I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much from Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey. Named after the overly popular 'Sesame Street' character, the film could have been a destructive mess if director Constance Marks hadn't found a well-rounded character behind the rich-red puppet. But she did find that adorable man, known to the rest of the world as Kevin Clash. Through him, the film soars as we witness the development of an icon, and learn about the trials faced by one of America's most beloved puppeteers.
Let's be honest, Elmo makes this movie. I fully understand that the point of Being Elmo is to shine light on the man behind the red puppet (and Marks does a great job at that), but without the red guy giving an insurmountable number of hugs and kisses to one and all, the film wouldn't be the same.
Now the film isn't without its pitfalls. Other than running about ten minutes too long, I often found myself bogged down in facts about both Elmo and his creator. I fully understand that the film is a documentary and facts are to be expected; however, an abundance of them at the film's introduction causes for a few headaches during the early going.
I was impressed with the archival footage of Clash's Baltimore youth. HIs aspirations were unlike those of his friends, and hearing about him dealing with the grade school teasing is an inspiration in and of itself. His rich family support is a lesson to parents everywhere, and his unusual dream makes it a life tool for today's kids.
I would have never expected Clash to be a central subject of a film, but Marks saw something beautiful in the fifty year old who bears the heart of gold. For those who get to see this film, we are lucky she did.
