Being Elmo (2011)

There weren’t quite as many (or any) behind-the-scenes puppet brawls as I had hoped in Constance Marks’ doco Being Elmo, which instead focuses on the life of puppeteer Kevin Clash. He regales us with tales from his early days as a Sesame Street obsessed little boy, to the man behind (or rather, up) the internationally-beloved Elmo. Not once illuminating or revelatory, Being Elmo coasts on its eponymous subject’s cuteness. Everything is viewed with rose-tinted glasses, I have to assume, because life with Jim Henson and Frank Oz on the set of all those Muppet programs are portrayed as being more idyllic than if they had all worked in a factory of dreams, built out of marshmallows, floating amongst the clouds.  The occasional narration from Whoopi Goldberg is ultra-cloying and unnecessary, but it doesn’t diminish the tear-jerking moments (Elmo/Clash hugging a Make A Wish kid; Jim Henson’s funeral etc.). The audience really is putty in Marks’ hands; the crowd is already on side with the subject before the film begins. After all, the thesis of the film is essentially that ‘people really love Elmo’, and the reaction at the screening was only further proof of that.

In fact, being in a crowd of 20/30-something hipsters and watching all those Muppets in action was about as close as we'll get to experience group age-regression therapy. A brief mention of nostalgic favourite The Dark Crystal is made in the film, leading to a hushed gasp from the crowd, and immediately followed by a chuckle of recognition. I’m a sucker for Henson’s magical creations just like the rest of them. I loved Sesame Street. I love, and still watch, The Muppet Show. Their songs frequently rank amongst my most played on iTunes. I even check out, regularly, the heartbreaking post-death tribute show to Henson, and the underrated Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas special. All of them make me cry. I clearly have some issues I need to work out.

3.5/5

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