The Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet - the heart and soul of Elmo - Kevin Clash.
There’s a tragedy in which Clash sacrifices his personal life for his job, admittedly his dream job, and it’s something which Marks could draw out further in this sweet and tender account of life as an unsigned yet international entertainer.
2012 is the year of the Muppet, and we don’t mean Ashton Kutcher. After Jason Segel’s fur-filled revival, rejoice in a documentary to make you laugh and, yes, cry.
It’s a charming celebration of a devoted, talented creator getting the love he deserves.
Like Elmo, it is ridiculously sweet, sprightly and warm.
A charming, if occasionally surface-deep look at the man behind the fur. Elmo like!
As Marks' film shows, a lot of work goes into being Elmo and Clash, for all his easygoing nature, takes his responsibilities very seriously.
The focus of Being Elmo is a can’t-believe-his-luck nice guy who’s warm, funny and a touch bland. A bit like Elmo.
The film passes a little lightly over Clash's personal life; despite the title, we don't dwell on his immersion in Elmo's personality – and those hoping to find something dysfunctional about his closeness to the Elmo persona will be disappointed. He simply seems to be a good guy who created something that little children love. Fair enough.
Slight, but an uplifting, universal rallying call for creative people to follow their dreams.
Constance Marks's delightful, unpretentious documentary both captures the man in all his complex simplicity and throws light on his craft.
A sweet, engaging documentary, Being Elmo largely steers clear of Clash’s personal life to offer a wholesome portrait of a man who has dedicated himself to the thing he loved.
It’s most fascinating when tracing Clash’s early life as a low-income Baltimore kid who went from entertaining the neighbourhood children with his home-made puppets to a career on national TV, but there are nice little insights into the workings of the Muppet workshops too.
Constance Marks, director of puppet doc Being Elmo--interview
Kevin Clash: 'Elmo is basically just a child--with a Muppet edge'
Being Elmo: How a documentary about puppeteer brought adults to tears
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow from Monday May 7, 2012, until Wednesday May 9, 2012. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/
macrobert, Stirling from Tuesday May 22, 2012, until Thursday May 24, 2012. No screening on the 23rd.. More info: www.macrobert.org
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday June 15, 2012, until Monday June 18, 2012. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com