There are a number of iconic roles scattered through Charles Grodin’s half-a-century-long acting career, from playing Lenny in The Heartbreak Kid to his turn as Robert De Niro’s foil in Midnight Run. But following the news of his death on Tuesday, May 18th, there’s a good chance that the film many Gen Xers found themselves turning to celebrate Grodin’s legacy was The Great Muppet Caper, the second big-screen outing for Kermit and company that also offers up one of the legendary comic actor’s most memorable parts.

I mean, how could it not be memorable considering it’s the movie where Grodin falls in love with a felted pig? In Caper, Grodin plays Nicky Holiday, a crafty thief who intends to steal priceless jewels owned by his fashionista sister, Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg), but gets sidetracked when he becomes infatuated with Miss Piggy. Casting a human as the third wheel in a love triangle involving Piggy and Kermit is tricky business, but Grodin almost immediately makes it feel like there could have been no other choice. In fact, he’s so good in The Great Muppet Caper that Grodin almost certainly belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of “human actors absolutely crushing it in a Muppet movie,” alongside Tim Curry (Muppet Treasure Island), Michael Caine (The Muppet Christmas Carol), and, uh … I’m honestly not even sure who the fourth one would be. That’s how hard it is for a human to stand out in a Muppet movie!

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Throughout his career, Grodin was most known for his immaculate deadpan delivery, and while there’s a bit of the patented “straight man” Grodin here, it’s also a far looser performance that you usually associate with him. After a brief appearance in the opening musical sequence, he properly shows up in the film about 40 minutes in, dancing and shuffling to his own beat as he accompanies Lady Holiday to a fancy nightclub. This is not the tightly-wound Grodin you’d get in films like Dave, but rather a performer who realizes he’s starring in a movie with a bunch of puppets and commits to the oversized zaniness of the production. When he professes his love to Piggy, Nicky tells her, “You’re a very different looking woman. I’m so tired of the same type -- those tall, thin creatures with the long legs, the aquiline noses, the teeth like pearls, soft skin.” It’s tough to imagine too may ‘80s actors who would be able to so effectively deliver these ridiculous lines to a puppet sitting on Frank Oz’s arm, but there’s Grodin, breathlessly committing to the bit.

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Image via Disney

Even if you didn’t grow up with the Muppets, I’d argue Muppet Caper is an essential Grodin performance because it’s a part that allowed him to uncoil his comedic sensibilities. One minute he’s sweeping across the dance floor with Piggy, and the next he’s wrestling around with Beauregard as everyone battles over the priceless “Baseball Diamond.” He even gets to let loose an evil, supervillain laugh at one point, and it’s a good one. Would you expect any less from Grodin? (Also, and this may be more a credit to the writers, but Grodin is also involved with the movie’s best joke. There’s a scene where he and Kermit are both serenading Piggy, and Grodin’s real voice is obviously replaced by that of a professional singer while he gamely mimes along. Later, as Piggy rejects his advances, she tells him, “You can’t even sing! Your voice was dubbed!”)

It’s tough for a human actor to leave much of an impression in a Muppet movie. Their screen time is usually limited (often to just a cameo) and tends to consist of playing second banana to the Jim Henson-birthed lunacy. But in The Great Muppet Caper, Grodin employs his considerable comedy chops to more than hold his own, and he feels like a natural fit with the Muppet mayhem going on around him. If you’re considering watching a string of Grodin films to honor the man’s legacy, it’s honestly an easy add. You can stream it now on Disney+.

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