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Parents' Guide to

The Muppet Movie

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

First Muppet movie has wonderful songs -- and a few guns.

Movie G 1979 94 minutes
The Muppet Movie 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 16 parent reviews

jacar80
jacar80 Adult
December 24, 2021
age 2+

The greatest family film of its generation, if not all time

This is an absolutely brilliant film. It is fast paced, heartfelt, and existentially deep, buoyed by the greatest soundtrack of any G rated movie, ever. There are some tense moments and risqué one-liners for sure. There are guns and electric chairs and scary frog killing cowboys; jokes about Hare Krishnas and social disease ("don't touch her, you'll get warts" an El Sleezo patron comments to Kermit - a joke I didn't get until I was about 35). Apparently this makes some people squeamish. It shouldn't. The Muppet Movie is a throwback to a different era, a combustable mix of vaudeville and Looney Tunes. It's a relic of a less dangerous would. It's harmless, and it's designed to keep the parents as entertained as their children. The tension as Kermit is chased by Doc Hopper is real, but it serves as a vehicle for encouraging introspection, the chasing and realization of dreams, and the value of friendship. This flim's okey dokey!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
3 people found this helpful.
OldShowLover
OldShowLover Parent
January 11, 2021
age 10+

Unexpectedly mature

My family plays a game where the person whose turn it is to pick a movie to watch is limited by some arbitrary metric. It could be anything the other people dream up - a western, an award-winning film, anime, directed by Person X, vampires, etc. Our theme this latest time was "Rated G." So, imagine our surprise when we sat down to watch a film where a puppet gets shot at, another puppet jokes about drinking beer, and the main character is being stalked and repeatedly threatened with violence - all while being romanced by a different sexy puppet with fishnet tights and sewn-in cleavage? Hmm. Not a totally bad movie (the celeb cameos and musical numbers were fun, as well as the road trip aspect), but also not what we were expecting when we sat down to watch it explicitly for its "friendly for everyone" rating. It's a mediocre slapstick comedy. Though I suspect nowadays it's more for the children at heart who are nostalgic about growing up in the Jim Henson era.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 16 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In a classic opening, THE MUPPET MOVIE begins with Kermit the Frog (voiced/puppeteered by Jim Henson) in the swamp singing "The Rainbow Connection" wistfully to himself. He's overheard by a passing showbiz agent (Dom DeLuise), who compliments the amphibian on his talents. Fired up by the thought of performing in Hollywood, Kermit hits the road on a bicycle, heading westward and, along the way, gathering a menagerie of equally ambitious Muppet animals. There's the painfully unfunny standup comic Fozzie Bear (Frank Oz), the unclassifiable Great Gonzo (Dave Goelz), the rock band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and the feisty, narcissistic diva Miss Piggy (Oz again), who immediately becomes infatuated with Kermit. But upon seeing the charismatic frog, Doc Hopper (Charles Durning) decides that he'd be the perfect spokes-frog for Hopper's chain of frog-leg restaurants. Kermit isn't interested, but Hopper is fixated, leading to a cross-country pursuit. This sidetracks the Muppets, but eventually they arrive in Hollywood and get signed to the standard "rich and famous" contract.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (16 ):
Kids say (12 ):

Henson's delightful debut Muppet film was a technological breakthrough in 1979 because it was the first time that his beloved Muppet Show characters were shown in full, from head to toe. In one of the movie's most impressive scenes, Kermit pedals a bicycle. But the lasting beauty of The Muppet Movie is that the relatively low-tech magic, innocence, and sweetness of Henson's characters hold up. It's wondrous how alive and likeable a piece of felt like Kermit can be with just a smirk or tilt of his fabric head.

Adults and kids will have no trouble accepting the Muppets' interactions with humans or each other, even if the Kermit-crazed villain seems like a weak afterthought. If anything's gone stale, it's some of the jokes and puns, seemingly pitched at the younger age range of the Muppets' global fandom. Still, adults will have more than one occasion to smile, especially at the parade of celebrity appearances, including Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Orson Welles, and Mel Brooks.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the lasting appeal of The Muppet Movie. This film was made in 1979. Why do you think it endures? What gives it all-ages appeal?

  • Parents can talk about all the cameos, from Orson Welles to Richard Pryor, and talk to kids about what makes the actors and comedians so influential.

  • How do the characters in The Muppet Movie demonstrate perseverance, integrity, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

Movie Details

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