Manhattan Melodies

I talk about going to the Continental Theater for "flashback movies" fairly often, but they're actually not the only game in town when it comes to showing older movies on the big screen. (It just happens they have the biggest screen for several states around.) One of the local "art house" theaters, the Esquire, also gets in on the act.

There at least one major difference at the Esquire, however. They show their movies at mignight on Friday and Saturday nights. The type of crowd you get for a movie at midnight is an entirely different animal. Frankly, I'm getting too old for whatever enthusiasm I used to have for midnight movies to still hold much sway. (Getting home from The Fellowship of the Ring at around 3:45 in the morning a few years back made me swear off ever doing it for a first-run movie, in fact. I was completely exhausted, and I think I actually enjoyed the movie less than I otherwise would have, too.)

So what dragged me out at midnight this weekend? An odd selection, to be sure: The Muppets Take Manhattan.

I don't really have too many memories from 1984, but I do remember going to see this movie. Of course, this was long before I'd discover that the Muppets are aimed as much at adults as children (perhaps, you could argue, more so). Add the "midnight crowd" to that equation, and it was a unique experience. It was not a large crowd, but it included people laughing before the punchlines, people rolling after the punchlines, people quite likely drunk off their ass (though, amazingly, kind of adding to the experience rather than spoiling it), and more.

I was surprised at what I'd remembered and forgotten from this movie. For example, it had somehow completely slipped from my mind that this was where the concept of the "Muppet Babies" was introduced for the very first time, in Miss Piggy's dream sequence.

In any case, I still found it a pretty funny movie, though somewhat awkwardly paced. After an opening half hour that flew so fast, I was wondering if the movie was going to be far shorter than I remembered, things dragged a bit in the middle (except when a few entertaining cameos were dropped in to liven things up). The finale was fun, but the ending sure does come abruptly. Not Sopranos abrupt, but still, you could kind of feel a whole vibe in the audience (even as well as most knew the movie) of: "wait, that's it?"

When they're on their A game, the Muppets are still a lot of fun. And they were pretty close to that in this movie. I'm glad I went. Even though it meant another midnight movie.