I’ve watched The Great Muppet Caper many times, but this was the first time I recognized the structure from the musicals of Fred Astaire (Kermit) and Ginger Rogers (Piggy). There are a half-dozen musical numbers in Caper, most of them Good to Excellent. (The two weakest feature the amazing technical feats of Muppets on bikes and Miss Piggy in a water ballet.) “Steppin’ Out With A Star” would’ve been as Astaire classic, complete with a Top Hat and a dancing shadow, while Piggy is all feathers and flowing dresses during “The First Time It Happens” where she tap dances on a table.
That is just one delight in this movie’s layers of smiles and laughs. Even with it being repeat viewings, I still laughed out loud at least 5 times, like when Piggy is in jail and hears Kermit is here pretending to be her lawyer. She remarks, “No wonder he hasn’t come by to see me. He had to finish law school.” Muppet productions are heavy with meta-humor, but this one I will mark as the greatest film ever made in terms of meta humor. There are remarks right from the opening credits:
Gonzo: Gee, a lot of people worked on this movie!
Kermit: Oh, this is nothing. Wait till you see the end credits.
Fozzie: Nobody reads those names anyway, do they?
Kermit: Sure. They all have families.
Some sublime cameos, including one that makes fun of movie cameos, and a brilliant bit when a heated argument between Kermit and Piggy breaks down into an even more emotional one when Kermit thinks Piggy is overacting. There’s a running gag about Kermit and Fozzie being identical twins and all sorts of slapstick that demonstrate director Jim Henson wasn’t just a good director of Muppets. He was a great director. Period.
The Great Muppet Caper tends to rank behind the original Muppet Movie, and I think that’s largely based on nostalgia and largely because Muppet Movie came first. It’s a sweeter film, but I prefer the Muppets when they’re jabbing nostalgia with a stick. Great Muppet Caper retains everything that’s good about Muppet Movie, but builds on it in terms of scope and ambition. The writing is sharper, more clever. The greatest Muppet Movie ever made.
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