The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

Looking up a few details about this film made me aware of a few things. First, I could have sworn that this was the second Muppet film. Lo and behold I am wrong. For someone who likes watching film series in chronological order I was shocked to learn that The Great Muppet Caper was released prior to this film. Secondly, I was further dismayed to discover that, despite owning it and having seen it within the last five years, I never posted an official rating or review for The Muppet Movie. This will be corrected in time but I am lucky in that the Muppet movies aren’t really a chronologically linked saga to begin with.

The film begins with the Muppet gang graduating from college, where they created a hit musical show called Manhattan Melodies. They make their way to New York, eager to find a producer willing to back their show. The closest they get to success is nearly being swindled by a con artist. The gang runs out of cash, morale hits the floor, and they all set off on their own disparate paths.

Kermit stays behind, continuing his search for a producer while working at a diner. Just when Kermit finds a willing producer, he is hit by a car and suffers total amnesia. It’s up to Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppet gang (who come flocking to New York with the news that their show is a go) to find Kermit and restore his memory, thereby saving their friend and the show.

I really don’t have a lot to say about this film. Any movie involving the Muppets should tell you that good-natured fun is about to be had. This is the Muppets after all. They stand for wholesome, cheeky humor and zany fantasy-like antics. The fact that they are infiltrating the ‘real world’ only adds to the wonder, beauty and magic that befalls your eyes.

The Muppet Movie was a landmark film, so it’s hard for any follow-up to match the standard it set. Still, I may be short-changing Manhattan because, from a technical standpoint, any Muppet film presents a daunting task for both cinematographers and editors. Setting up shots just right to keep the Muppeteers out of view is one things- rigging up and blocking scenes where the Muppets are actually moving presents a litany of logistical challenges for the whole crew.

Technical wizardry aside, Manhattan doesn’t quite grab you the whole way through. Highlights do include Rizzo the Rat and his friends, as well as a hilarious scene where Kermit tries to pass himself off as a big shot producer in Sardi's restaurant (betrayed only by unknowingly taking down Liza Minnelli’s portrait), but not much else will stick in your mind. Each member of the core gang gets time to shine when Kermit is reading letters about what they’re doing while he’s still trying to sell the show, but the Muppets function best as a team. Human help is nice but nothing can replace the chemistry and on-screen magic of having the gang interact and feed off each other’s energy.

Of the 10 songs listed on the film’s soundtrack, I can remember only one of them and vaguely at that. Perhaps this is why I’m not as fond of Manhattan. The Muppets are every bit as much about music as they are about their antics. To fall short in either is going to reduce the fun. It’s a tall task to ask lightning to strike twice. This being the third Muppet film makes it quite an uphill battle to keep audiences fully enamored by the Muppets' magic still.

It may not be as memorable as other Muppet films but it is by no means a substandard product. The Muppets Take Manhattan continues the technical mastery of Jim Henson and his devoted team; no question there. The creative department may have run out of gas or simply couldn’t come up with enough new ideas after two films and five seasons on TV. Despite this, Manhattan is an adorable underdog tale about Kermit the Frog taking on New York City and winning. As I said before, just about any time you’re watching the Muppets is time well spent.

RATING: 3.25 out of 5