MUPPETS FROM SPACE
A bit of a comedown from 1992's inventive,
bittersweet Muppet Christmas Carol and 1996's sharp Muppet
Treasure Island, both signs that the Muppet franchise could
continue without deceased creator Jim Henson, the hit-and-miss
Muppets from Space feels longer than it should be, even
in its typically Muppet-size hour-and-a-half-long running time.
Fans of the older Muppets will be disappointed by the scant screen
time given to Kermit (voice and hand of Steve Whitmire), Fozzie
and Miss Piggy (both the voice and hand of Frank Oz). However,
the film, directed by Nickelodeon veteran Tim Hill, introduces
some amusing additions to the Muppet family: scene-stealing, French-accented
Pepe the Prawn and Bobo the befuddled bear, all the work of newer
Muppeteer Bill Barretta. (Actually, Pepe and Bobo have appeared
before, on Muppets Tonight, the late '90s update of The
Muppet Show.)
Kermit, Fozzie and Piggy are supporting
players in what is essentially Gonzo's story. Feeling like an
outcast among the Muppets, Gonzo (voice and hand of Dave Goelz)
becomes obsessed with finding his roots and begins receiving strange
messages from outer space that tell him he's an alien and his
extraterrestrial family is coming to Earth. An evil government
agent (Jeffrey Tambor) investigating the existence of aliens finds
out about Gonzo's attempts to communicate with his family and
kidnaps Gonzo and his roommate Rizzo the Rat (Whitmire again)
to subject them to torturous experiments. Kermit, aspiring tabloid-TV
reporter Piggy and the rest of the Muppets hit the road to rescue
their friends, foil Tambor's baddie and help Gonzo make contact
with his family. The sci-fi plot gives the screenwriters (longtime
Muppets contributor Jerry Juhl, Joseph Mazzarino and Ken Kaufman)
an opportunity to send up Close Encounters of the Third Kind,
Men in Black, Independence Day and tabloid news
shows like the Sci-Fi Channel's Sightings.
Muppets from Space, which features Rob Schneider as a panicky TV
producer, Sports Night's Josh Charles and Hollywood Hulk
Hogan as Men in Black and a surprise appearance by stars of a
certain teen soap-of-the-moment, marks the first time the
otherwise dependable celebrity cameos fall flat. Only the guest
shots by Andie MacDowell, as Piggy's rival, a tabloid news-show
anchorwoman, and Kathy Griffin, as a security guard who succumbs
to the charms of Oz's skirt-chasing Animal, elicit any chuckles.
Piggy's recent guest appearance on The Daily Show, when
she flirted with sharp-witted Jon Stewart (Piggy: "You have
such extraordinary eyes." Stewart: "Yeah, and they move"),
is funnier than most of her own scenes in the film. The Muppet
movie franchise may be starting to lose some of its dash, but
at least Muppets from Space still has those classic Muppet
throwaway lines that are too off-the-wall for Sesame Street's
audience but hilarious enough for older viewers. It's hard not
to like a kids' movie with exchanges such as this early one between
Gonzo and Rizzo: "I had that dream again." "Oh,
you mean the one about the goat, the dwarf and the peanut butter?"
© 1999 Jim Aquino
Click here to read a 1997 interview with Muppets from
Space co-screenwriter Jerry Juhl.