A biography of Jim Henson, such as Brian Jay Jones’ Jim Henson: The Biography from 2013, has the inherent problem of being unable to fully represent his limitless creativity. The thoughts and sounds we associate with him will always be mute in books, preserved by the author’s words and the sources used or simply captured in photographs. This is why Ron Howard’s new film on this subject is not quite so broad or profound as over six hundred pages that unfold Henson’s transformation from local TV presenter into a creator of Sesame Street and then a producer of fantasy films like The Dark Crystal or Labyrinth.
This means that it can present ideas shared by associates, friends and family members through real life video clips captured behind the scenes during rehearsals for some unique TV shows and movies created by him including but not limited to “Sesame Street.” In one scene, Frank Oz who doubles up as both the director and actor recalls how Piggy karate-chopped Kermit instead of slapping him following an ad-libbed line in Muppet Show; Howard cuts straight to a highlight reel showcasing Miss Piggy’s porcine best. However when writing about some great entertainers/superstars/authors like this, they become more interesting when accompanied by visual aids.
Idea Man almost works overtime in that capacity. At his death at fifty-three years old in 1990, he had built up enough vibrant output to fuel every second of Howards’ one hour forty eight minute documentary film. Nevertheless it is some lesser known films – even those which did not materialize – which add variety and make this otherwise conventional cradle-to-the-grave account more than just another biography. It starts with Limbo (a set of floating eyes and mouth that Henson designed to consider abstract concepts such as thought or memory) before introducing the viewer to any familiar faces who may already know Kermit the frog from television appearances or a stuffed toy, Ernie.
This means that this is so even though Howard himself is not as visually creative as Henson. The new interviews with Oz, Rita Moreno, Jennifer Connelly and Henson’s four surviving children Lisa, Cheryl, Brian and Heather were conducted against a backdrop reminiscent of The Cube, an existential TV drama that had made way for Sesame Street only nine months earlier. This metaphor of a set serves to illustrate the excitement of starting with a blank page and also explains how sometimes he felt his work in puppetry or as a children’s television producer was limiting him obviously.
Maybe, in my opinion, some flash is absolutely what this story needs to make it more interesting considering the fact that the main character was a famous introverted individual who rarely spoke about himself excessively. Therefore, Idea Man can be seen as a bit flat at its heart because many people who met Henson had nothing bad to say about him. He just touches on his children’s accounts of their parents’ relationship since they were married but there is nothing more. In summary, these are instances where Henson’s first collaborator (Lisa Henson claims she was also largely responsible for scouting and recruiting the best talent pool for Jim Henson’s Muppets) has decided to tell her story.
Idea Man is basically an expression of nostalgia from which one may deduce that an actor like Jim Henson could not possibly have been optimistic or generous all along. (Coincidentally, Eric, another variation of this tired theme comes out on the same weekend as Idea Man.)
Another vivid persona of Henson painted by Howard is one of a man in a race against time. Also depicted in Idea Man are aspects that blur our distinction between work and life e.g., excepts from “Time Piece,” an Academy-Award nominated short film such as Dad’s notorious 15-minute matches with clients involving numerous continents and assignments after worldwide success stories. However, this film suffers from lack of time – we cannot run away from the urgent clock sounds which ruin it completely. For instance Fraggle Rock- the last great achievement made by Jim Henson- appears through a series of pictures together with various attempts made by The Storyteller and The Jim Henson Hour.
There are some extraordinarily sharp restored Muppet rarities here as well – including hilarious sequences featuring comedic sales pitches on behalf of particular varieties of breads or coffees or meats around America – plus a gradually dwindling number of testimonials about working with “Jim.” It just leaves the viewer wanting a little more: Maybe some more information, perhaps new material that isn’t recycled from prior retrospectives, or possibly just a clearer picture of the man behind Idea Man. Therefore, all these interviews are surrounded by clips which remind the audience that Jim Henson was who his artistic production shows him to be – most of which can be viewed on demand as soon as Idea Man ends.
Verdict
It’s impossible not to sense the void a little bit in Jim Henson Idea Man. Though his life was cut short, what he contributed within that span of time is much more than an hour and twenty eight minutes can capture. A funny and heartfelt tribute managed to be squeezed into this space by the director Ron Howard who used words from those that really knew Henson as well as displaying footage of frogs, educational creatures and other weird fantasy worlds that were most suited to represent him for who he was. The movie is enjoyable and sometimes enlightening but it’s just an accessory to all the other Muppet shows and movies on Disney+.
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