments, The Muppet Movie nevertheless features scene after scene of really lame dialogue, jokes, and plot points. A key example is Mel Brook's cameo as a German mad scientist. He enters the scene clicking his heels like a member of the Gestapo. Do we really need Nazi references in a Muppet movie, even if they are from Mel Brooks?