The Muppets Take Manhattan

Jim Henson’s Muppets are back for their third film, “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” released in 1984, an enjoyable time which continues the tried-and-true method used in “The Muppet Movie” and “The Great Muppet Caper.” Kermit, played by Jim Henson, and the gang are seniors at Danhurst College, where they perform a highly successful musical called “Manhattan Melodies.” The students at the college are so passionate about the show that the Muppet friends convince Kermit that they should perform it on Broadway. This is really striking to Miss Piggy, played by Frank Oz, because Kermit promised to marry her once he made some money. Sadly, once they come to the Big Apple they’re met with disappointment and rejection, and are forced to sleep in storage lockers at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. By September, the team is tired and lost all hope. Seeing that Kermit is blaming himself for failing them, they choose to look for work somewhere else and leave Kermit to go on alone.

Kermit becomes friends with Jenny (Juliana Donald), an aspiring fashion designer whose father, Pete (Louis Zorich), owns a diner which is busy despite that the waiters are talking rats (Richard Gallagher said in his review, “the lead rat is named Rizzo (Steve Whitmire), an inside joke which will be lost on younger viewers”). Jenny tries to help Kermit find a producer who will take on his musical, but what he doesn’t know is the Miss Piggy stayed in New York because she thinks that Jenny is trying to steal Kermit from her. Gallagher noted, “The story’s arc is fairly predictable, but there are enough amusing bits and bright musical numbers to satisfy both children and adults.” Adult audiences will enjoy the cameo appearances by Linda Lavin, Liza Minnelli (daughter of Judy Garland), Gregory Hines, the late Art Carney, James Coco, the beautiful Brooke Shields, Elliott Gould, John Landis and particularly the late comedian Joan Rivers teaching Miss Piggy cosmetic sales and Dabney Coleman as a creepy Broadway producer.

Gallagher stated, “’The Muppets Take Manhattan’ benefits greatly from a surprising number of effective exterior scenes which were shot on location on New York City streets and in Central Park.” The film even has appearances by New York locals such as Mayor Ed Koch and Vincent Sardi, Jr. (the owner of Sardi’s Restaurant, where a famous scene happens). Fans of the Muppets are really going to enjoy the film. On the converse, if Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, the Swedish Chef and crew are not your interest, well, then you shouldn’t even bother reading this review or watching the film.

“The Muppets Take Manhattan” is in some ways a usual “Let’s put on a show” musical, but it is filled with Muppets charm and humor and is increased with so much fun and energetic songs. There are enough smart moments to keep adults interested and entertained, and children are sure to be satisfied from beginning to end.

Now in all honesty, this is actually a really nice movie, especially with the saddest song in Muppet history Saying Goodbye, which is probably going to make kids and, maybe, adults cry when listening to it. Besides that, I think it actually is a good movie for the whole family to watch, so if you saw the first two Muppet movies, or are a fan of the Muppets overall, then never miss out the chance to see this movie.

Alright everyone, now with that one done, check in next week where I skip ahead to what people have considered to be the one that was the nail in the coffin that ended the Muppet movies out with, but in actuality, is not that bad, in “The Muppets Month.”