Review: The Muppets

logan j. fowler believes it’s time to get things started …





This is a surreal moment right now. I’m doing a review of a Muppet movie, one that I saw in theaters.

In 1999, the Muppet tank had pretty much run out of gas, as the children of that generation weren’t feeling the franchise, along with the adults. Kids needed something more colorful, louder, quicker, something with more “oomph” to satisfy their cinematic desires. Parents were then “treated” to lame live action adaptations of cartoons, which came along side the “enjoyable for everyone” animated movies put out by Pixar, and to their credit, Dreamworks. Disney later got in on the game with The Princess and the Frog and Tangled, but those poor Muppets were left in the dust. Few thought they’d ever make a comeback, and I was worried that they never would.

Enter Jason Segel. Making audiences laugh, cringe, and get emotional over his zany, hopeless romantic character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segel hinted way back when in that film that he had a love for puppetry, from his Dracula musical to his brief playing of The Muppet Show theme (while drunk) on the piano. But his love for Jim Henson’s creation was publicized heavily, and once he got his foot in Hollywood’s door, Disney (the owner of Kermit and company) got a visit from Segel regarding a script for a reboot of sorts for The Muppets. 12 years after the crew were last seen on the silver screen in Muppets from Space, the gang has returned with full force with the simply titled The Muppets.

Using The Muppets fading from the spotlight as a springboard for the storyline, The Muppets is a very self aware movie, in that the felt and furry group knows that they aren’t that hip anymore. But for Gary (Segel) and moreover, his brother Walter (a puppet voiced by Peter Linz), they haven’t been fazed by the gang being removed from stardom. In fact, Gary invites Walter on the trip to Los Angeles where, in addition to seeing the Muppet Studios, Gary will celebrate his 10 year anniversary with girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams). Upon finding the Muppet Studios, Walter overhears the plan of an evil oil baron (Chris Cooper) to rip down the studios to strike for black gold. Walter, Mary, and Gary find Kermit to tell him of this plan, and when the trio finally convinces Kermit to get the old gang back together (Kermit has been living in recluse for years due to the crew splitting up), the frog plans to put on a show to raise the 10 million dollars needed to save the studio.

While the plot line isn’t the most elaborate, The Muppets have never been about an intense story. Rather, it’s pretty much the same as it was in the olden days of the felt and fabulous — set up a goal, do whatever it takes and achieve. Here is no different, but rather, instead of trying to branch out completely from what made The Muppets the way they were, Segel sticks tight to the formula that has always worked for The Muppets. In the meantime nostalgic nods are tossed in to help the older crowd remember what The Muppets have always been about, and, at the same time, introducing those elements to the kiddie crowd.

There a load of Muppets in this film, including the core of course, but some that have not been seen since the days of The Muppet Show, which is really a background theme for the whole film; Gary and Walter watch the show in their childhood, the renovated studio looks the same, and the format of the end telethon follows the television program to a T. I ate all that stuff up while watching the film, as it was truly a trip down memory lane to revisit those sets and pieces.

Cameos are abound here (my favorite is Dave Grohl), but the human actors that are focused on primarily, Segel, Adams, and Cooper, all do a great job. Segel seems like he’s having the time of his life (as he should be, considering all the circumstances), Adams is channeling her character from Enchanted and looks adorable, and Cooper plays the role of bad guy well, and even has a hilarious little rap that had me in stitches.

However, the titular characters — The Muppets — are the meat of the film, and by God, did Segel ever do them justice. The core premise of how The Muppets work is that they are a family, they stick together, no matter what, and the film shines when it comes to demonstrating that. There are gags-a-plenty, not to mention, subtle breaking of the fourth wall, but a true testament of this creation of Jim Henson was the ability to tug at your heart strings, and yes, the movie does that too.

I laughed and I cried, I got swept up in nostalgia and I loved every second. The Muppets was fantastic. As I sat in a packed theater on a Friday afternoon, I took notice that there were a lot of children in the audience. I also heard very little noises out of any of them, so not only did Segel appeal to us folk who grew up watching the Muppets, he got the kids to love it as well.

The Muppets are a timeless brand, one that I hope continues on, the franchise being fueled by Segel (as he clearly knows what he’s doing). The film that reintroduced these characters was amazingly enjoyable. What I witnessed was not just my favorite film of 2011, but a film to demonstrate how great these characters are. Segel left the pureness of The Muppets intact, as Henson would’ve dreamed of Disney doing with his puppets when he left them in their care. I can only hope this is the start of things to come — The Muppets returning faithfully for this generation. One can dream. But for right now, I cannot be happier, as The Muppets have returned in phenomenal form.

NOTE: The Toy Story short, Small Fry, featured before hand was absolutely hilarious, by the way.