Muppet Mania!!!!

One of my earliest TV memories was gathering together as a family on Friday nights to watch The Muppet Show.  Man, it did not get better than that show.  Although it was aimed at kids, it was chock full of brilliant adult humor that sailed over the heads of kids.  The Muppet Movie was released in 1979, and I was told I saw it in the theater, but being one year old, I don't quite remember it.  I do remember numerous viewings of that and The Great Muppet Caper on VHS at my cousin's house throughout the early 80's.  I vividly remember seeing The Muppets Take Manhattan  in the theater, and loving it.

I also remember the death of Jim Henson in 1990.  For me, this marked the end of an era.  The Muppeteers continued on, releasing The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island and Muppets From Space in the 90's.  They also created a new, albeit short-lived, TV show called Muppets Tonight.  Most fans and critics agreed these were not up to the usual Jim Henson standard, and the Muppets faded into obscurity once we hit the new millennium.

Then the darndest thing happened.  The Muppets staged there own viral comeback on YouTube around 2008, creating some classic videos such as Beaker's Ode to Joy and their own Bohemian Rhapsody.  Then the rumors started circulating about Jason Segel getting the go ahead to write an all new theatrical movie for the Muppets.  This dude got REALLY excited.

Now we are days away from the opening of The Muppets, and I'm excited for SO MANY REASONS.  One, it looks fantastic.  Two, it's getting some great buzz.  Three, I get to take my kid to see it!  So, in preparation for this historical release, my family and I have been preparing by binging on all things Muppet.  I've decided to share some of these with you, complete with my thoughts on some of the Muppets' great and not-so-great moments.  Without further ado...

The Muppet Movie
I love everything about this movie.  Although all of its parts don't quite gel together, it is still a brilliant technical and emotional accomplishment.  The songs are fantastic and the cameos are numerous and fun.  This is in my top ten of all time.
Best Song- I'm partial to the Rowlf/Kermit duet "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along."
Best Cameo- Steve Martin as a waiter with a real attitude problem.  "Would you like to SMELL the BOTTLECAP?"
Best Line- A loaded question, but I would have to go with Fozzie's line, "Aahh, a bear in his natural habitat.  A Studebaker."

The Great Muppet Caper
The Muppeteers really stepped it up with this one from a technical standpoint, with the gang riding bikes, flying a hot air balloon and Miss Piggy mounting a motorcycle to save the day.  The setting shifts to London and focuses on a jewel heist.  The songs seem to be trying a little too hard and the plot drags a little too much, but the last 20 minutes are a riot, throwing in more self-referential humor and fourth-wall breaking than you can keep up with.
Best Song- "Happiness Hotel" by a long shot!
Best Cameo- I'm partial to Miss Piggy throwing Sir Peter Ustinov out of his truck.
Best Line- Kermit- "You guys live here?"
                  Floyd- "Yeah, but only between gigs, which means we've been here
                  for what, five years?"

The Muppets Take Manhattan
Although it feels more like a postcard for NYC than a Muppet movie, it still retains the heart of the characters.  It also moves a little too quickly in the beginning only to drag in the middle.  However, all is offset with the introduction of the Muppet Babies!
Best Song- "I'm Gonna Always Love You," which is the song during the Muppet Babies sequence.  It's a great throwback to the rock of the 50's.
Best Cameo- Gregory Hines as a Central Park athlete infringing on Kermit and Piggy's relationship.
Best Line- Rich Dog Owner- "Snookums prefers the rubber Wall Street Journal over the rubber New      
                 York Times."
                 Rowlf- "Don't we all?"


The Muppet Christmas Carol
I'm not really qualified to talk about this one because I've only seen it twice.  The reason?  I really don't like it at all.  In my defense, I don' like the original story itself, and this is very faithful to Dickens.  I'm partial to Bill Murray's Scrooged myself.

Muppet Treasure Island
Although not well received by most Muppet fans, I have a real weak spot for this movie.  I saw it in college with two roommates who were also Muppet diehards, and we loved it from the first song (I bet one of them could still sing that song from memory).  Yes, it is very faithful to the source material which sometimes tends to ignore the Muppets a bit, but I still love the wit behind it.  The music is also fantastic!
Best Song- "Cabin Fever" is a nutty romp that could only be pulled off by the Muppets.
Best Cameo- Both Christmas Carol and this kind of did away with the cameo thing and had an established actor take the lead.  So I have to give the nod to Tim Curry, who was the MAN as Long John Silver.
Best Line- Native Pig- "We see you have boom-boom stick... bye bye!"

Muppets From Space
In a desperate attempt to please the diehards, the Muppeteers tried to bring back the fun by putting the focus on the Muppets and giving the story over to Gonzo.  It's amusing in spots and has some great old-school muppet moments, but it is lacking in the overall warm feeling you should get from a Muppet movie.  Plus, I know some fans who were REALLY upset about Gonzo being from space since Jim Henson previously stated what he was (damned if I can remember what that was).
Best Song- Yeah, they also decided not to make this one a musical either.  Not the greatest choice, but the soundtrack is all funk and R&B, so that's cool.  The Muppets sing "Brick House" in the opening scene, so I'll vote for that one.
Best Cameo- There are a bunch, but my favorite is Ray Liotta as a security guard.
Best Line- Ed- "And DON'T say 'I don't know!'"
                 Gonzo- "I know not?"

And then, 12 years of made-for-TV stuff.  Real brief, A Very Merry Muppet Christmas is a fun variation on It's a Wonderful Life, but it definitely screams of TV movie.  Muppet Wizard of Oz was a piece of crap.  Muppets: Letters From Santa is cute, but nothing groundbreaking.

Okay, I have also had the opportunity to listen to the soundtrack for the new movie, and it is FANTASTIC!  The songs hit all the right notes; I even got choked up listening to Kermit singing "Pictures in My Head."  Oh yeah, Chris Cooper raps, and it is AWESOME.

Stay tuned for a review of The Muppets as soon as I see it.  Can't.  Friggin.  Wait!