Mad Men but with Muppets.
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984): 5 out of 10: Nostalgia is doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to “The Muppets Take Manhattan“. While there are moments of charm and a few fun guest appearances, like Brooke Shields and Dabney Coleman, the film doesn’t quite capture the magic of “The Muppet Show” or even the other Muppet movies. The Sesame Street gang showing up at the wedding finale was a pleasant surprise, with Big Bird stealing the scene (though Mr. Snuffleupagus was notably absent—perhaps he missed the invite?).
One of the film’s better moments comes with the debut of the Muppet Babies. Their only live-action appearance is cute and comes with the best, and arguably the only memorable, song in the movie. The Muppet Babies sequence is charming, offering a glimpse of what would later become a beloved animated show, but it’s also a reminder that this is one of the few high points in an otherwise underwhelming soundtrack.
The original “Muppet Movie” wowed audiences by showing Kermit riding a bicycle. It was a technical marvel and something unique at the time, but “The Muppets Take Manhattan” leans way too hard on similar visual tricks. There’s an overuse of full-body Muppet shots, and the bizarre rollerblading Miss Piggy scene, where it’s clearly a little person in a pig costume, feels awkward and unnecessary.
“The Muppet Show” thrived on its absurdist, laugh-out-loud humor, but the movie barely scratches the surface of that brilliance. The absurdity is there in flashes, but the comedy is disappointingly sparse. Honestly, a random 22-minute episode of “The Muppet Show” would generate more laughs than this entire 94-minute movie.
Instead of humor, we get a heavy dose of sentimental schmaltz wrapped up in a postcard version of 1980s New York City, complete with obligatory cameos like Ed Koch. Somehow, Donald Trump and Yogi Berra missed the casting call for this one.
And let’s talk about the music. “The Muppets Take Manhattan” is a musical, and unfortunately, the songs are terrible. The soundtrack is forgettable at best and downright painful at worst. Don’t believe me? It’s on Spotify if you want to subject yourself to it. The awful music drags the film down, turning what could have been charming sequences into cringeworthy moments. It’s the final nail in the coffin.
The Good
The Good: The “Mad Men” origin story with frogs and the entire Muppet Babies sequence are the standouts. And while I feel the “showing off” of the puppet technology takes away from the film, the rats ice skating on butter on a hot grill was impressive.
The Bad
The Bad: While some parts of the movie such as Animal chasing a screaming coed have obviously aged badly, the plot itself is as hoary as they come. (Going to Broadway to put on a show which feels like a rejected story from 1978’s Movie Movie.). For a musical, it has horrible songs. Add in humor that rarely rises above sensible chuckle level and some cameos such as Joan Rivers that are not very good and go on way too long. Despite a relatively brief run time, you may find yourself checking your watch.
The Ugly
The Ugly: Roller Blading midget in Miss Piggy costume is a low for The Muppets. What is worse is that it is so unnecessary. The Muppets were never about special effects. It was about fourth wall breaking absurdist humor that was both kid friendly and still entertained the adults.
In Conclusion
In Conclusion, while “The Muppets Take Manhattan” has its moments—especially for fans of the “Muppet Babies” or lovers of 1980s New York nostalgia—it’s ultimately an off-Broadway production in the Muppet canon. The humor falls flat, the songs are a disaster, and the film doesn’t capture the chaotic energy that made “The Muppet Show” such a hit. I love The Muppets, but I’ll stick with the other films and the TV series. This one, I’m afraid, missed the mark. On the plus side, it is hard to shake the feeling that the entire plot of Mad Men somehow emerged from this film’s quirky DNA. So, there’s that.
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