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Parents' Guide to

The Great Muppet Caper

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Slapstick action in wonderful retro robbery romp.

Movie G 1981 96 minutes
The Great Muppet Caper Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 6+

Based on 6 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 6-year-old
July 7, 2022
age 5+

Fun and whimsical

The film is very self aware, like a lot, it feels a bit like Pixar before Pixar, with a lot of breaking the fourth wall, but it is still entertaining. Although the flow of the film feels a bit stalled and heavy on the exposition, the muppet charm still comes through and Charles Gordon sticks the landing! I believe that he is smitten with Miss Piggy (and who could blame him really). The Muppet gang work well together and it feels like there is equal screen time all around for everyone. The film is fun and whimsical and feels like a mad caper, exactly what it purports.
Job B.
Job B. Adult
August 6, 2020
age 12+

Miss Piggy is lusted after a bunch of times

I don't mind that there's a little bit of silly karate and fighting but I do think the the sexualization of Miss Piggy is a little much. Same with the romance between Kermit and Miss Piggy.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 6 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (5 ):

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."

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Movie Details

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