Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

Everyone knows of Elmo, but do you know the man behind the puppet? Being Elmo is about Kevin Clash, and how he became the one to incarnate Elmo.

This is a nice movie that goes from Kevin's root to his career in puppeteering, from early beginings to finally having to take a break because he was Elmo all the time. All the time, you get the sense of his enjoyment of the role of puppeteer, his interest in finding out how puppets work, making his own, being on TV, and eventually meeting Jim Henson. It's only 75 minutes, but it's the right length for this movie.

However, just because it's a movie about a kid's puppet, doesn't mean this movie works for kids. There are plenty of moments where only the adults are really going to get what he (and the others) are talking about. I can definitely say this, as there was a kid sitting behind me, and I could tell he was bored because he was often kicking my chair (until I told him to stop it). I think this movie promoting Elmo is going to make parents think that they can drag their kids along to it and they'll enjoy it too. Nope.

It is an enjoyable movie, and worth checking out if you'd like to see a man passionate about his craft.

(Not a trailer, just a 'cute' interveiw with Elmo.)

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