"It hasn't started yet."
"That's what I like about it."
Before they were famous, the Muppets were living ordinary lives with dreams of success. Kermit the Frog was content living in the swamp, until a Hollywood agents suggests a career in Hollywood. So Kermit packs his belongings and heads west. His long legs, attract the attention of Doc Hopper (Durning), owner of the famous Doc Hopper restaurants that specialize in frog legs. Doc wants Kermit to be the new face of the restaurant, but Kermit refuses. With Doc in pursuit, he teams up with inept comedian Fozzie Bear, plumber The Great Gonzo, beauty queen Miss Piggy, and assorted other Muppets who dream of a career in Hollywood.
I grew up loving the Muppets... starting with the cartoon Muppet Babies and then spreading to their TV specials like A Muppet Family Christmas. Then I fell in love with The Muppet Show and the movies... starting with this one.
Over 30 years after it's release, this film still works. Simultaneously sentimental and absurd, this is the kind of film that only the Muppets can pull off. There are original songs in a variety of styles: sentimental "I'm Going to Go Back There Some Day," funny "Movin' Right Along", irreverent "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along," and classic "Rainbow Connection." While all the songs are great, my favorite is Miss Piggy's solo "Never Before, Never Again." It sounds like an epic love song, and begins that way, but the ending takes you a bit by surprise. Despite hearing this song many times (it was on pretty heavy rotation on my iPod), it still cracks me up every time.
It's the characters you love, with each of the main characters (Kermit, Fozzie, Piggy, Gonzo, Rowlf, the Electric Mayhem, etc) getting a chance to shine. Like The Muppet Show, there is an endless parade of celebrities in memorable cameo roles. Most get a line or two at most, with Charles Durning's Doc Hopper serving as the token human character / villain.
It's funny, quotable, and has a great soundtrack. It spawned all the Muppet movies (good and bad), and proved that puppets can be endearing (and open a film). A must-see film (it's an oldy, but a goody!).
The Muppet Movie (1979) 95 minutes
Director: James Frawley
Starring: Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, and others
Frank Oz as Miss Piggy, Fozie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, and others
Jerry Nelson as Floyd Pepper, Robin, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and others
Richard Hunt as Scooter, Statler, Janice, Sweetums, Beaker, and others
Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo, Zoot, and others
Charles Durning as Doc Hopper
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