"Being Elmo" is a documentary about the early years and rise to fame of puppeteer Kevin Clash, who is most famous for voicing and creating Elmo on Sesame Street. The film follows a young Clash as he practices creating and making his first puppets and then becomes inspired by the work of Jim Hensen and Frank Oz. Later Clash meets Hensen and Oz, who recognize his talent and mentor him. Clash flourishes into a successful puppeteer and seeks to carry on the Hensen tradition of puppeteering and to mentor the next generation.
This film is really a good background piece on Clash's early life and how he became the man behind Elmo, a much beloved character. Not knowing anything about puppeteering, this film is interesting as kind of a behind the scenes look at what goes into making puppets, creating characters, and performing with puppets. Overall it's a well-done piece though the more recent allegations about Clash regarding sexual misconduct with minors put a bit of a damper on my enjoyment. Though I want to judge this film as a stand-alone piece, there is the obvious question about where these allegations fit into Clash's story. The film does not touch much on Clash's personal life other than his relationship with his daughter from his previous marriage.
Aside from the misconduct allegations, this film is a winner. It's enjoyable and shows that behind the scenes information in an engaging format. For the film alone, I give it A- but I understand why some will be put off from the film based on the serious nature of the allegations against Clash.
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