It wasn’t the first time this happened–only the second or third. Take the family to a movie–Threese, John Carlos and myself–and we all get a different kind of ticket. John Carlos (child) and I (senior) cost the same–a real discount. Hmm. I knew this was going to happened and joked about it. Now it is real.
So Being Elmo was the only real option on that particular night–War Horse (even if Steven Spielberg) or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo did not seem like the wise choice. Besides here was a documentary–my thing these days–while JC had been a big fan of Elmo for quite some time, even if his current interest is Power Rangers (a step down to be sure). So we went. It was a sentimental choice since we all become very familiar with Elmo–“Elmo’s Song” was a particular favorite. I liked Constance Marks’ documentary, in part, because it is a portrait of someone who could be overlooked as a side kick. Shouldn’t one make a documentary about Jim Henson instead? Of course, as it turns out, Kevin Clash was hardly an unknown, plucked from behind the scenes. He had published an autobiography in 2006: My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo Has Taught Me About Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud. The result is a feel good movie–about someone with a passion that overflows his life. I confess that it did strike me that puppeteering and the study of early cinema (even the study/making of documentaries) aren’t that different. And I was hoping that was what Threese was thinking since puppeteer Kevin Clash certainly seems to be one of the nicer guys around.
So I’ll end with a digression or a comparison. Being Elmo suddenly reminded me of a family version of the date movie. I did not really fully understand the full meaning of a date movie until I took a date to see Amelie (2001). The principle purpose of a date movie–at least that one–was to ensure that your date would come home with you at the end of the evening. (I think that this is why that movie ran for months in New York City. There must have been a lot of repeat business.) Times change. The unintended but nonetheless real purpose of Being Elmo was for us all to head home together feeling a little closer. John Carlos was a little frustrated by the film–this was one of the first documentaries he had seen in a theater and he expected fiction (Hugo, etc.) The film moves back and forth in its representational registers and he would have preferred Elmo straight up. So for at least a few days, Sesame Street was playing on the home NFLX screen again.
