This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:04] Bryan Plavsky: Did you bring wine?

[0:05] Kevin Jaeger: I got the glasses.

[0:06] Kimberly Cooper: Hey guys, I made a quiz.

[0:08] Hayley Podschun: I didn't bring anything, but I heard it's a bug.

[0:20] Bryan Plavsky: It's the Broadwaysted Show with a very special guest, Hayley Podschun and Aaron J. Albano.

[0:28] Bryan Plavsky: Oh my god! Hello, and welcome to the official Broadwaysted Podcast. We're drunk on theater. I'm your host, Bryan Plavsky, and it's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights. It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight. It's time to put on makeup. It's time to dress up right. It's time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight.

[0:46] Kevin Jaeger: Well, shiver my timbers.

[0:48] Kimberly Cooper: These are pictures in my head. Can you picture that? I hope that something better comes along because we're moving right along to something better. Do you have cabin fever? Because me party in America. Never before and never again will I be a professional pirate because life's a happy song. If there's room in your heart for chamber of the board, Marley and Marley, a thankful heart that is, to do a Christmas scat. When love is found, or when love is gone, at least there's one more sleep until Christmas. Cause it feels like Christmas. Don't be a Scrooge. Let's talk about me. Because love led us here. And I'm gonna go back there someday to find that rainbow connection. Bless us all.

[1:29] Bryan Plavsky: Joining us today are the usual man or muppets. No, you gotta give us a minute there. You really gotta've been your best opening ever. Um joining us today are the usual man or muppets who are sailing for adventure, including Kevin, Boomshaka Laka Jaeger.

[1:48] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[1:51] Bryan Plavsky: Kimberly, the Magic Store game master, an unofficial babysitter for the hour. And with us are a couple of uh Muppets from our lives. They're animals and they're coming back animals. Let's give a big Broadwaysted welcome to Friend of the Show, Friends of the Big Show, Hayley Podschun and Aaron J. Albano.

[2:15] Hayley Podschun: Welcome.

[2:16] Aaron J Albano: Thanks.

[2:17] Hayley Podschun: Thanks.

[2:19] Bryan Plavsky: This week I'm so happy we did the Muppets this week. This was really fun.

[2:23] Aaron J Albano: This was great.

[2:25] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah. Let's just begin before we have a lot to cover. So before we get into it, what are you drinking? What are you drinking? Hayley, what are you drinking?

[2:36] Hayley Podschun: Tonight I'm drinking some boxed red wine, honey.

[2:42] Bryan Plavsky: Beautiful. Aaron, what are you drinking?

[2:44] Aaron J Albano: Also some red wine, not in a box, but in a really large bottle.

[2:49] Hayley Podschun: Damn.

[2:50] Aaron J Albano: It's huge. Like a deluxe bottle.

[2:53] Kimberly Cooper: I have a ruby grapefruit White Claw. And I have a raspberry White Claw chilling and waiting.

[3:01] Bryan Plavsky: That's the wind too. I'm balancing on a yoga block to like give me a frame right now, so I'm gonna fall at some point.

[3:11] Kevin Jaeger: That is a cue for content right there. Um, I am drinking uh orange juice and prosecco, also known as a mamosa.

[3:22] Bryan Plavsky: Lovely. And I'm drinking Milagro Neat.

[3:26] Aaron J Albano: Yeah.

[3:27] Bryan Plavsky: Okay. Um, so we this week watched a couple of the Muppet movies. Um, we watched the original Muppet movie from 1979. We watched Muppet Treasure Island uh from 1996, I believe. And then we watched The Muppets, the most not the most recent one, but the one that kind of was trying to bring them back in 2000. Does it count as a reboot? Is it a reboot?

[3:56] Kevin Jaeger: No, I wouldn't call it a reboot.

[3:59] Bryan Plavsky: Kind of. I mean, they brought them back.

[4:04] Kevin Jaeger: That's true, but that's not a reboot. That's still a sequel.

[4:07] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah. I'm just picturing a Muppet coming out with like a new boot and being like, what? No reboot?

[4:14] Kevin Jaeger: That's a hundred percent a joke. That should have been in the room.

[4:18] Bryan Plavsky: Absolutely. And then for those of you who are on Patreon, we are covering Muppet Christmas Carol. So those on Patreon, you'll see that in the video. We'll talk about that. And for those of you who are just listening to the audio on uh in a podcast, um, you can check out our Patreon to get a little bit more for Muppet Christmas Carol. Um, but let's get right into it. Let's talk the original Muppet movie. We'll go chronologically. Um this was their big screen, you know, first big screen movie. 79.

[4:48] Kevin Jaeger: 79.

[4:49] Bryan Plavsky: And this is OG prequel to OG stories. Oh wait, one quick moment. It's 7 o'clock. So we have to.

[4:59] Kimberly Cooper: Oh, yeah, can you hear?

[5:00] Bryan Plavsky: Oh my god, can you hear? Um Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Such good heart to be able to say thank you like that every day.

[5:14] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, absolutely.

[5:15] Bryan Plavsky: And we're talking Muppets. They're pots and pans out there today.

[5:18] Kimberly Cooper: Yeah, same here. Yay! Um dogs are getting into it. Um, but let's uh let's talk the original Muppet movie. Um let's go around. What'd you think, everybody? Uh Kevin, let's start with you.

[5:30] Kevin Jaeger: I mean, it's so good. It's just like I watched it a lot as a kid, and so like it brought back a lot of like nostalgia. And like it's just it's so funny, it's so heartwarming. It was such a good time.

[5:41] Bryan Plavsky: Who had not seen this movie before?

[5:44] Hayley Podschun: Me.

[5:45] Aaron J Albano: I realized halfway through when I said when do they get to Manhattan?

[5:49] Hayley Podschun: So Muppets Take Manhattan is my favorite Muppet movie, but it's not streaming anywhere, so we didn't do it. I had never seen, literally never seen any of the Muppet movies.

[6:01] Aaron J Albano: Oh, really?

[6:01] Hayley Podschun: Yeah. No, I was more of a Sesame Street dude.

[6:06] Kevin Jaeger: So it is Muppets, but it's not like great Muppet Keeper. None of them. I like I think the extent of the Muppets, the actual Muppets that I ever watched was like the 80s cartoon Muppet Babies.

[6:21] Aaron J Albano: I like tattoo, brilliant. Literally, something about those. I watch Muppet Babies, and I'll tell you, I and and watching Muppet Babies, I truly forget how Animal like isn't really a part of the main group. Animal is more just like with uh Dr. T.

[6:35] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[6:37] Aaron J Albano: And like and it but I I associate him with the main group because of Muppet Babies.

[6:41] Kevin Jaeger: Oh yeah, that makes sense.

[6:44] Bryan Plavsky: Oh, wasn't there in the Muppet Babies? Wasn't there like a girl?

[6:48] Kimberly Cooper: Skeeter.

[6:49] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[6:50] Bryan Plavsky: Skeeter and Scooter, right?

[6:52] Kimberly Cooper: Skeeter does not exist at all.

[6:54] Kevin Jaeger: It's just no, she was created as a foil for Scooter in Muppet Babies.

[7:01] Bryan Plavsky: But she never existed outside of Muppet Babies, right?

[7:04] Kevin Jaeger: Like a Lil and Phil moment.

[7:06] Bryan Plavsky: Yes, like Lil and Phil, for sure. Got it. It's fascinating. Anyway, yeah, but I but this is the first. So all of these movies was the first time I've ever watched any of them.

[7:15] Aaron J Albano: Wow.

[7:16] Bryan Plavsky: Wow. That's big.

[7:17] Hayley Podschun: So what did you have changed?

[7:19] Aaron J Albano: Say again.

[7:20] Hayley Podschun: Is your life changed?

[7:22] Aaron J Albano: I love them. I love I wish I wish I was into them more as a kid. But like the move, like being able to watch them as adults, understanding the draw of them. I'm like, okay. I'm so into these movies. They're fantastic.

[7:38] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah. Um, Hayley, what was what were your thoughts?

[7:42] Hayley Podschun: Um just the first one. Well, it started and I was like, oh my gosh, how have I never seen this? And then there were a few scenes here and there. I was like, maybe I have seen this, but like just scenes. Sure. But I don't think I'd seen it as a full. Um and I just was in awe the whole time. I mean, I have many a note, but like I I'm just in awe of the puppeteering, the planning of how they filmed it, the actual way that they filmed it. Um I was just in awe the whole time, and I'm like so thankful that we have a part of this as our pop culture.

[8:23] Kimberly Cooper: Sure.

[8:24] Kimberly Cooper: I had a great time. I'm married to me.

[8:32] Bryan Plavsky: Sure, sure, sure. Um, I'm married to a big Muppet fan. The Muppet Exhibit. We went to see the Muppet Exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image, which I highly recommend.

[8:43] Aaron J Albano: Oh, it's so good.

[8:45] Kimberly Cooper: Oh wow. And you can go like to um it's the kids section, but you can go do a puppet show.

[8:51] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, yeah.

[8:55] Kimberly Cooper: Because there's like a monitor below.

[8:57] Bryan Plavsky: Mm-hmm.

[9:00] Kimberly Cooper: That's super cool. I have a question because I don't, I'm not, I don't exist. I didn't exist in this world until right now.

[9:05] Bryan Plavsky: Yes.

[9:06] Kimberly Cooper: Did the Muppets exist before Sesame Street or vice versa?

[9:10] Kevin Jaeger: Before.

[9:11] Kimberly Cooper: Yes. And did they start as the Muppet Show?

[9:15] Kevin Jaeger: So the Muppet Show existed before Sesame Street?

[9:18] Kevin Jaeger: Correct.

[9:19] Kimberly Cooper: Okay. Cool. That's awesome the way that Dindies that say again. Sesame Street started in like the late 70s, and I think the Muppet Show started early 70s or like late 60s. I may used to be looking it up.

[9:36] Bryan Plavsky: I mean I love the fact that Big Bird got a cameo. That was one of my favorite parts.

[9:41] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, isn't that so sweet?

[9:43] Kimberly Cooper: Untrue.

[9:45] Bryan Plavsky: What I said was untrue.

[9:47] Kevin Jaeger: Correct.

[9:48] Bryan Plavsky: Untrue. So the Muppets originated in short form on something called Salmon Friends from 55 to 61. Um and they would be on late night appearances. So the Muppets were did exist first. However, um the Muppets started appearing on Sesame Street, which started in 1969, and then once they attained like a celebrity status from that, the Muppet Show started in 76 and went to 81.

[10:14] Kimberly Cooper: Oh, I thought it was the other way around.

[10:18] Bryan Plavsky: Wow, seriously. Rolf was the first Muppet because Jay told me today.

[10:22] Kevin Jaeger: So Rolf was the first Muppet?

[10:25] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah, he was they made him for a commercial for something. So all the movies that so we watched, so there's the Muppet movie, then there's the Great Muppet Caper, which we did not know.

[10:34] Kevin Jaeger: The greatest.

[10:35] Bryan Plavsky: It's so good. It is on Disney Plus. Um then Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984, which is my favorite, the one I grew up on, and seems like Kimberly did too.

[10:44] Kimberly Cooper: Yes, so good.

[10:46] Bryan Plavsky: Then other movies were Christmas Carol in early 90s, um, Treasure Island mid-90s, and then Muppets from Space was 99. Oh, and then we got the two Muppet movies after that, which and they tried to bring back the Muppet Show in the 90s and stuff like that.

[11:03] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, I remember that.

[11:04] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah, but and then the other two, the Muppets and then uh Muppets Most Wanted are the two most recent ones. Has anyone seen the like 4D Muppet show in Disney World?

[11:14] Hayley Podschun: Yes, I definitely have.

[11:16] Aaron J Albano: It's so good.

[11:17] Hayley Podschun: It's so cute.

[11:18] Bryan Plavsky: So let's dig into the uh the original Muppet movie. Um who wants to start you Hayley, you said you have notes, you want to go for it?

[11:28] Hayley Podschun: I do have notes. Let me pull them up. Okay. Basically, the first three things I wrote are just they start with a big old heart emoji. Heart, rainbow connection, heart Jim Henson, heart, big bird. I'm like, big bird. Did so Aaron, you had no idea Rainbow Connection was from this film.

[11:48] Aaron J Albano: No, I thought it was just like a Kermit song.

[11:51] Hayley Podschun: I mean it is like I mean that's how it was like the the the song start kicked off the movie, and I'll I think I texted everybody being like, wait, wait. Yeah, you can't from this movie?

[12:15] Hayley Podschun: It was just like a popular song for like people to sing, and then I just assumed that I was like, oh, Kermit probably sang this on like the Muppet Show or something.

[12:24] Kevin Jaeger: Sure.

[12:24] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah.

[12:25] Hayley Podschun: Didn't see. I didn't know that either. And to go along with a song that I didn't know originated in this movie because I grew up on the Great Muppet Caper. I was given it as a Valentine's Day gift from my mom, I remember on a VHS. You know, the classics. In the glam shell. Um, so I didn't know that "Moving Right Along" was like a Muppet song. I thought that only existed in the Great Muppet Caper. So when it started, I was like, um, he sings this song. Um, I just said the filming slash hiding of the puppeteers is absolutely incredible. And that's how I watch movies. Like Aaron and I were texting a little bit. Um, and he was saying, you know, was it this movie that we were talking about? No, we uh because we were texting, and we'll talk a little bit more later about the reboot, the quote unquote reboot movie.

[13:19] Bryan Plavsky: Sure.

[13:22] Hayley Podschun: Where I was like freaking out about like the themes of the movie, and she was like, I so don't watch movies like that. I don't watch movies like that. Like I watch like where is the lace hidden on the costumes? Do they have it around really well? Like how many costume fittings did they have to go through? Like, I watched the behind the scenes versions of it almost movie. So for me, the whole time I'm watching these, I'm just in awe of the puppeteers and like how many people are in that car and where are their hands and they have rods. Like, I'm just fascinated by that. Um, the screening room. Every time they cut to the screening room, I was like, where are they hiding?

[14:01] Kevin Jaeger: I know in the I would say editing wise and like story-wise, that screening room is used in the perfect places.

[14:10] Hayley Podschun: Yes.

[14:11] Bryan Plavsky: The middle of that movie starts to sag just a little bit, and then boom, Kermit's talking to his nephew, and it's like it's exactly what I needed. Um, like to like get me energized and then go back into like the end of the story. It's such a good convention to use, especially when they're like when they want to because I love how again I knew the Muppets but didn't. I love how like it's basically their brand to be super self-aware. And like when they like especially when they go to where is it, the chapel, and they're and they're starting to tell the story, and they're like, just leave the script, and then we pass.

[14:49] Hayley Podschun: Oh, I love all that stuff. And then how did you find us? Well, you left the screenplay.

[14:55] Kevin Jaeger: It's anymore.

[14:57] Bryan Plavsky: Kevin, you were saying something.

[14:59] Kevin Jaeger: Oh no, I just um the sheer like amount of like fun you could see in the actors having in this movie, like yeah while they're like all actually fully committed, like Steve Martin and like shorts, like it even like when Carol King does the incredible every time somebody says myth, she goes, yes, like it's and Cloris Leachman looks exactly the same.

[15:29] Hayley Podschun: Yes.

[15:29] Kevin Jaeger: Well, it what's I mean, it's so it's amazing how these movies feel still contemporary because the jokes work, they're dumb, they're wonderful, they're meta, but also then all of a sudden like Dom DeLuise is there or like a young Mel Brooks, and you're just like wait, what what time period is it? Like it's just so nice that those cameos come through.

[15:49] Hayley Podschun: Like the Milton Berle.

[15:52] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, Milton Berle selling them the car. I love that.

[15:56] Hayley Podschun: What I find so interesting is and maybe it's just because it's more modern now, but when I watch the Muppet movie and all of these cameos happen, I don't see it as cameos almost. But yet when I watched The Muppets, which is the newest one, I was like, there's a cameo. There's another famous person. So do you think that's because those famous people are more ingrained in your everyday? Whereas these, it's kind of like a treat that you're seeing um uh oh my gosh. Um I think you're right. Cloris Leachman or um Madeline Kahn or Telly Savalas.

[16:39] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah, those are just like that made me all the time. It's a different generation of the entertainment. So and then freaking um what's his name at the end? Um Orson Welles at the end.

[16:53] Hayley Podschun: Oh yeah.

[16:55] Bryan Plavsky: He turned around and Jason just starts laughing before he even turns around. He goes, how'd they get Orson Welles? How'd they get Orson Welles? He says one line, he didn't even be there with the Muppets.

[17:04] Hayley Podschun: I know. Although my last note from this movie is really a rich and famous contract, and then when it comes back in the third movie, I was so happy. Um, I wonder do you think they wanted to be in this movie? Or do you think like the makers of the movie reached out to these people?

[17:25] Kevin Jaeger: I think that they were famous enough. I think when it's like who wanted to like which way did the transaction go? Was it like oh my there's probably just like a hey, Hollywood, the Muppets are making a movie, and then agents called the Muppets. Because the movie came after the TV show, right? During the run of the TV show. So like Steve Martin did the TV show. Like it was very like who's who to be on that show.

[17:50] Hayley Podschun: That was my favorite part of the movie. Steve Martin has the very upset waiter. It was so good. What I think what's cool about this movie um is the uh I'm looking at my notes. Um it's it's so scathing of Hollywood, but also embraces the magic of it at the same time. It's it's truly amazing.

[18:16] Bryan Plavsky: Well, I was talking about this um the tone, we could talk about this at the end, but the tone of these films staying so consistent, even though they're all doing very different things, is a is a incredibly uh impressive achievement.

[18:31] Hayley Podschun: Yes, I feel I mean, like the the Muppets brand is so like distinct, and then especially like you were saying about the Hollywood. I feel like the best kind of love letters to certain things is where they send them up a little bit, but also like like pay great respect to them at the same time.

[18:52] Bryan Plavsky: Like, yes, yeah. What um did anyone have a favorite song from this one?

[18:59] Hayley Podschun: I literally couldn't stop crying at the end of "I'm Going to Get Back There Someday."

[19:07] Kevin Jaeger: I can't really remember any of the songs.

[19:11] Hayley Podschun: "Moving Right Along," other than "Moving Right Along" that song though. Man, I forgot. It's crazy. I watched this movie, I was like, wait, why do I know every word? Like I didn't remember that I knew every word, but I did.

[19:28] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah.

[19:29] Hayley Podschun: Yeah. I mean, "Rainbow Connection" is gonna be my answer for literally everyone.

[19:33] Kevin Jaeger: Sure, that's true.

[19:33] Hayley Podschun: That's fair for sure. And "Rainbow Connection" as an I want song in this is so strong. It's so good. Without being like an actually saying I want.

[19:44] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah.

[19:45] Hayley Podschun: Yeah. Um also at the end when they're the rainbow. Ugh. Oh my gosh, come on. They're the end of the rainbow.

[19:54] Kevin Jaeger: Oh no.

[19:56] Hayley Podschun: Can we also talk about how Miss Piggy being out of tune is delightful? And anyone else out of tune is not delightful.

[20:06] Bryan Plavsky: Miss Piggy is the best.

[20:08] Hayley Podschun: She's just the the she's the peak. She's she really is the greatest. She might be one of the greatest characters ever created, like at all time. Like I'm always interested to see if they're going to straighten her hair, curl it, like my own hair. How are they? How is it gonna be today?

[20:30] Kevin Jaeger: She's pretty great. I mean, the question, because it's since I've never seen any of them outside of these four, I feel like it's a trend that like Kermit starts the movie, and then about halfway in, Miss Piggy shows up. Is that a consistent thing that happens?

[20:44] Hayley Podschun: She's like the Maureen. She's like the big buff with like a big song. Also, Kermit is ingrained. Kermit is ingrained in us, like to be this great character, stand-up, whatever. And he always does the right thing, but he has d his he's been a he's a garbage frog in all of these. The things he does to Miss Piggy is terrible. Like, and like all the stuff that like all the inciting action of their of this current status of their relationship, it's just like very terrible stuff.

[21:18] Bryan Plavsky: Their relationship is special.

[21:20] Hayley Podschun: Yeah. Well, she just wants love, and he's like, uh, I guess. And sweetums, I just can't. That makes me so sad. I'm like, let him in the car. And he just goes to get his back. Oh, he ran away. That was weird.

[21:34] Kevin Jaeger: That's so good. Wait, so on that note, um, two. I'm gonna ask each one of you two questions.

[21:38] Hayley Podschun: Okay.

[21:38] Kevin Jaeger: What was your favorite joke from this movie? And who was your MVP Muppet?

[21:45] Hayley Podschun: Um, The Myth.

[21:48] Kevin Jaeger: That's mine too.

[21:49] Hayley Podschun: That's mine too. So come on. What was it at the beginning where someone else comes back and Kermit just goes, oh, so it's gonna be a recurring theme.

[21:57] Bryan Plavsky: Oh yeah.

[21:57] Hayley Podschun: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, I loved that.

[22:05] Aaron J Albano: And Ozzy Bear is always my favorite.

[22:10] Kevin Jaeger: Aaron, do you have an MVP Muppet and a favorite joke? Or are you the favorite shtick?

[22:15] Aaron J Albano: I mean, I want to say my favorite thing was when was was what maybe not necessarily the favorite joke, but my favorite moment was when Big Bird showed up and he was walking the other way to get to New York.

[22:28] Hayley Podschun: It's so sweet.

[22:32] Aaron J Albano: Yeah. I think my favorite favorite? Oh, my favorite. What was the other favorite?

[22:38] Kevin Jaeger: I might say Gonzo.

[22:40] Aaron J Albano: Sure.

[22:41] Kevin Jaeger: Actually, no, she's pretty great.

[22:48] Hayley Podschun: Yeah.

[22:49] Kevin Jaeger: Um, I mean I have to concur that the myth thing got me every time, and it was just so well played, it wasn't overdone.

[23:01] Aaron J Albano: Yes.

[23:01] Kevin Jaeger: Genius. Behind the billboard. And she was like kind of famous then. So for her to agree to do this movie for one gag, like is pretty brilliant. So I loved that. Um, my MVP Muppet for this one has to be um uh Statler and Waldorf.

[23:21] Hayley Podschun: Hey, they popped it in the middle, but oh yeah, like bring everything up, and like their jokes are always just so they're just so good.

[23:32] Kevin Jaeger: The writing across all of these films, the writing for Statler and Waldorf is always an A plus.

[23:37] Hayley Podschun: Really? Oh, I literally wrote down an LOL moment. So I'm gonna say this is mine. It's when the car crashes into that um billboard and the pie falls off.

[23:54] Kevin Jaeger: Oh literally laughed out loud in my apartment.

[23:59] Hayley Podschun: Oh, also the fork in the road. Genius!

[24:03] Kevin Jaeger: Oh yeah. It's like what are the odds? I think that happens a great Muppet Caper as well because there's black car moments.

[24:10] Hayley Podschun: Sure.

[24:11] Kevin Jaeger: And I do remember the fork in the road being a thing when I was little.

[24:15] Hayley Podschun: Sure.

[24:16] Kevin Jaeger: A perfect balance of like campy and dry.

[24:20] Hayley Podschun: Yes.

[24:20] Kevin Jaeger: It's perfect. Because I don't acknowledge it.

[24:23] Hayley Podschun: There's just Hayley, what was your who's your MVP?

[24:27] Hayley Podschun: Um, I'm gonna say Kermit, just because like OG, goodness.

[24:33] Bryan Plavsky: Um, I'm gonna read the Rotten Tomatoes. Does anybody have a guess of what the percent is? I feel like they're all gonna be in the 90s.

[24:40] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, they're all gonna be, they're all gonna be high.

[24:43] Hayley Podschun: 91.

[24:45] Aaron J Albano: 92.

[24:47] Kimberly Cooper: 89.

[24:48] Bryan Plavsky: Is this is this is this prices right, Rolls?

[24:51] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[24:52] Bryan Plavsky: I'm gonna say 85, just to be on.

[24:54] Hayley Podschun: 88 percent.

[24:58] Bryan Plavsky: One. The site's consensus is the Muppet movie, the big screen debut of Jim Henson's plush creations, is smart, lighthearted, and fun for all ages.

[25:09] Aaron J Albano: Yes. Um it was nominated for Best Original Song and Original Score.

[25:14] Bryan Plavsky: It did not win either one of them.

[25:16] Hayley Podschun: Song Rainbow Connection.

[25:18] Bryan Plavsky: Um who wrote Rainbow Connection?

[25:20] Aaron J Albano: Uh it was written by Paul Williams and Kenny Asher.

[25:24] Bryan Plavsky: Okay. Um, and uh yeah, so that's that one. So what happens next is we get the Great Muppet Caper, and then we get uh Muppets Take Manhattan, but we skipped a little bit of ahead. Um and we went to mid-90s. They had already done uh Christmas Carol, which we'll talk about if you have Patreon a little bit later. Um we're going right to um uh Muppet Treasure Island. Um now the original movie is the only one we watched with Jim Henson before he passed away.

[25:54] Kevin Jaeger: Correct.

[25:55] Bryan Plavsky: The rest are Brian Henson, his son. Um so let's cheers. Thank you, man. Clinkies, um let's talk uh Muppet Treasure Island again. Um this had been in the works for a little bit. They really with the success of Muppet Christmas Carol, they wanted to do another pre-existing story and pop the Muppets into that, which they obviously did. Um who has who had not seen this before?

[26:26] Hayley Podschun: Oh wow, so Kevin and I were the only ones who had seen this before.

[26:31] Aaron J Albano: I think I also never seen it either.

[26:33] Hayley Podschun: Oh, really?

[26:33] Kevin Jaeger: I saw this in theaters.

[26:34] Bryan Plavsky: Did you say you saw it in theaters, Kevin?

[26:36] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[26:36] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah, me too. I saw it in the theaters with my entire family. It was like a full family day.

[26:41] Kimberly Cooper: An event.

[26:42] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah. So for the so can I start with Kevin. Kevin, did this hold up? What were your thoughts on this?

[26:48] Kevin Jaeger: Yes, it's brilliant. I think it's so freaking good. Me and Brian had texted about this. Um, but like Tim Curry's performance in this is beyond spectacular. And it's like he just gets it. He gets exactly what tone they're going over. And because he takes it seriously and plays a real character, like it makes the story work so well. Um, I also think it's brilliant that they like discovered the device in Christmas Carol of having like Gonzo and Rizzo like anchor the story because like they're such good foils for the audience to like they come in and give brevity when it's necessary. They come in and like keep us abreast of what's actually happening when we need like a recap. It's just like it's really well made. I loved it. Um from this is one of my absolute favorites. This score, in my opinion, is the best score of any of the Muppet movies.

[27:45] Bryan Plavsky: Well, did the same people do the score do do the music and lyrics?

[27:48] Kevin Jaeger: No, I'm sorry. When I'm sorry, I'm talking music and lyrics, I'm talking Kurt and Cynthia. When I found that out, I was like, beautiful. Yeah. Genius.

[27:59] Aaron J Albano: Who wrote it?

[28:00] Kevin Jaeger: Kurt Weil and Cynthia.

[28:02] Aaron J Albano: Cynthia Weil.

[28:03] Kevin Jaeger: Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.

[28:05] Bryan Plavsky: Yes, sorry. They wrote this. Kurt Kyle. Did you say that on the group text?

[28:11] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[28:12] Bryan Plavsky: Must have. I love this music so much. It's so fun. It's awesome. These, I mean, I'll professional pirate. Tim Curry singing professional pirate is like my favorite thing in the whole entire world. And like bringing out how he's like, pay attention. I only get one number, like whatever. And then he had a full like three numbers after.

[28:34] Kimberly Cooper: Yeah, yeah. Um, for those of you who didn't have never seen it before, what are your thoughts? Kimberly, let's start with you.

[28:42] Kimberly Cooper: I had a great time. Um, I was watching it with Jay, who is a big Muppet fan, but who also had never seen this one. And he does not like Rizzo, the rat.

[28:51] Hayley Podschun: Oh my gosh.

[28:52] Kimberly Cooper: Rizzo the Rat is my MVP. It's the 90s when they're trying to make Rizzo a thing.

[28:58] Aaron J Albano: Oh no.

[28:59] Kimberly Cooper: I actually one of my biggest issues with the Muppet movie, the um The Muppets, excuse me, the one with Jason Siegel, that one. I wrote N-E-R, not enough Rizzo. I wanted more Rizzo. I just had watched Christmas Carol and this, and I was like, give me more of that Rizzo Gonzo relationship. Rizzo, I think it's funny with like the cruise.

[29:25] Kevin Jaeger: It does a rat cruise.

[29:27] Kimberly Cooper: Oh god, so the rats on the cruise. That show taught me every time. Every single time they showed up. Loved it. Haley, your thoughts?

[29:36] Hayley Podschun: No, Kimberly, go ahead. You have to finish.

[29:38] Kimberly Cooper: Oh, the other thing we thought is why did they make that poor boy sound sing so high? So weird Oliver.

[29:47] Aaron J Albano: That aggressive voice is a big thing.

[29:50] Hayley Podschun: It's definitely a girl singing, right?

[29:53] Kevin Jaeger: Like it's a no, but that mulleted soprano, I cannot.

[29:57] Kimberly Cooper: And an actual mullet, too, that he's wearing.

[29:59] Aaron J Albano: Literal mullet.

[30:02] Kevin Jaeger: British Jonathan Taylor Thomas singing in the rafters.

[30:06] Hayley Podschun: Yes. Wait, Kevin, what did you say?

[30:07] Kevin Jaeger: I can't wait for Sarah Brightman to come out and the two of them to start singing that like Requiem.

[30:14] Kimberly Cooper: Why is like the Canterbury voice quiet? Like, why is this happening?

[30:18] Aaron J Albano: He would have made a great call in and especially during was it during Professional Pirate or something where like Tim Curry sings a line and then he comes right in and was like, and it was when they were all like thinking about being excited about their voyage or whatever.

[30:33] Kevin Jaeger: No, yeah.

[30:36] Kimberly Cooper: Yeah, you just kept going though. It's like, ugh. I literally thought I'm like every time he opened his mouth, I just started laughing, and I felt really terrible. I was like, why is Michael Thadaka singing in voice of also recent photo?

[30:54] Hayley Podschun: I got did anyone else get really frustrated with um with what's his name? With um Jim with Jim being like, how do you not see right through this guy?

[31:06] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[31:07] Hayley Podschun: Yeah. Literally.

[31:10] Kimberly Cooper: Um little daft.

[31:12] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, a little bit. Um, I was convinced that because I don't know the story. I was like, is Long John Silver his dad?

[31:20] Hayley Podschun: Oh like I thought it was gonna go there.

[31:22] Kimberly Cooper: Oh, that's why I actually because of this movie. I read the book.

[31:28] Aaron J Albano: Oh yeah.

[31:29] Kimberly Cooper: I was so into this movie. Or known the story until I saw this movie.

[31:34] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, I didn't know it at all.

[31:35] Kimberly Cooper: Sure, sure, sure. Yeah. I was like, they always the book is about just letting children get a boat.

[31:41] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[31:44] Bryan Plavsky: Pretty much. Um I mean, this one, this one is just super fun. Um, it's a it's you know, it's a really good fun adaptation. Did it was it's a does anyone else feel was it was a little long towards the end?

[32:00] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, exactly.

[32:03] Bryan Plavsky: Oh, go ahead.

[32:04] Kimberly Cooper: It was it was it was a little because again, and we're all just assuming that we know that all of these are very high caliber movies.

[32:11] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[32:12] Kimberly Cooper: I feel like this was my least favorite out of the four that we watched.

[32:15] Aaron J Albano: Okay.

[32:16] Kimberly Cooper: And I want to say it's only because I didn't know the story pro I mean of the two like existing properties that we knew already. I don't know Treasure Island, so I couldn't follow it the way I followed Christmas Carol.

[32:30] Kevin Jaeger: Me too.

[32:31] Kimberly Cooper: And so I was like, okay, I'm kind of bored because I don't really know the story. And it's very it's is it the longest one we watched?

[32:40] Aaron J Albano: No, I don't think it's oh no, the Muppets I think is two hours.

[32:43] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[32:44] Kimberly Cooper: And this was like just shy.

[32:46] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, I definitely like like started to doze off in the middle of it. But like, but yeah, it was great, but that said it was it was really good.

[32:55] Bryan Plavsky: I thought that Treasure Island came after Christmas Carol because I had never seen it.

[33:02] Kevin Jaeger: It did, right?

[33:03] Bryan Plavsky: It does.

[33:03] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, it did.

[33:04] Bryan Plavsky: Yes.

[33:05] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[33:05] Bryan Plavsky: Oh, sorry. I meant before.

[33:10] Kimberly Cooper: Oh yes, those words.

[33:12] Bryan Plavsky: Right. Beginning words.

[33:14] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, I mean the opposite of what I reverse it.

[33:21] Kimberly Cooper: I thought it had to come first.

[33:24] Bryan Plavsky: Um wait, it did. Wait, now I'm confused.

[33:29] Kevin Jaeger: Christmas Carol is 92. This is 96.

[33:32] Bryan Plavsky: Okay. I thought Treasure Island came first. Um, because I even wrote, wait, was is this Rizzo the Rat's first movie? And it's only because I had never seen Treasure Island.

[33:41] Aaron J Albano: Sure.

[33:44] Kimberly Cooper: Rizzo has a big part in Muppets Take Manhattan. He's in the diner that they go to all the time.

[33:49] Kevin Jaeger: I haven't seen it.

[33:51] Kimberly Cooper: Um it's a good one. It's a really good one. They go to Sardi's. Kermit gets amnesia. It's wonderful.

[33:58] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah. Patrick's Cathedral. And the picture of, you know, the picture at the end of the Muppets where they like there looks like they got married where they put the pictures together.

[34:07] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[34:08] Bryan Plavsky: That's from Muppets Take Manhattan. Um, so um let's go around. I want your Muppet MVP and your favorite joke from this movie. I'll I'll start. Rizzo is my favorite. Um, and uh my favorite joke in this is probably the um the rat's cruise ship.

[34:33] Hayley Podschun: Yep.

[34:35] Kevin Jaeger: I would second that with Rizzo, and I texted you all, what a perfect time to have the song Cabin Fever.

[34:41] Hayley Podschun: Yes, yes.

[34:44] Bryan Plavsky: Kevin.

[34:50] Kevin Jaeger: Um my favorite, my MVP of this movie was I can't remember his character name, but like the purple goat who is like the bad guy in the tree.

[34:58] Hayley Podschun: Yeah, yeah, okay, sure.

[35:00] Kevin Jaeger: Oh yeah, yeah. He was my favorite, and like literally everything he said was just so perfectly placed that I was just like, yep, I'm into you. You're my favorite. Like just all of his jokes were like on point for me.

[35:17] Aaron J Albano: Um did you have a favorite joke, a favorite song?

[35:20] Kevin Jaeger: Um, I think I just really liked Tim Curry, like when he was like uh just everything in his song where it was like very self-referential of like this is a member, like push me up higher, like everybody pay attention and all that. I really like that.

[35:40] Kimberly Cooper: Um my favorite joke, I think, was also the every time they brought up the rat's cruise ship. Also just in Curry's introduction when he's like, look what I love.

[35:50] Hayley Podschun: Oh yeah, yeah.

[35:54] Kimberly Cooper: Yeah, yeah, the fingers joke. Um, and I love Sam the Eagle.

[35:59] Aaron J Albano: Oh this was a good showcase for Sam the Eagle for the first time.

[36:04] Kimberly Cooper: Now he's a huge fan.

[36:05] Aaron J Albano: Huge fan.

[36:06] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah, he is.

[36:10] Kimberly Cooper: Captain, you should know. At the end, the boat comes back, like it's the one that doesn't work.

[36:15] Aaron J Albano: So all the pirate names.

[36:17] Kimberly Cooper: When they oh that was great.

[36:19] Aaron J Albano: Yes, that scene was face lame, but but and then it's just this beautiful woman.

[36:25] Kimberly Cooper: And then it was like beautiful Maggie Sue, and it was like this hideous Muppet.

[36:30] Aaron J Albano: Or the dead guy.

[36:32] Kimberly Cooper: The dead guy.

[36:33] Aaron J Albano: Very dead.

[36:37] Kimberly Cooper: Yeah, that stuff is great.

[36:38] Aaron J Albano: Old old dead, real old dad, dead.

[36:41] Kimberly Cooper: He shot dead.

[36:46] Aaron J Albano: Um, I'd have to say, uh, the jokes are a tie between the rat cruise and then when they torture Gonzo and then like fix him by like shuddering him, basically.

[37:05] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I died.

[37:08] Aaron J Albano: I think my MVP might be Miss Piggy because that reveal was very tough. Everyone was great.

[37:17] Kimberly Cooper: Um, cool. Do you guys want to guess the Rotten Tomatoes score?

[37:22] Aaron J Albano: I'm nervous.

[37:24] Kevin Jaeger: 83.

[37:25] Aaron J Albano: I was gonna say 84.

[37:27] Kevin Jaeger: Price is right rules still?

[37:28] Aaron J Albano: Yeah.

[37:29] Kevin Jaeger: Well, that's yes, but don't pick one.

[37:33] Aaron J Albano: I was saying what you say, sorry. I'm gonna say this is like 73.

[37:39] Kevin Jaeger: It's actually 73.

[37:42] Aaron J Albano: No.

[37:45] Kevin Jaeger: Aaron's two for two.

[37:49] Aaron J Albano: Two for two.

[37:50] Kimberly Cooper: So basically it says both showcases.

[37:54] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, those ones plus money. I think if you get it on the head, you win actual money too.

[37:58] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, like a thousand bucks.

[37:59] Aaron J Albano: Yes. Um, so though less Muppet-centric than the original trilogy, Muppet Treasure Island is an energetic, cheerful take on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure with typically solid gags.

[38:12] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[38:13] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, that's a really good thing.

[38:15] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[38:16] Aaron J Albano: I do want to go back for one second. We didn't even talk about the fact that a young Austin Pendleton is in the original Muppet movie.

[38:25] Kimberly Cooper: Yes, he is, and we saw him on stage.

[38:27] Kevin Jaeger: We did. In uh Fireboy.

[38:29] Kimberly Cooper: We saw him in Qui Boy, he's the original model in uh Fiddler on the Roof.

[38:34] Aaron J Albano: He was the driver of the bad guy.

[38:37] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[38:37] Aaron J Albano: Oh, that is how I recognized him. I literally saw the name Austin Pendleton, and I was just like, why is this familiar? Who are you? I know you.

[38:48] Aaron J Albano: So after this movie, there was um, uh Muppets in Space, which didn't do that great. Um, and then the Muppets went away for a bit. They tried to bring them back um on TV that didn't really last.

[39:02] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, ABC tried to do something.

[39:05] Aaron J Albano: Yes, that's what it was called.

[39:06] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[39:07] Aaron J Albano: Um, and so long story short, um, uh it was given the it was given to um oh we get to see warning delivery example of contactless delivery. Um, so while Kevin's wigging that uh no this was given to um basically Jason Segel had been at the height of his career on How I Met Your Mother, and then doing um doing uh um Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which is famous for the puppet Dracula movie musical, and he is a huge fan of the Muppets.

[39:55] Aaron J Albano: Um and so he was he he wrote this and produced this. Um however, um the music was written by um a couple people, um, but Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame wrote a lot of the music and lyrics along with everybody. Um and this movie actually won the Oscar, Man or Muppet won the Oscar for Best Um song.

[40:24] Kimberly Cooper: You guys.

[40:24] Aaron J Albano: And it's a TikTok trend. It's one of the worst songs I've ever heard.

[40:31] Kimberly Cooper: Am I a woman or am I a rat?

[40:35] Aaron J Albano: Is like the TikTok version. And so when Man or Muppet came on, I was like, it's from this. It's terrible. It's funny.

[40:45] Kimberly Cooper: Well, I guess who had not seen this before?

[40:48] Aaron J Albano: Really?

[40:53] Kevin Jaeger: Kevin did not see it.

[40:54] Aaron J Albano: I saw it in theaters as well.

[40:55] Kimberly Cooper: Sorry to hear it.

[40:56] Aaron J Albano: I've not seen it.

[40:57] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[40:58] Kimberly Cooper: So let's start with the people who had not seen it this time. Thoughts? High-level thoughts on this?

[41:06] Aaron J Albano: I love it. I absolutely like. Well, A, I texted everybody. Because when Kermit's I Want song like wrecked me.

[41:19] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, I had like a like a therapy moment for like a second. Like watching that like entire sequence where they like go to this house and he's like remembering all the good times.

[41:29] Kimberly Cooper: Oh, and the pictures like start to like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[41:32] Aaron J Albano: Or get it. And that's what I was like, all right. I'm in for this movie. It was great. And we'll talk more about that when we get there. But I loved it.

[41:39] Kimberly Cooper: I mean, we don't, yeah, we can talk about now. Hayley, what were your high-level thoughts?

[41:43] Hayley Podschun: Um, I literally only have five notes from this, so can I read them all?

[41:48] Aaron J Albano: Yeah.

[41:49] Hayley Podschun: Only four. You have to choose your best four.

[41:52] Aaron J Albano: Okay, I got four. I got four.

[41:54] Hayley Podschun: Four and a bonus.

[41:55] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, yeah.

[41:56] Hayley Podschun: How old is Gary?

[41:59] Aaron J Albano: Great question.

[42:01] Hayley Podschun: Uh, I wasn't in the movie, I wasn't into the movie until uh Gary walks into Kermit's office.

[42:09] Aaron J Albano: Agreed.

[42:10] Hayley Podschun: That's one of my notes, too. The movie takes a bit to get going, but once Kermit and the Muppets pop in, the movie drastically changes.

[42:20] Aaron J Albano: I was like playing on my phone, all of a sudden I was like, I'm in. Does everyone agree with that, or did someone other people feel differently?

[42:28] Kevin Jaeger: I disagree only that I think that like that opening number is so brilliant, and like all of those people like dancing and singing along with them.

[42:37] Hayley Podschun: Sure, sure.

[42:38] Kevin Jaeger: Oh yeah, I do love that. They're in Star's Hall. When they drive away and everyone goes, they're good, and then drop the ground.

[42:46] Hayley Podschun: I think I wasn't into it because I saw like a friend of mine from the hair screen movie in it. I was like, oh, behind the scene.

[42:54] Aaron J Albano: I was also watching it thinking how great it was that they implement they made it very clear that like Jason Segel is not gonna be a good dancer, so like everyone else created and he just goes like just kind of and side to side. It was so well done.

[43:06] Hayley Podschun: What I think it I think that was like, even though like you kind of wanted him to you wanted someone to be maybe a better dancer or whatnot to like fit in with everything. I think it also highlighted the difference between him and his brother. The fact that one is a Muppet and one is not built that way.

[43:23] Aaron J Albano: The child tongue-in-cheek nature of this movie was so spot on in like the theme of what Muppet movies should be.

[43:29] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, yes.

[43:31] Hayley Podschun: I do, I would argue that at the beginning, every single Muppet movie has a very strong I want song. I was missing that from Gary in this movie a little bit.

[43:42] Aaron J Albano: Gary or Walter?

[43:43] Hayley Podschun: Walter, excuse me.

[43:45] Aaron J Albano: Walter.

[43:45] Hayley Podschun: Even though he has the B section.

[43:47] Aaron J Albano: Maybe because he had teeth.

[43:50] Hayley Podschun: Maybe.

[43:51] Aaron J Albano: Guys. Walter Muppet need teeth.

[43:53] Hayley Podschun: Walter was so ugly.

[43:58] Aaron J Albano: Say it, Aaron. Say it. Do it.

[44:00] Hayley Podschun: I was so mad. I was like, did we like lose like run out of budget for Walter?

[44:06] Aaron J Albano: I asked Jay because I was like, he's not cute. And Jay was like, well, they tried to make him look like Kermit so that there was like more of a correlation of like why he liked Kermit so much.

[44:16] Hayley Podschun: And they made him the same kind of puppet as Kermit.

[44:21] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, they also tried to make him as human as possible without going too far over.

[44:26] Hayley Podschun: Right, which didn't work.

[44:27] Aaron J Albano: Which then had a scene with another Muppet that looked, I think that was actually like being a human and had a nose and everything. And I was like, this is what he should look like.

[44:34] Hayley Podschun: And Aaron made a perfect uh side-by-side photo of Princeton from Avenue Q and Walter. And uh I was like, why can't he look like why does the Avenue Q Muppet look better than the actual Muppet?

[44:52] Aaron J Albano: I was very upset. And I was like, oh I gave it a I like gave it a pass at the end when he needed to whistle, and I was like, all right, maybe this kind of mouth needs to whistle. That made me laugh a lot.

[45:03] Hayley Podschun: It's also like he gets like the Kermit expressions, like how Kermit can gulp.

[45:07] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, yeah.

[45:09] Hayley Podschun: Um, like still uh ugly Muppet. I was like, oh did well, maybe it was just an allegory for being the ugly little brother.

[45:19] Kimberly Cooper: Do you do you all think um, and we'll get into what everyone else thought too, but while we're doing that, do you did your enjoyment of this film was it enhanced by the fact that we had just watched the original Muppet movie?

[45:34] Kevin Jaeger: It was decreased.

[45:36] Aaron J Albano: Decreased.

[45:37] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[45:38] Aaron J Albano: I might agree. I'm not a Jason Segel fan at all, so I had a very difficult time watching it because I am not a fan of his at all.

[45:47] Kimberly Cooper: Really?

[45:48] Aaron J Albano: I really enjoy him.

[45:50] Kimberly Cooper: Yeah, I highly dislike his work.

[45:53] Aaron J Albano: So I'm but who knows? Maybe he's a very kind person.

[45:54] Kimberly Cooper: Sure, sure.

[45:56] Aaron J Albano: And once I he's supposedly an awesome dude. Amazing. I'm happy for him. I'm happy he brought this back to all of us. I'm happy he gets to live his dreams. I am just not, I just don't like, I don't know. There's something about him on screen I don't drive with.

[46:09] Kimberly Cooper: Sure, sure.

[46:11] Aaron J Albano: Um, so I had a very difficult time watching it because he was always on camera.

[46:17] Kevin Jaeger: What was this enhanced or dehanced?

[46:21] Kevin Jaeger: Um, I thought it was enhanced because the callback jokes were very fresh in my mind.

[46:25] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, I agree.

[46:26] Kevin Jaeger: Oh yeah. This is the Swedem contact contract.

[46:31] Aaron J Albano: Yeah.

[46:32] Kevin Jaeger: And I also love when he said like when it's dad there and Walter for like, hey, I think we just said a really important plot point. Um, I mean, I feel like I I would say I wouldn't say it was like dehanced, but yeah, had I had I gone longer without watching it, it would have repli like because I can only imagine what you guys because I was not a Muppet dude, I can only imagine like what this movie felt like.

[47:02] Aaron J Albano: Are you a man or a Muppet?

[47:03] Kevin Jaeger: Muppet dude.

[47:04] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, are you growing? Is it you a Muppet bro now?

[47:10] Kevin Jaeger: Are you a Muppet or a Muppet?

[47:14] Aaron J Albano: Never move it.

[47:15] Kevin Jaeger: Move it's really got me.

[47:17] Aaron J Albano: Never move it. But like had I grown up with the history. Had I grown up with the history of these of this franchise, like I already like had an emotional response to this movie. I can only imagine how much greater that emotional response would be if I had farther time away from it.

[47:38] Kimberly Cooper: Sure, yeah. Thoughts on the songs in this one. Kimberly, we'll start with you.

[47:44] Kimberly Cooper: I thought they were great. I also knowing that this was like right after Sarah Marshall, I thought they were pretty comparable to the Dracula musical.

[47:52] Aaron J Albano: Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[47:53] Kimberly Cooper: And so I enjoyed that they were just kind of like they're not written by geniuses, but they were like fun.

[48:01] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, for sure.

[48:03] Kimberly Cooper: Um, I liked them.

[48:05] Aaron J Albano: Same.

[48:05] Kimberly Cooper: I think that some of them were I would have preferred more Muppet songs.

[48:10] Aaron J Albano: Like bull songs, and say that again than people songs.

[48:15] Kimberly Cooper: Yeah, I the first time I saw I remember seeing the movie for the first time and liking the Amy Adams song, and this time it just felt like it was taking away from the stuff I actually wanted to see, as much as I love Amy Adams.

[48:25] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, but it was still.

[48:28] Kimberly Cooper: Yeah.

[48:28] Aaron J Albano: Oh, see, that was the one where I was like, I need to add this to my book.

[48:35] Kimberly Cooper: I did like it. And I guess Piggy's in that song too, but I kind of wish they were like on Mary and today situation. I wish they were together.

[48:42] Aaron J Albano: For sure, yeah, yeah.

[48:43] Kimberly Cooper: I liked her like her part of this song when she gets sad and like looks out the window and you start spraying the spray.

[48:51] Aaron J Albano: Oh, that's her that's her B section of everything's great.

[48:55] Kimberly Cooper: Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh oh. And again, Kermit does Piggy dirty in this one and in Treasure Island.

[49:04] Kevin Jaeger: Never nice to her.

[49:05] Bryan Plavsky: No, no, that's it.

[49:07] Hayley Podschun: She deserves better, for sure.

[49:09] Aaron J Albano: Um she had better.

[49:11] Hayley Podschun: She was like in Paris working at Vogue.

[49:14] Kevin Jaeger: Emily Blunt is her assistant.

[49:15] Bryan Plavsky: Emily Blunt's basically playing the same character.

[49:18] Hayley Podschun: That was my favorite cameo of the whole movie.

[49:20] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah.

[49:21] Kevin Jaeger: It was so good.

[49:22] Hayley Podschun: And once Emily Blunt was in it, you knew John Krasinski was gonna show up.

[49:28] Aaron J Albano: But like for this much.

[49:29] Hayley Podschun: Yeah.

[49:30] Bryan Plavsky: Miss Piggy said, like hits her head on the table, goes, I can't believe I fell for Muppet Man.

[49:35] Kevin Jaeger: Like I was oh, so okay, great segue. Favorite joke, and we'll skip song, favorite joke and favorite uh and MVP Muppet.

[49:47] Aaron J Albano: Or you could do song too, I don't care.

[49:51] Hayley Podschun: I can I can start while you're all thinking. Um my two favorite jokes were Muppet Man, which is why you said that.

[49:57] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[49:58] Aaron J Albano: Also, travel by map floored me.

[50:02] Hayley Podschun: I totally forgot about it. It was so funny to me.

[50:04] Bryan Plavsky: It was so good. Um, and my MVP uh Muppet in this one. I really liked the uh the dragon and the bear with Chris Cooper.

[50:16] Hayley Podschun: Yes, they really got me.

[50:19] Aaron J Albano: They were great. The maniacal laugh stuff was uh it only worked because the Muppets made it funny.

[50:25] Bryan Plavsky: I don't think I it didn't work for when Chris Cooper did it, but their reactions to it like sold it.

[50:31] Hayley Podschun: When he goes, do you think we work for the bad guy?

[50:34] Kevin Jaeger: Like, yes.

[50:37] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, his like realization of like, oh wait, we're on the wrong side of history.

[50:44] Hayley Podschun: So good. Um who wants to go next?

[50:50] Bryan Plavsky: Um I was like, did you all freeze?

[50:54] Aaron J Albano: Travel by map also really got me at the end.

[50:57] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, but we thought we'd travel by map.

[50:59] Hayley Podschun: Oh, so good. We can't drive there.

[51:02] Aaron J Albano: We can travel by map.

[51:04] Kevin Jaeger: And they still come out of the water.

[51:06] Hayley Podschun: That was really good.

[51:07] Aaron J Albano: Yeah. I think I think I think my both of mine are tied to the same thing.

[51:12] Kevin Jaeger: Sure.

[51:12] Aaron J Albano: I think my MVP is animal.

[51:17] Hayley Podschun: Sure.

[51:18] Aaron J Albano: I think it's because my favorite joke is the we has to like swear off the drums for the entire movie.

[51:25] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, yeah.

[51:27] Hayley Podschun: That's so true.

[51:29] Aaron J Albano: And but then, but then again, like when he started playing in Rainbow Connection, I lost it.

[51:35] Hayley Podschun: I like Animal's my favorite.

[51:39] Kevin Jaeger: Animal you too.

[51:40] Bryan Plavsky: Pretty great.

[51:40] Hayley Podschun: Yeah. Jay and I decided to be Animal and Dr. Teeth for Halloween.

[51:44] Aaron J Albano: Oh, that's good.

[51:49] Hayley Podschun: It was cute. Uh Hayley.

[51:52] Hayley Podschun: Uh, I can't remember a favorite moment. I will say I wish that um I had had Amy Adams' job in this movie because there were 20 minutes of like screen time where she did not have a single line, but yet was on screen.

[52:06] Kevin Jaeger: Sure.

[52:07] Hayley Podschun: So I think she would be my MVP for this whole movie because she and did not have to speak.

[52:14] Bryan Plavsky: Fair.

[52:15] Hayley Podschun: Um hang out with Muppets.

[52:18] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, like what that is a dream job of mine. Like, I still have never visited Sesame Street.

[52:23] Hayley Podschun: It's a dream. Like, I oh god, I love them so much. Um, and I can't remember a favorite moment because Jason Siegel was distracting me the whole time.

[52:32] Bryan Plavsky: Great. Awesome. Um, but I do love when when he proposes, and instead of saying yes, she just goes straight into monomina.

[52:40] Hayley Podschun: Phenomena.

[52:40] Kevin Jaeger: Oh.

[52:41] Hayley Podschun: I hated that.

[52:42] Bryan Plavsky: Oh, I thought that was so charming with all the cameos doing Menomina.

[52:46] Hayley Podschun: I really like it.

[52:47] Kevin Jaeger: I like the cameos, but I didn't like that she went into Menomina.

[52:51] Bryan Plavsky: I was like, that was that was that was the big gag on this like the Muppet show.

[52:57] Hayley Podschun: Like on TV. That was like a big thing.

[52:58] Aaron J Albano: They would do Menomina like a lot with like random Muppets and celebrities and stuff.

[53:04] Bryan Plavsky: So that was like a nod to that. And you could also tell that this movie was written by someone who loves the Muppets.

[53:09] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[53:09] Bryan Plavsky: Everything they did with the Muppet Show. I mean, I got goosebumps at some points.

[53:13] Hayley Podschun: Like when they were doing that, I laughed when the board was broken the whole time.

[53:18] Aaron J Albano: And then I got did everyone else get chills or get some sort of trolls when they all came out and everyone had like the signs and one of their autographs and stuff like that.

[53:24] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[53:26] Hayley Podschun: Yeah. How many extras were on Hollywood Boulevard?

[53:30] Aaron J Albano: Like I know, right?

[53:32] Hayley Podschun: That also got paid.

[53:34] Kevin Jaeger: Yes!

[53:36] Aaron J Albano: I think my I think my favorite joke from the whole movie has to be when Rolf is like, I can't believe my like part didn't make it to the montage.

[53:44] Hayley Podschun: I thought it was pretty interesting.

[53:46] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, yeah.

[53:48] Bryan Plavsky: Oh, yeah. Do you want to come back with us?

[53:51] Hayley Podschun: Yeah.

[53:53] Kevin Jaeger: Wait, Kevin, did you say your MVP?

[53:55] Bryan Plavsky: It goes back to him and he goes, nice.

[53:59] Aaron J Albano: I forget. Did you say your MVP?

[54:01] Kevin Jaeger: I think my MVP was the bear.

[54:03] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, he's just so good.

[54:04] Hayley Podschun: He's really great.

[54:06] Kevin Jaeger: Or the throwback to Swedem's being left behind.

[54:09] Aaron J Albano: Yes, yes.

[54:12] Bryan Plavsky: Um good. So this again, this one an Oscar for song, Manor Muppet.

[54:18] Kevin Jaeger: What was it up against?

[54:20] Aaron J Albano: Oh songs. Let's see.

[54:24] Kevin Jaeger: That was the one time in the movie where I was like, what is this terrible song?

[54:29] Hayley Podschun: Oh, sung by a man you don't like.

[54:32] Aaron J Albano: Yes.

[54:34] Kevin Jaeger: But Sheldon was the human version of Walter.

[54:36] Hayley Podschun: That was funny.

[54:38] Bryan Plavsky: That was great. Um, so they were only two move two nominated songs this year.

[54:44] Kevin Jaeger: The Muppets, Man or Muppet, or the movie Rio, Real and Rio.

[54:48] Aaron J Albano: Those were the only two.

[54:50] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, I had one.

[54:52] Bryan Plavsky: Yeah. There you go.

[54:54] Kevin Jaeger: Um 11 was sad.

[54:59] Aaron J Albano: So what do you think this uh Rotten Tomato score is?

[55:04] Hayley Podschun: 78.

[55:06] Kevin Jaeger: 72.

[55:07] Aaron J Albano: I'm gonna go high. I'm gonna go like 91.

[55:12] Hayley Podschun: I truly believe that Aaron looked all these up beforehand.

[55:15] Aaron J Albano: It's 95.

[55:17] Kevin Jaeger: What the heck?

[55:21] Bryan Plavsky: I just got good taste.

[55:24] Kevin Jaeger: I mean, a couple things. One, this gets, you know, this because this was in 2011, the other ones are based on past reviews.

[55:31] Aaron J Albano: It's not aggregating everything.

[55:33] Kevin Jaeger: Um, but this one is clever, charming, and heartfelt. The Muppets is a welcome big screen return for Jim Henson's lovable creations that will win both new fans and delight longtime devotees.

[55:44] Hayley Podschun: Well, because I bet you like the nostalgia factor was huge because they've been such a big such a big gap.

[55:49] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[55:50] Bryan Plavsky: So that probably bumps up the I like new parents that grew up on the Muppets taking their kids to see it. Like they're always the whole market.

[55:57] Aaron J Albano: Yeah. I'm just the King Tomato.

[55:59] Kevin Jaeger: That's where we are today.

[56:01] Bryan Plavsky: Oh, King Tomato.

[56:04] Kevin Jaeger: Well, for all of you who are watching us right now on Patreon, we're gonna talk a little bit of uh the Muppet Christmas Carol.

[56:12] Aaron J Albano: Um, and for those of you who are listening right now, check out our Patreon to hear us talk about that.

[56:16] Hayley Podschun: Um, for those, we're gonna skip right to our rankings, inclusive of Kip Christmas Carol.

[56:21] Kevin Jaeger: So let's rank them ourselves. Uh we're gonna do all four movies.

[56:25] Bryan Plavsky: Um, and let's uh do you wanna do it um where we all list our fourth, or do you want to just go through and everyone do their top four?

[56:25] Hayley Podschun: Top four.

[56:35] Kevin Jaeger: Top four.

[56:36] Bryan Plavsky: All right, um, who wants to go first?

[56:40] Aaron J Albano: I'll go four first.

[56:41] Bryan Plavsky: Oh, okay.

[56:42] Aaron J Albano: Go for it, Aaron.

[56:45] Aaron J Albano: Um, my fourth would be Treasure Island.

[56:49] Kevin Jaeger: Keep going.

[56:51] Aaron J Albano: Oh, oh, I thought we were doing it.

[56:54] Hayley Podschun: All four.

[56:55] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, all four.

[56:56] Kevin Jaeger: Okay.

[56:56] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, yeah. So fourth would be Treasure Island.

[56:59] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[57:00] Aaron J Albano: I know I was like, fourth would be Treasure Island. I think third would be original movie, second would be Christmas Carol, first would be reboot.

[57:10] Hayley Podschun: Oh my god!

[57:12] Kevin Jaeger: Wow, maybe we go next.

[57:14] Hayley Podschun: Drama.

[57:14] Aaron J Albano: Haley, you have to go next.

[57:15] Hayley Podschun: What a reaction.

[57:16] Hayley Podschun: Um I have to go the opposite way. My first is Muppet Christmas Carol.

[57:23] Kevin Jaeger: Sure.

[57:24] Hayley Podschun: Then Muppet Movie Original.

[57:27] Aaron J Albano: Mm-hmm.

[57:28] Hayley Podschun: Then, oof, I'm kind of torn between Tw Treasure Island and the Muppets because I didn't grow up with Treasure Island.

[57:38] Aaron J Albano: I feel like I'm gonna say this is shocking.

[57:42] Hayley Podschun: I feel like I'm gonna say the Muppets and then Treasure Island is four.

[57:45] Kevin Jaeger: That is shocking.

[57:46] Aaron J Albano: Yeah, this is.

[57:47] Hayley Podschun: I'm shocking myself. Uh Kimberly or Kevin, or I'll go.

[57:52] Kevin Jaeger: I can go.

[57:52] Hayley Podschun: Go.

[57:53] Kevin Jaeger: Um, four is the Muppets, the reboot.

[57:57] Aaron J Albano: Okay.

[57:57] Kevin Jaeger: Um, three is Treasure Island.

[58:01] Aaron J Albano: Um, two is Christmas Carol, one is the original Muppet movie.

[58:05] Hayley Podschun: Mine is the exact same ranking.

[58:08] Bryan Plavsky: Mine is not.

[58:14] Kevin Jaeger: So four is Treasure Island.

[58:18] Bryan Plavsky: Three is Christmas Carol.

[58:20] Kevin Jaeger: Uh-huh.

[58:22] Bryan Plavsky: Two is Muppets.

[58:24] Kevin Jaeger: And one is Muppet Movie, the original.

[58:26] Aaron J Albano: Okay.

[58:27] Kevin Jaeger: All right. You guys, this is a really smooth group.

[58:32] Hayley Podschun: More split than usual.

[58:33] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[58:34] Bryan Plavsky: That was interesting.

[58:35] Hayley Podschun: But I will say it was more split, but like, except for Hayley on the Muppets, we all really enjoyed all of them.

[58:40] Aaron J Albano: Yeah.

[58:43] Hayley Podschun: Haley hating a very charming tall man.

[58:46] Kevin Jaeger: So it always looks like he needs to shave.

[58:49] Hayley Podschun: He always looks like he's got a um and it really bothers me.

[58:55] Bryan Plavsky: It's sad because I always thought that like Jason Siegel would play me in a story about my life.

[59:01] Hayley Podschun: Oh.

[59:02] Bryan Plavsky: I could see that.

[59:04] Hayley Podschun: You know what, though? I would accept that and enjoy it for some reason.

[59:11] Kevin Jaeger: I'm not just saying that. Like that makes sense to me.

[59:15] Hayley Podschun: I didn't love him in the movie, but the fact that he was the mastermind behind the entire thing gave me Puppet Master.

[59:23] Aaron J Albano: The Muppet Master.

[59:25] Hayley Podschun: The Muppet, no, there you go.

[59:26] Bryan Plavsky: He was some points from I love him because Jay and I are Marshall and Lily.

[59:32] Hayley Podschun: For sure.

[59:34] Kevin Jaeger: I don't watch that show.

[59:36] Hayley Podschun: I don't either.

[59:36] Kevin Jaeger: Well, you shouldn't because you hate him.

[59:41] Bryan Plavsky: Well, on that note, thank you all so much for joining us. This was so much fun.

[59:44] Hayley Podschun: The Muppets are wonderful.

[59:47] Bryan Plavsky: I'm going to watch all the other Muppet movies now. Like I'm not kidding.

[59:50] Hayley Podschun: Yeah.

[59:50] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, me too.

[59:51] Bryan Plavsky: And if you can find Muppets Take Manhattan, you should absolutely watch that one because I know it's not.

[59:55] Hayley Podschun: I have to.

[59:58] Bryan Plavsky: But um uh thank you so much. You can follow all of us at our handles. Um Broadwaysted for us.

[1:00:04] Kevin Jaeger: You can find us on things like Spotify.

[1:00:07] Bryan Plavsky: Yes, Spotify and um iTunes. Rate and review us there.

[1:00:10] Hayley Podschun: Five stars.

[1:00:14] Bryan Plavsky: Thank you. Um, but uh, you know, um, sometimes I do think about why there are there so many rainbows, songs about rainbows, and and what's on the other side, because rainbows are visions, they're only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.

[1:00:30] Kevin Jaeger: So we've been told, and some choose to believe it, but I know they're wrong to uh wait and see.

[1:00:36] Bryan Plavsky: Um so that's the rainbow connection.

[1:00:42] Hayley Podschun: Yeah, I know nailed it tonight.

[1:00:44] Bryan Plavsky: Um but uh thank you all so much for joining. Um Muppets, stay tuned for what we're gonna watch next time.

[1:00:50] Kevin Jaeger: Um, but as we end every episode, we raise our glasses and we say zoo cheers.

[1:01:00] All: Cheers.