- Location: AFI Silver Theatre
- "This is a narrative of very heavy-duty proportions," says the esteemed film critic Dr. Teeth, as he reads the film's script with more than a slight nod to the camera. In fact, The Muppet Movie is nothing less than the story of how the Muppets came to be, and it manages to be a very entertaining story at that. If you haven't seen the Muppets, there's really no way I'm going to be able to convey the experience of watching them. If you have seen them, then rest assured that this film presents them at their best. The Muppet Movie's plot, if you can really call it that, revolves around Kermit's trip to Hollywood to attend an audition for frogs. Along the way, he finds himself pursued by the nefarious Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), who wants Kermit's likeness (dead or alive) for his chain of frog-leg-themed restaurants. Of course, this is not what you'd call a plot-driven film, and really the entire trip is just an excuse to meet and collect the other Muppets.
- In one of the first and more memorable meetings, Kermit encounters Fozzie Bear in a dive bar accurately named the "El Sleazo". It's full of rowdy patrons, several of whom look strangely familiar (the film is peppered with high-profile cameos) and all of whom seem disappointed that the El Sleazo dancers have been replaced by a struggling standup comic bear. In another momentous encounter, beauty pageant winner Miss Piggy spots Kermit in the crowd and immediately imagines the rest of their lives together in a hilarious fantasy montage. But again, hearing about these scenes is very different from actually seeing a pig in a tiara chase a shyly affectionate frog.
- Of all the Muppet projects I've seen, I think The Muppet Movie is probably the single best expression of Jim Henson's personality. His limitless creativity is always evident, but the film also manages very effectively to reflect his cleverness and warmth. When "The Rainbow Connection" mentions "the lovers" and "the dreamers," I find it difficult to imagine anyone besides the man who used puppets to make the world smile. Although Henson has been gone now for nearly twenty years, I think it's fair to say that nobody has been able to replace him as one of America's most genuinely original and broadly appealing entertainers. Like the philosopher said, "It is indeed a problem for us to probosculate upon."
- Among Henson's lesser accomplishments was graduating from the University of Maryland.
