What went wrong with Muppets from Space?

[minor muppetz]

I was recently reading Roger Ebert's 2000 Movie yearbook, which featured his reviews from 1998-1999, and I noticed that he never brought up Pepe, though supposedly every critic who otherwise disliked the film praised Pepe. Also interesting is that he apparently didn't review The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (though he did review that Barney movie....).

 

[CensoredAlso]

Oh, and to make this about Muppets From Space... I mean, none of us will ever forget "I will smack you like a bad, bad donkey, hokay."

Sorry but already have, hehe.

 

[Drtooth]

I would LOVE to see Pepe and Bean together. But we haven't seen Bean in anything new since Muppet Christmas Carol, have we?

I really love Bean. But I don't think we'll ever quite see him again the way we have before Jim passed. Other than the fact that Steve is busy with Kermit and Rizzo already, there's just something about Bean that was experimental. he worked best in the specials and JHH episodes he was in. I just wonder how he would fit together with the others now.

If you ever watched the Muppet babies episodes that added him in there, even those writers were confused about what to do with him. I think there is indeed a place for Bean, and there always should be. But Bean's a strange character to write for. Maybe the writers just don't have a handle on him yet.

 

[Speed Tracer]

Plus, with the youthful enthusiasm of already established characters like Scooter and Robin (and it would now seem Walter), it's very hard to find a place for Bean. I'd love to see him again in some capacity.

 

[BeakerFan14]

I think the director geared it a little more to little kids and I think it worked because I was only 4 when it came out and I liked it...

 

[Walter]

Lol.. I liked Muppets From Space, sure it wasn't perfect... but it is still a fun movie in my opinion.

 

[rexcrk]

I would LOVE to see Pepe and Bean together. But we haven't seen Bean in anything new since Muppet Christmas Carol, have we?

Bean had two short bits in Muppets From Space and Very Merry Muppet Christmas movie. Might've been in Oz, too actually.

 

[Speed Tracer]

Yeah, I happened to watch about two seconds of Oz that he was in the other day. He's on the bus.

 

[Drtooth]

Lol.. I liked Muppets From Space, sure it wasn't perfect... but it is still a fun movie in my opinion.

Yeah, I still LIKE it, but hearing what the movie could have been annoys me a tad. There are some strong moments in the film... Dr. VanNeuter's sequence, the Alien landing party at the house ("Who cut Gonzo's Cake?!" Sal says with a mouth full of frosting), and the lab rat bit was pretty good.

Still, there was NO call to take Uncle Matt out of the final product.

 

[Speed Tracer]

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I've been thinking about two things in relation to Muppets From Space lately (I also notice that in the last few months I made the decision to use italics for titles instead of underlining them... huh). Thought that, rather than starting something new, I'd post 'em here for anyone interested.

The first is this. I read the interviews on The AV Club pretty regularly, and this one with Jeffrey Tambor has a great little bit that I think people would really like to know about:

AVC: You already played a round of Random Roles the last time you talked to The A.V. Club, but there’s one that was glossed over which is hard to resist asking about, especially since you mentioned it earlier: K. Edgar Singer in Muppets From Space.
JT: You know, that is actually one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. I had so much fun working with my friend Billy Barretta. We were so funny together, we were so good. We have outtakes that are the funniest things… I mean, they’re pee-in-your-pants funny. Oh, we riffed. We riffed so much. But the Muppets are just so great. Those guys, they’re some of the best actors, going from moment to moment. They really know how to do it. I’m a huge Muppets fan. I would go anywhere to work with them. You know, come to think of it, I don’t think my kids have seen Muppets In Space yet. I really need to pick up a copy of that. [Laughs.]

"Billy Barretta"... that just makes me smile

The other thing was this. I'm not sure how common this knowledge is, but I was reminded by a friend the other day of a song written for Muppets From Space by my favorite band of all-time, Ween:

Obviously, they didn't use it, but I sure wish they had. Ween normally does some, heh, rather inappropriate songs, but this is a really lovely tune. I first discovered this on Steve Swanson's MuppetCast.

(Interestingly, Jim James, who is the frontman of my other favorite band, My Morning Jacket, wrote the first draft of "Man or Muppet," and two recent MMJ songs, "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)" and "Outta My System" were originally written for the Electric Mayhem to perform in the movie!)