 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Great Muppet Caper
- Review Date: April 19, 2006
- G
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 1981
Common Sense Media says
Slapstick action in wonderful retro robbery romp.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is your typical fun Muppet entertainment with some big musical numbers mixed in. Violence is mostly slapstick -- lots of getting thrown from or in front of moving vehicles -- and there's some sexual innuendo that kids will probably miss. Of course, Kermit and Miss Piggy get to smooch once. They also have a glass of champagne at a restaurant.
What's the story?
In THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear portray twin brothers –- though they look nothing alike -– who are cub (and frog) reporters. With their jobs in danger unless they come up with a big story, the duo fly to London to interview celebrity fashion designer Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg) victim of a series of jewel robberies. After checking into a Muppet-filled dump called the Happiness Hotel, Kermit meets Lady Holiday and they fall in love –- except that it's not really Lady Holiday but Miss Piggy, a would-be model who has taken a job as the dressmaker's secretary. She pretends to be her own employer to woo Kermit, unaware that the real thief is Lady Holiday's own playboy brother Nicky (Charles Grodin). He tries to frame Miss Piggy for the crimes, but the Muppets rescue her from jail and catch the culprits in the act.
Is it any good?
This second Muppet movie is just as good as the first –- maybe even better; we won't argue. It set the mold for Muppet movies to follow, as really a shift back to what made TV's The Muppet Show a worldwide smash: witty, full-length versions of the parodies and variety skits in which the Muppets played stock roles for relax-folks-it's-only-a-movie satires.
The Great Muppet Caper is a sparkling takeoff on old-fashioned Hollywood romance musicals cross-bred with a heist thriller. But actually the whole plot is a light framework on which Muppet creator Jim Henson (directing this time) and his team hang their clever jokes and Muppet wizardry. Kermit and Miss Piggy pedal around a London park in a bicycle ballet, while Miss Piggy herself swims underwater in a musical fantasy. Sometimes the song-and-dance business takes up a lot of storyline time, but we challenge viewers big and small to watch the antics and try to figure out how they did all that with wired marionettes. No wonder it's called "Muppet Magic."
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the Muppets. Which movies are your favorites? Have you seen the classic TV show?
What gives movies or TV shows an all-ages appeal? What movies manage to entertain adults and kids equally?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
The Best!
I watched this film with my kids when they were very young; four or five. I was always amused by it, though other adults might not enjoy it. Regardless, it's a great film for kids.
The songs are catchy and the characters are great. There is no sex, language or violence, though in one threatening scene (the most tense in the movie, but it's still comical) one man brandishes a gun.
Great movie.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures, friendship, puppets |
| Studio: | Sony Pictures |
| Director: | Jim Henson |
| Cast: | Charles Grodin, Diana Rigg, Frank Oz |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 96 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | June 6, 1981 |
| DVD release date: | July 10, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
| MPAA explanation: | general audiences |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
