Kermit and his friends go to New York City to get their musical on Broadway, only to find it’s a more difficult task than they anticipated.
It feels weirdly refreshing to watch a 1980s film these days. Unburdened by agendas, ideologies, and overtly politicized goals, these “relics” tend to seem more progressive than some of the backward-thinking stuff that’s released nowadays. When it comes to children’s entertainment, for example, I can rest assured that a film like Frank Oz’s “The Muppets Take Manhattan” won’t attempt to convert my five-year-old child into hating the patriarchy (see: “Barbie”) or make her question her sexuality (see: “Lightyear”). It’s a giddy, slapstick, joyous, somewhat anarchic (!) classic featuring a plethora of boisterous musical numbers and arguably the Muppets at their best.
To reiterate: this was the heyday for the Muppets. This marked the third theatrical Muppets film. Jim Henson voiced many characters, including Kermit the Frog, Waldorf, Swedish Chef, and Rowlf. To add to the legendary status, Frank Oz voices Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, Bert, and Cookie Monster (to name a few) — and here are just a few cameos popping up here: Joan Rivers, Liza Minnelli, Brooke Shields, John Landis, Art Carney, and Elliot Gould. The fine balance of “accessible for both adults and kids” is perfectly maintained: parents enjoy the innuendos, the actors, and the music, while the kids come for the puppets.
The plot is purposefully threadbare: Kermit and his gang of muppets arrive in New York City to perform their musical play, “Manhattan Melodies,” on Broadway. Of course, they face obstacles and are forced to part ways. Miss Piggy eventually reunites with Kermit in New York’s Central Park after a hilarious chase sequence involving a stolen purse. Long story short, after a bout of amnesia, cured by a karate chop, Kermit joins his friends on stage, and everyone’s dreams come true. There’s even a wedding between, as Gene Siskel cheekily pointed out in his review, “you-know-who and you-know-who.”
Sure, a lot of it has aged: some of the stilted dialogue, the blocky cinematography, the soundtrack… Yet there’s an innocence to it that is impossible to dismiss, and it comes hand-in-hand with an “anything goes” approach, unhindered by the fear of being canceled. The puppets are a joy to luck at, especially during the wedding ceremony finale, wherein all the characters from “Sesame Street” and “Fraggle Rock” make an appearance. Reimagined in crisp 4K, the film has never looked better. Don’t hesitate to stick this one into the Blu-ray™ player to keep the wee ones occupied.
Now available on 4K Ultra HD™
