Muppets!!!!!

The Muppet Movie (1979)
and
The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

Monday was Family Day here in Ontario, and the Mayfair played the first two theatrical Muppet movies for people to bring their kids to. Neither Gary nor Steph and I have kids, but we went and checked them out anyway.

The Muppet Movie played first, and the film has held up remarkably well (though the physical "film" has definitely not). The film is a sort of "origin story" showing how the Muppets all found each other, filled with lots of cameos including Richard Pryor, Bob Hope, and the late puppeteer Edgar Bergen. The kids in the crowd loved all the songs (including the Oscar-nominated Rainbow Connection). The one kid behind me even made me reconsider my thoughts on what Gonzo is.

after The Muppet Movie came The Great Muppet Caper, which unfortunately isn't as strong a film. Though teh film is still filled with songs, I found that the jokes weren't as clever, and that the plot didn't really make sense, even by Muppet standards. For one thing, I couldn't figure out why it was set in England, since none of the Muppets (and only one of the main human characters) had a British accent. The print of this film was in better shape, however.