Stephanie Streisand

I enjoyed and loved the new muppet movie. I cried many times and a smile was on my face when I left that theatre. I think everyone should go see it! However, it is probably my least favorite.

“Stephanie, you liked it less than Muppets from Space?” Yes. Yes, I did. Here me out.

1. Too much time spent on humans without muppets.

Remember all the past solos humans have had without muppets chiming in? Right, because it never happened until this movie. Think of Caper, Manhattan, Movie…all the humans in those movies are side characters. Think of Christmas Carol and Treasure Island…The main characters are human but they have muppet companions hanging with them 24/7 and if by chance they get separated from their muppet companions (in both these cases Rizzo and Gonzo) they are with another muppet or 8. There were two main characters in this movie played by humans and there were way too many times we were watching them without muppets (especially Amy Adams).

2. Wasted Cameos

Muppet movies are known for their cameos. Past ones are some of my favorite moments in muppet movies. Richard Pryor selling balloons at a fair, Joan Rivers as Piggy’s co-worker that gives Piggy a makeover, Peter Falk as the bum that “knows” Kermit’s whole story just by looking at him. The cameos in this movie were awful. One example was Sarah Silverman’s cameo where she plays a hostess and all she says is “Table for one?” and that is the last we see of her. That’s how almost every cameo was in this movie. Can you imagine if Steve Martin’s famous waiter cameo was him only saying “Table for two” and then never seeing him again after that? That would have been such a loss!

3. There wasn’t a bike moment.

Remember watching Kermit ride a bike in The Muppet Movie for the first time? Or in The Great Muppet Caper when Piggy is tap dancing and they pan from her face to the floor? Or Gonzo all stretched out like a sail in Muppet Treasure Island but somehow still talking? Muppet movies usually go out of their way at some point to show why the Muppets aren’t just puppets. Almost every time a muppet was shown, it was a closeup. And the moment that bothered me the most was the dance break in the opening number where it was all humans and no muppets, not even Walter. He had mysteriously vanished during the dance break.

Like I said, I loved the movie. It was great, but it felt like the whole movie every human was saying, “Look at me! I’m in a muppet movie!!!! instead of just being in the movie. And less great, I felt at times it was a movie that just happened to have the Muppets in it. But the movie IS really wonder and you really should see it!