The Muppet Man BioPic

[Drtooth]

I'm reminded of the Three Stooges telefilm biopic...

They showed Curly keeling over and on his death bed... but they didn't show him dying. In fact, his death bed scene was basically to illustrate a story (that may or may not have been true... I take these with a grain of salt) where Moe signed over Curly's likeness for merchandising reasons. Even Shemp they just talked about and showed a grave marker...

But at the end, they did what I think they should do here... they had Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe on stage taking bows with on screen text saying "Moe died in such and such at the age of X" and etc. If Jim being on his deathbed is very integral to the plot and story, I say leave that in... but during the part where he's dying, I'd rather have an old recording of Kermit singing "Rainbow Connection" while actual clips of Jim from TV interviews and behind the scenes are shown through a soft filter... then add on screen text to it to show what happened to other people Jim Knew. It has the same effect, only even better. We get to cry over the celebration of his life, not sob over a sad sad story.

Really, this movie so far is reminding me of the episode of Pinky and the Brain where they try to make the saddest movie of all time, and at the end Pinky keeps saying "It's a sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad story!"

 

[Beauregard]

I'm not against the death being in there. But, it does NOT have to be so graphic. It was dramatic enough in real life without an over-weight Kermit singing "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday."

Also, in real life his death was followed by a crazy yowling woman being wheeled through the waiting room making everyone think that it was just the kind of crazy moment, accenting the tragedy, that Jim would have loved. His friends and family remembered him for his fun and outlook on life, not for depressing blood-coughing dying moments.

 

[Super Scooter]

That really happened, Beau? Where'd you hear that?

Find the Muppeteers who knew Jim personally. Ask them to tell weird little stories, positive and negative (above all weird and not what we normally see in retrospectives)...

Heh. Like the story Frank Oz told at Jim's memorial.

 

[Beauregard]

Here it is:

Here’s the funniest thing that may have ever happened in my life. We’re sitting there during that kind of a situation… Imagine this moment… It’s just the lowest point in all of our lives. We’ve just been told that Jim has died. It’s like somebody’s punched us in the chest. All of a sudden, from down the hall, we hear this sound… Like this high-pitched gibberish going, "HOIPOINTEEPOITOWWW JYABATAHBAW!" It was like the most inappropriate thing that could have happened. All of a sudden, these two big metal doors bang open, really loud, and these two nurses are just cracking up, wheeling this little Asian woman on a gurney, right through the middle of our group, and she smiled and goes, "YAWCATAWHOCHAYOOWW!" and she just laughs. My wife and I just looked at each other and smiled. Later, we talked about how Jim went through the room. It’s exactly what he would have done. It’s the most irreverent thing that could have happened at the worst possible moment that it could have happened. If it had been a movie, it would have been the biggest laugh, and that’s exactly what Jim would have done. Most people were just staring at her, but I couldn’t help it… I just started laughing.

-Steve Whitmere, http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/whitmire3.shtml

And THAT is how I would want to see that scene...

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

Here it is:

Here’s the funniest thing that may have ever happened in my life. We’re sitting there during that kind of a situation… Imagine this moment… It’s just the lowest point in all of our lives. We’ve just been told that Jim has died. It’s like somebody’s punched us in the chest. All of a sudden, from down the hall, we hear this sound… Like this high-pitched gibberish going, "HOIPOINTEEPOITOWWW JYABATAHBAW!" It was like the most inappropriate thing that could have happened. All of a sudden, these two big metal doors bang open, really loud, and these two nurses are just cracking up, wheeling this little Asian woman on a gurney, right through the middle of our group, and she smiled and goes, "YAWCATAWHOCHAYOOWW!" and she just laughs. My wife and I just looked at each other and smiled. Later, we talked about how Jim went through the room. It’s exactly what he would have done. It’s the most irreverent thing that could have happened at the worst possible moment that it could have happened. If it had been a movie, it would have been the biggest laugh, and that’s exactly what Jim would have done. Most people were just staring at her, but I couldn’t help it… I just started laughing.

-Steve Whitmere, http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/whitmire3.shtml

And THAT is how I would want to see that scene...

Definitely. It's a biopic. Do it as accurately as possible, and none of this overly-somber junk. It's not Jim Henson.

 

[Kiki]

My thoughts (warning: may include spoilers)

Okay, don't expect too much here, but I finally finished reading the script in it's entirety last night. Surprisingly, there were a number of aspects in it I found appealing, though with something like the random boozy-bird Kermit appearences, well... I didn't know what to make of those parts. Kermit seemed out of character most of the time. If the idea of having Kermit talking to Jim at certain moments was supposed to reflect Jim's inner thoughts or something, it doesn't work. I know what they're trying to do but whether it can be pulled off properly is another thing.

I also felt that Jim's attitude appeared to be a little ignorant towards the people around him. Nothing massive, I guess. Oh- and it could be just me being an overly picky fan because I can.

The scenes set in 1990 are very slow-moving and bleak. Though the bit where Jane and Jim hang out -after he finally calls her- is very bittersweet but also quite lovely (I actually got teary reading it, so I guess it's good that it got a reaction from one reader!). I actually really liked that bit- though straight after it became quite depressing, and reading bits where Jane witnesses Jim coughing up blood... it's-- it's not nice. And a very confronting experience for any Henson fan to read (the lower part of pg 126 is very sad).

I *still* don't get why Piggy and Link got hitched, considering the two are like chalk and cheese and Piggy despises him (and I highly doubt Link forced her/theatened her or anything, Link being... er, Link). Yes, I suppose it's an amusing thought, but it still doesn't make sense to me at all. I'm glad everything turned out well for Piggy and Kermit, even though it was very sudden and I would've liked a little more of a twist, but eh- whatever.
I didn't know what to make of the end. It would've been cool it they ended it on a humourous note where the Muppeteers sing "Baby Face" at the memorial service- but it's hard to know where to go for there, I guess.

I have a couple more thoughts on the script. Will share as soon as possible, I have a cold at present though and I have a headache.

 

[hoopless]

Ok, so I just sat and read the whole script and it left me in quite a state. Thanks for the link MrBloogarFoobly. It could just be that Jim's death is one of he saddest things I know, but I would like to think that the script aided it somewhat. While I agree that maybe it is a little too much doom and gloom and I share many of the problems that everyone else has with it, but at the same time, when Jim dies in this film, I want the people watching it to be made to feel sad because they have something invested in him since beginning to watch it and that they realise what an incredible talent and gift we lost. I might come back and add to this once I've pulled myself together a bit more lol.

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

I felt moved not because the screenplay was well written; it's because I love who Jim Henson was and what he stood for. For me, I'm predisposed to feel sorrow whenever I hear anything about Jim Henson's death, because it was so unnecessary.

 

[muppetfan89]

well, I just read the screenplay myself. For the most part, I liked it. I know it's only a first draft and not going to be the finished film, but here are my thoughts.

It had a lot of good points, but some bad ones as well. Also, some things about it were inaccurate.

For example, Jane Henson did not come up with Piggy's punch. The first season of the Muppet Show didn't have the opening with all the Muppets, that wasn't until the second season. Also, the screenplay made it seem like Jim created and and produced Sesame Street. While he was heavily involved with it, it wasn't his idea and I don't think he worked with an editior in those days of show as if he directed the episodes. Also, Oscar's voice did not come from a grouchy waiter, like the rumor has it. Carroll even said himself that there was no grouchy waiter, but that the voice came from a cab driver. I also don't think the characters would talk the way they talked with the dialogue. It wasn't all bad, but some of the dialogue seemed weak, especially with Joan Ganz Conney and Kevin Clash. The writer needs to do more research.

Like everyone else, I also wasn't sure how I felt about the darker Muppet scenes with the drunk and depressed Kermit. I do love what the writer was trying to go for, with Kermit being in a parrell universe as Jim, but at the same time, I felt there was a little too much of that stuff. Maybe just one or two scenes of something like that and a little less extreme. The Muppets were never meant to be seen like thatm even if it is supposed to be a drama. Maybe just have the Muppets be themselves and not depressed or anything. That may have worked better.

also, some of the scene transitions from one scene to the next are a little abrupt. I mean something is happening and suddenly we're in a new scene. It needs to be a little more smoother.

I also liked the honest portryal of Jim. It is a little low key and depressing, but that's how he felt in his last days, from what I read, anyway. I don't know about him seeing things, though. It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure if that can be potrayed as truth. For the most part, he was like that towards the end, but I don't think he was fully depressed as potrayed.

My favorite part is probably the ending, it was so brilliant and beatuiful. That is until the Kermit/Piggy marriage ending. It seemed out of place to an otherwise great ending. The writer writer should've ended it after the funeral scene. We saw Jim Henson struggle and achieve his dreams in a Muppet Movie esque way.

Overall, a good script, IMO.

 

[frogboy4]

Like everyone else, I also wasn't sure how I felt about the darker Muppet scenes with the drunk and depressed Kermit. I do love what the writer was trying to go for, with Kermit being in a parrell universe as Jim, but at the same time, I felt there was a little too much of that stuff. Maybe just one or two scenes of something like that and a little less extreme. The Muppets were never meant to be seen like thatm even if it is supposed to be a drama. Maybe just have the Muppets be themselves and not depressed or anything. That may have worked better.

I think the juxtaposition of a normal and not depressing Kermit/Muppet world would be a good way to play off of the real-life Jim Henson sequences instead of a direct parallel.