The Muppets Take Manhatten-A Light and Low-Key Muppet Movie

There's a light, low-key charm to The Muppets Take Manhattan. There's something so inherently enjoyable about watching the Muppets in an environment free of any over-the-top antics. There is some of that here, such as when Miss Piggy attacks a purse snatcher on rollerblades. But, for the most part, The Muppets Take Manhatten acts like a more chill, slice-of-life kind of Muppet production, which does make it stand out among the other Muppet films, especially when watched right after the craziness of The Great Muppet Caper.

Though admittedly, the low-key nature of the film could only charm me for so long, as after a while, I realized there's not much to this film. The film separates the Muppet cast pretty early on into its runtime, so the film loses a lot of the endearing character dynamics that, for me, is at the heart of these movies. And instead of that dynamic between the Muppet characters, the film instead chooses to focus mainly on the relationship between Kermit and a new human character Jenny, which does nothing for me, mostly because I found Jenny to be an incredibly bland and forgettable character. The movie then almost tries to imply a love triangle between Kermit, Jenny, and Miss Piggy, which it quickly abandons because it's clear the writers realized just how weird of a plotline that is. The film does eventually find a reasonably compelling storyline, with Kermit getting amnesia and the rest of the Muppets attempting to find him. However, that storyline doesn't occur until the last 30 minutes of the movie, so it gets rushed along, leaving the rest of the film feeling pretty barebones, in my opinion. 

I can't fault the film too much since, as I said, it has its charms. The soundtrack is also pretty good. "Together Again" is one of the most iconic and catchiest of all Muppet musical numbers. "Saying Goodbye" is a heartfelt little ditty, even if, in context, it doesn't feel entirely earned. "I'm Going to Always Love You" is a delightful number put against some adorable visuals featuring the first appearance of the Muppet Babies. The film's final scene, in which Kermit and Miss Piggy finally tie the knot, is one of the most heartfelt endings of any Muppet film. That wide shot of all the Muppets in the audience and Kermit and Miss Piggy seeing romantic odes to each other, it's all so charming. But aside from that final scene, the enjoyable musical numbers, and some select moments, I find that there's not much else to the film. There's a low-key, slice-of-life charm, but it only goes so far for me.

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