The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Frank Oz

Writers:

Tom Patchett (story) &
Jay Tarses (story) ...

Release Date:

13 July 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Musical | Romance

Plot:

Kermit and his friends go to New York to get their musical on Broadway only to find it's a more difficult task than they anticipated.

Plot Keywords:

The Muppets | College | Fired | Cave | Frog

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Jim Henson	...	Kermit the Frog / Rowlf / Dr. Teeth / Waldorf / Swedish Chef / Ernie / Granny / Horse & Carriage Rider / Link Hogthrob / The Newsman (voice)
Frank Oz	...	Miss Piggy / Fozzie / Animal / Bert / Cookie Monster / Ocean Breeze Soap Board Member / Sam the Eagle (voice)
Dave Goelz	...	Gonzo / Chester - Rat / Bill - Frog / Zoot / Beauregard / Dog / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Penguin (voice)
Steve Whitmire	...	Rizzo the Rat / Gill - Frog / Baby Kermit / Chicken / College Student in Audience / Dog / Lew Zealand (voice)
Richard Hunt	...	Scooter / Statler / Janice / Beaker / Dog (voice)
Jerry Nelson	...	Camilla / Lew Zealand / Floyd / Bear / Chicken / Crazy Harry / Dog / Dr. Strangepork / Granny / Penguin / Pops / The Count (voice)
Juliana Donald	...	Jenny
Lonny Price	...	Ronnie
Louis Zorich	...	Pete
Art Carney	...	Bernard Crawford
James Coco	...	Mr. Skeffington
Dabney Coleman	...	Martin Price
Gregory Hines	...	Roller skater
Linda Lavin	...	Kermit's doctor
Joan Rivers	...	Perfume saleswoman

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6 | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Empire Stages of New York, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Kermit should have known Miss Piggy wasn't going far - the train she leaves on is the Long Island Rail Road.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the opening sequence, you can see Frank Oz's head below a dancing Miss Piggy.

Quotes:

[the Muppets have shacked up in bus station lockers]
Janice: I'll trade with anyone who has a Jacuzzi.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ratatouille (2007)

Soundtrack:

I'm Gonna always love you

Enjoyable mostly on nostalgic terms, and great with an audience

Throughout this film, you might think this film is just for kids. Well, it is mainly pointed towards them, but it's also well-rounded enough with the jokes pointed also at the adults in the audience. This time around, the Muppet gang try to get on Broadway, with the dire straits keeping them from getting it produced, leading them to splitting up. But Kermit won't stop, and his determination keeps things moving along until after getting the deal together he gets hit by a car and sent into amnesia!

It's a send-up, in part, of those old starring vehicles from the 40s with musicals actually as the topic of a musical, only here there's the usual lot of zaniness and wonderful moments thrown into a pot of hysterically funny moments (Lou Zealand's boomerang fish; Gonzo's water-stunt display, the whisper campaign, among many others), but also with a lot of heart too. The Muppet writers aren't shy of the conventions, on the contrary, they embrace them to the point where it's almost refreshing to see such a 'lets put on a show' story where through thick and think the characters will meet their dream.

While not as totally original in scope as the Muppet Movie, it's got many catchy and memorable songs, excellent locations all over Manhattan, and even some intonations of inter-species dating (and marriage)! Cameos include Liza Minneli ("a frog?"), Elliot Gould (as the cop), Brooke Shields (propositioned by a rat), Edward I. Koch, Gregory Hines and Joan Rivers. So get ready to sing-along, or just have a lot of big laughs and romantic (yes romantic) times with one of the best Muppet movies.