The Muppet Movie (1979)
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Reviews Counted: 44
Fresh: 39 | Rotten: 5
The Muppet Movie, the big-screen debut of Jim Henson's plush creations, is smart, lighthearted, and fun for all ages.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 2
The Muppet Movie, the big-screen debut of Jim Henson's plush creations, is smart, lighthearted, and fun for all ages.
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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 58,942
Movie Info
Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, from of the large crew of loveably fuzzy characters created by puppetmaster Jim Henson, have embarked on a quest for stardom. They take a trip to Hollywood, riding in or on a wide variety of vehicles along the way. They begin their journey on a bicycle pedalled by Kermit, but friends accumulate along the way, and they change vehicles to accomodate them. They have the additional challenge of fending off the entreaties of the heartless Doc Hopper (Charles Durning),
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Cast
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Jim Henson
Dr. Teeth, Kermit th... -
Frank Oz
Animal, Fozzie Bear,... -
Charles Durning
Doc Hopper -
Dave Goelz
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew,... -
Edgar Bergen
Himself -
Lawrence Gabriel
Sailor -
Elliott Gould
Beauty Contest Compe... -
Ira Grubman
Bartender -
H.B. Haggerty
Lumberjack -
Bob Hope
Ice Cream Man -
Richard Hunt
Beaker, Janice, Scoo... -
Madeline Kahn
El Sleezo Patron -
Carol Kane
Myth -
Cloris Leachman
Lord's Secretary -
Tommy Madden
One-Eyed Midget -
Kathryn Mullen
Muppet Performers -
Jerry Nelson
Crazy Harry, Floyd P... -
Bobby Payne
Muppet Performers -
Austin Pendleton
Max -
Carroll Spinney
Big Bird -
Scott Walker
Frog Killer -
Steve Whitmire
Muppet Performers -
Milton Berle
Mad Man Mooney -
Mel Brooks
Prof. Max Krassman -
Michael Davis
Muppet Performers -
Dom DeLuise
Bernie - the Hollywo... -
James Frawley
Waiter -
Steve Martin
Insolent Waiter -
Richard Pryor
Balloon Man -
Telly Savalas
El Sleezo Tough -
Orson Welles
Lew Lord -
James Coburn
El Sleezo Cafe Owner -
Bruce Kirby
Gate Guard -
Paul Williams
El Sleezo Pianist
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All Critics (44) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (5) | DVD (22)
The transition from the yank-'em-off-if-they-bomb lunacy of the TV show to the coherent narration of the film is not a complete success.
Jim Henson, Muppet originator, and Frank Oz, creative consultant, have abandoned the successful format of their vidshow, and inserted their creations into a well-crafted combo of musical comedy and fantasy adventure.
Slapstick chases and weak movie references look tired, while the attitude towards Miss Piggy and Camilla the Chicken is, well, less than progressive.
Top CriticThere's always room in movies for unbridled amiability when it's governed by intelligence and wit.
As expected, Fozzie the Bear and the old geezers Statler and Waldorf receive the lion's share of the choice lines.
while The Muppet Movie is certainly entertaining, the shift to a coherent, linear, feature-length narrative deprives the film the show's brilliantly structured inanity
With his Muppets, Henson found a balance between fuzzy post-hippie positivism and self-deprecating wit, and he added in the same quality that made many of the era's cultural phenomena so charming: simple problem-solving.
'The Muppet Movie' is one big road trip, and like 'The Blues Brothers' there's a payoff not just at the end, but around nearly every corner. Music only sweetens the deal.
This isn't about one sock puppet's search to be all that he can be. It's about a community combining their talents to bring joy to the world.
The most condensed and purified expression of the starry-eyed optimistic humanism that defined all of Henson's best work.
First Muppet movie is a classic.
The Muppets were formally inventive long before Charlie Kaufman came on the scene.
One of the funniest family films of the 1970s.
Cute without being insipid, funny without being childish, The Muppet Movie contains enough magic to please all ages.
Not only was The Muppet Movie a great children's movie in 1979, one that viewers of all ages could enjoy, but it's still a great children's movie today.
...a passable but awfully slight big screen introduction to Kermit the Frog and the rest of the Muppets...
Few family films have the breadth of appeal of The Muppet Movie, the best screen evidence of the Muppeteers' dedication to magnificent illusion. [new DVD review]
The Muppet Movie has never suffered, still one of many great reasons to be a movie buff.
Regardless of your interpretation, it's a movie that's great to share with parents, with siblings, or with children, and it maintains a mature comedic edge that will leave multiple generations enjoying the same experience.
Click to read the article.
Audience Reviews for The Muppet Movie
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Movies Like The Muppet Movie
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- Fozzie Bear: There was this sailor who was so fat!
- Sailor: How fat was he?
- Fozzie Bear: Uh, he was so fat that everybody liked him and there was nothing funny about him at all.
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- Great Gonzo: There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met. Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place? You can just visit, but I plan to stay. I'm going to go back there some day.
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- Kermit the Frog: [navigating in the Studebaker] Bear left.
- Fozzie Bear: Right, frog.
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- Fozzie Bear: Ahh, a bear in his natural habitat - a Studebaker.
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- Fozzie Bear: There was this sailor who was SO fat...
- Sailor: HOW fat was he? *breaks bottle*
- Fozzie Bear: Uh, he was so fat that everybody liked him and there was nothing funny about him at all!
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Foreign Titles
- The Muppet Movie (DE)
- The Muppet Movie (UK)
Back to he movie. I loved that it was a road-trip. I have made it known that I love a good road-trip flick. I adore Kermit. I think he's a great character for kids. It was funny. I laughed out loud a few times. I guess the only thing that really got on my nerves was all the singing. It is a known fact that with these movies there will be singing. I don't think it would have bothered me if the songs didn't last for almost ten minutes. My nephew said he could have done without them too, so I'm not alone in thinking it. But overall it was a fun movie that kids and adults can both watch and have a fun time with."