Review No.47: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

Continuing along the documentary theme we come across an odd gem in Being Elmo which looks at the journey of Kevin Clash from a Baltimore kid addicted to puppetry to the puppeteer of one of the most recognisable of all the Sesame Street Muppets. As we learn Clash grew up being a big fan of Captain Kangaroo but identified with Sesame Street when that started as it reminded him of his neighbourhood. After making his own puppets he was befriended by Muppet designer Kermit Love who took him under his wing and got him working with Muppets including a meeting with Jim Henson. After leaving high school he got jobs on two TV shows and eventually started working on films with Henson including Labyrinth. After becoming one of the regulars on Sesame Street he struggled to find a character that fit his personality eventually taking over Elmo and making him into a more loveable less clumsy Muppet. At the same time his wife had a daughter and when the Elmo phenomenon really took off he seemingly left his family behind to promote his work with his marriage eventually collapsing although he admits his daughter his greatest ever creation.

Though Being Elmo sounds like a strange film it really works thanks to a very passionate subject who knows his craft and his able to tell us why he loves it so much. When he relives his first time being shown around the Muppet Studio by Kermit Love it is like you're there with him and this scene is relived at the end of the film when Clash is able to share his love with a young future puppeteer who seemingly has the same passion as young Kevin. The talking heads and video clips are also used in the right way with the passionate narration coming from Whoopi Goldberg who always makes things seem important due to her melodic tones. There was even one part of the film that bought a tear to my eye which unsurprisingly was Jim Henson's funeral in which all the Muppet Show regulars sung together and nbody in the room was wearing black. This was a very colourful and passionate documentary about both Kevin Clash and the Muppet creation in general. Puppetry is a subject that you often don't see talked about in films so Being Elmo was excellent window into this world and it was made in a very enjoyable and lively fashion.

Overall: A very interesting, well-made documentary about the love and artistry of puppeteering this gets a very strong 7/10