Simplistic Reviews Review by Matt:My first exposure to The Muppets wasn't any of their movies, it was actually "Muppet Babies" which for me, still goes down as one of my favorite cartoons of all time, and the best cartoon of the 1980s. There was nothing wrong with it; it had "Star Wars", "Indiana Jones", and pretty much any pop culture reference that you could think of at the time. It was smarter than the kids that were watching it, and for my money, still holds up pretty well. The Muppet movies didn't really come around for me the first time around, in fact I remember watching most of them on VHS when my dad recorded them for me. Think about it, "The Muppet Movie" was released in 1979, and to say the least I was the last thing my parents had on their mind at the time. However, when I was old enough to know how to operate the VCR and go through the stacks of VHS recordings that we had in our house, it was that fateful day I popped in 1981's "The Great Muppet Caper" starring all of your favorite Muppets; from Kermit the Frog to *John Cleese, yes, John Motherf*ckin' Cleese is in this movie.Like most Muppet fare the plot is going to include plenty of hijinks, celebrity cameos, and humor that goes well over the intended audiences heads, including one in "Caper" that refers to a guy cheating on his wife. Jim Henson had some balls on him. Any who, we open "Caper" with our three heroes, Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo in a hot air balloon talking about the opening credits. Next thing they know their balloon is going down right in the middle of a crowded street which breaks out into our first musical number. Further hijinks ensue that involve a case of mistaken identity, stolen diamonds, and a love triangle between a frog, pig, and Charles Grodin. Good clean family fun.What stands out, like most Muppets movies, are the songs. The highlight is "Happiness Hotel" that has the sound of a blues, zydeco, and a big band mash-up that works perfectly and will be stuck in your head for days. Some of the other songs get a little sappy, but there's still a whimsical element to the music that can appeal to the young and old alike.While the setting of the movie takes place in London, it could really take place anywhere. This isn't "The Muppets Take Manhattan" where the city is almost as big a star as The Muppets, but you still get a chuckle from some of the dry British humor we all know and love.If you've only seen 2011's "The Muppets" with Jason Segel and Amy Adams, which is fine in it's own way, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to "The Great Muppet Caper" that has plenty of mad-cap antics and no cheap Disney tie-in's.*Disclaimer: Of course I know John Cleese isn't a Muppet, but he might be the king of silly walks.Check out other reviews at simplisticreviews.blogspot.com

preppy-3 The Muppets are in England and get involved with Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg), her brother (Charles Grodin) and jewel robberies. Who cares about the plot though. It's just an excuse to see the Muppets perform--and they're great. The script is fast and very funny--one-liners go flying all over the place and every single one works. There's a constant breaking down of the fourth wall with the Muppets addressing the audience and poking fun at their own movie! Also there are elaborate musical numbers! The songs are instantly forgettable but the dance in the restaurant and the water ballet (!!!) really work.Also you see the Muppets walking, dancing (Miss Piggy's tap dancing looks realistic!), riding bikes, swimming AND riding a motorcycle! This was all done before we had CGI but it works. I can't figure out how they did it--and I don't want to know. Acting is very good. Rigg is having a whale of a time in her role and it rubs off on the audience. Grodin appears drugged but it DOES fit his character. A few other actors do cameos but you have to see the movie to find out who they are.Ten stars may be excessive for this movie but I loved it. I was never bored and thoroughly entertained. Highly recommended.

Electrified_Voltage All the films in the original Muppet movie trilogy, done with their late creator, Jim Henson, were made before I was born, but I first started listening to the soundtracks of the first two, "The Muppet Movie" and "The Great Muppet Caper", around the mid-nineties, and it wasn't long before I saw both films for the first time. I was within my last few years before adolescence at the time, and may have liked both movies equally when I first saw them. I've watched both of them again twice in recent years, and don't recall ever having an opinion on which one was better before those viewings. I now think the first one, from 1979, is the stronger of the two (I think most Muppets fans would agree), but this 1981 follow-up is still an impressive family movie.Kermit and Fozzie are reporters for the Daily Chronicle, and Gonzo is their photographer. One day, they are out on the street trying to get a good news story, when jewels are stolen from English fashion designer Lady Holiday! This happens when they aren't looking, so they don't notice, and instead write an article on Kermit and Fozzie as twins joining the newspaper staff, which they are fired for. The three of them then travel to London, England in the cargo hold of a plane to interview Lady Holiday. They stay at Happiness Hotel, a decaying building with free accommodation! When Kermit goes to meet Lady Holiday in her office, she isn't there, but he meets her new receptionist, Miss Piggy, instead. Trying to impress him, Miss Piggy lies and says she is Lady Holiday, and they quickly fall in love. However, she obviously can't keep her secret for long, and the jewel thieves are trying to frame her! If you ask me, the main thing that makes "The Great Muppet Caper" inferior to its predecessor is the set of songs. None of the songs can match "Rainbow Connection" and certain other memorable ones from "The Muppet Movie", and two of the songs here, "The First Time It Happens" and "Miss Piggy's Fantasy", make for two fairly lacklustre and tedious sequences. This second Muppet movie also doesn't have the same poignancy and meaningfulness as the first one. However, there's still a lot to like. The songs generally aren't bad, and of course, there are the same lovable Muppets in the movie. They also didn't forget about the humour, as the film definitely is funny, even if it's not usually hilarious. There are celebrity cameos here (though not as many as there are in "The Muppet Movie"), including one from John Cleese, of Monty Python fame. He helps make the part where Miss Piggy sneaks into 17 Highbrow Street a comic highlight. The plot also works well for a lighthearted family movie like this.Jim Henson's Muppets made an excellent silver screen debut in 1979, in a film that's still widely admired after just over thirty years. I guess it's no surprise that this 1981 follow-up is inferior, since that's often the case with franchise movies. However, overall, "The Great Muppet Caper" is a very good family comedy adventure, and is still much better than "Muppets from Space", the last theatrical movie featuring the famous puppet characters, released in 1999. I saw that one for the first time over a year ago and had never been so disappointed by anything featuring the Muppets! Anyway, kids could really enjoy this second installment in the franchise, and as usual with these films, it's not just for them. There's enough to make it worth watching for adults who still like the Muppets as well. Just because it's not as good as its predecessor doesn't mean it's not another noteworthy accomplishment.

hsutter A ragged yet sometimes delightful mess of comedy and songs with a clever story and a few too many cute cameos I still enjoy this movie but it would be stronger if it didn't feel like such a pastiche. There was a great sense of nostalgia in 1970's Hollywood that sucked a lot of creative energy into parodies and tributes and this movie feels a lot like the victim of that era. Too much talent squandered trying to make a hip version of an old Hollywood musical cum newspaper mystery cum international adventure, and yet the muppets are The Muppets and there is the charm of Kermit and Gonzo and Miss Piggy and the rest just being silly and making bad jokes work by sheer force of silliness.Like a weaker Marx Bros movie is has its moments and when it is over it feels like it was worth it, but while you are watching---hmmm, maybe not so much.