No one saw the warning from Jim Henson Company’s prophetic film The Happy Time Murders, but the puppets are slowly and slyly taking over. This ominous sign brings us to Michael Charron’s cautionary tale, You’re the Puppet.
Laramie (Erik Aderson) is a rising star on the stand-up comedy scene. His newfound notoriety comes thanks to his new “partner” Leonard (Chadwick Smith) — Laramie’s puppet/ventriloquist dummy sidekick. However, the question is, who is the real star of this team. As Laramie hangs out with his peers after shows and takes meetings with his agent, Leonard is relegated to staying home in his trunk. Finally, realizing he is the more popular of the two, Leonard decides it’s time to take center stage.
“…realizing he is the more popular of the two, Leonard decides it’s time to take center stage.”
As a fan of the Rod Serling Twilight Zone, it’s hard not to make comparisons between You’re the Puppet and the infamous The Dummy. Though You’re the Puppet doesn’t head into dark horror territory as that classic episode did, the writer/director’s short is a definite update on the plot. Charron hits on themes of partnership and fame. Much like Martin and Lewis, jealousies arise when one team member shines over the other. The difference is murder was never part of the discussion with the real-life pair.
Running just over twelves minutes, You’re the Puppet leans more on comedy than it does horror. It should be noted that both Michael Charron and Chadwick Smith’s admiration of the Muppets comes through in their very adult, fun story.
For more information, visit You’re the Puppet’s official website.
"…admiration of the Muppets comes through in their very adult, fun tale."
