Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
Dir: Constance Marks
2011
*****
If I could be anything I wanted to be then a Sesame Street puppeteer would definitely be in my top 5 along with astronaut and Superhero. Watching this documentary is like watching a life that I really want, a long time fantasy of mine come true, but unfortunately for me, happening to somebody else. Being a Muppet fan I loved it, you get to see some really good behind the scenes footage and hear stories from before Jim Henson's untimely death. There are moments of pure tenderness here, beautifully captured but never exploited. It captures everything I love about the Muppets and hopefully after seeing this people wont be so quick to make fun or judge us adult fans or use the term 'Muppet' in a derogatory way. The DVD extras are also brilliant for fellow Muppet fans. The documentary structure is nothing special but I'm rating this film on my enjoyment of it rather than for technicalities. It is astounding what a little red puppet can represent and how much it can mean to people, this documentary explains that perfectly, revealing the man behind the fur but without ruining the magic.