The Basics:
Life is pretty darn great for brothers Gary and Walter. Gary is in a committed relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Mary. Walter, the self-proclaimed "biggest Muppet fan in the world" (and a Muppet himself) is finally getting to visit the renowned Muppet Theater, and all three are leaving the, well, CONFINED space of Smalltown, USA for the open shores of Los Angeles, California. Yup, things couldn't get much better for the trio. However, things take a turn for the worse when Walter finds out that evil oil baron Tex Richman is planning to tear down the Muppet Theater to access the huge oil reserves beneath it. Gary, Mary, and Walter find Kermit, hoping to reunite The Muppets for one last show that can raise the money to save the theater. But it's been a long time since The Muppets have performed, and Kermit secretly wonders if the group still has it in them to capture the heart of audiences once again.
Cast: Jason Segal, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, and Jack Black
Written By: Jason Segal and Nicolas Stoller
Directed By: James Bobin
The Delivery:
How would I describe my Muppet fandom? Well, the first word that comes to my mind is "fleeting." I have the sense that I, at one point in my childhood, watched some type of Muppet related property. I just don't have much memories of the group beyond that (and the occasional spoof of the characters on Family Guy, Robot Chicken, etc). So I guess you could say that I have no nostalgic ties to the property. This fact made me worried when I started reading reviews that specifically mentioned how much nostalgia played into one's enjoyment of the film. In fact, most of the reviews I read claimed that your nostalgia and previous love for the characters almost gives the film its entire merit.
Well, I personally found that hard to believe. All the promotional material I saw for the film was stellar, and I would have been looking forward to this film even if it WASN'T an established brand. It just looked like a bunch of cool, goofy fun. And when I think of The Muppets, I think of goofy fun. Not specifically the group (although you could certainly make that claim and no one would correct you), but this movie itself. So yeah, I had no previous ties or nostalgia to The Muppet gang. But that in the slightest didn't stop me from loving this movie.
Oh, all the grand, glorious things I could say about this film. But honestly, it boils down to this: The Muppets is one of the funnest times you will have at the theater this year. In fact, I think it's the funnest time I've had watching a movie since last year's Scott Pilgrim. The comedy is spot on, and the film's sense of joy is simply infecting. I was smiling ear to ear throughout the entire thing, and I simply can't imagine anyone not sharing this sentiment. If you don't smile at The Muppets...well, I'm trying to think of the most civil way to express this...umm, "you're the devil spawn of Satan" sounds about right.
Joking aside, The Muppets is a hell of a lot of fun. From the spectacular opening musical number to the end musical number (which, coincidentally, is the same song), The Muppets had me captivated. And you know why? Pure optimism. That's what The Muppets has going for it. So many movies now a days strive to make you feel sad, or scared, or thrilled. Not many movies have the simple goal of making you smile. And I really, REALLY appreciate that level of optimism. You know why? Because it's nice to smile. Boy oh boy, is it nice to smile.
Jason Segal's passion for the property is pretty apparent here. He obviously loves The Muppet, and that pure love and enthusiasm just shines on screen. Sure, he may not dance very well or sing all that great, but he has PASSION goddamn it! And that makes up for his musical shortcomings ten fold. Well it's clear that Jason Segal is having a lot of fun with his role, his true passion for the property is apparent with the new Muppet, Walter. Walter seems to be Segal's outlet for his own youth, his own childhood growing up watching the Muppets and dreaming of one day working with them. This is a passion project for Segal, and it's nice to see his dreams finally realized. The Muppets are great, but I don't think I need to tell you that. All the things they've been doing in the years since they're popularity both make sense thematically and character wise. Of course Fozzie would be performing in a Reno knockoff group. Of course Miss Piggy would be working for Vogue. It makes sense, and it's hilarious to boot.
All this said, The Muppets isn't a perfect film. Well it sets out almost everything it wants to accomplish and these flaws don't signficantly detract from my overall enjoyment of the film, it has a couple grating errors that only become apparent after the film ends. For one, Amy Adam's character is almost useless in the film, which is a damn shame considering how seamless she fits into the Muppet world on pure appearances alone. The subplot of Gary and Mary's relationship is actually pretty bothersome, in that it takes away the time you would rather be spending with The Muppets. They are the stars of this film, and sometimes, Gary and Mary's plot kind of got in the way of things. But like I said, these are nitpicks at most. I still enjoyed Adams, and aspects of the Gary and Mary plot. Just like how I enjoyed this entire freaking film.
Unlike most comeback films, The Muppets actually addresses the fact that they aren't popular anymore. The closest any film has come to doing that is Superman Returns and, come on, it's Superman Returns. Need I say more? The Muppets is the victor in this department. The Muppets actually feels like a comeback film, not a sequel that came 10 years too late. It asks the question of whether or not this group can still appeal to our modern culture. And if The Muppets is any indication of that, the answer is a resounding "yes."
The Scorecard:
Acting-Segal's great, Cooper's great and, of course, The Muppets are fantastic. Adams is good too, but I just wished she had a little more to do.
Writing-Segal and Stoller's script is hilarious, sweet, and frequently touching. The two's passion for the project is apparent within the entire thing.
Directing-Director James Bobin does a fantastic job of bringing us into the world of The Muppets, and has a visual flourish that is perfectly suited for the property.
Sound-The music (from Flight of the Concords member Bret McKenzie) is fantastic, and perfect for The Muppets. "Life's a Happy Song," the film's opening number, will be in your head forever.
Visuals-The film looks great every single moment. No complaints here.
Overall:
The Muppets isn't a perfect movie. But it has enough passion and pure optimism to make it one of the most entertaining of the entire year. A lot of critics describe movies as "winners." Well, that term probably fits best with The Muppets. Just a pure, passionate, hilarious, and light-hearted delight from start to finish.
Score: 9 out of 10
Loose Ends:
-Like most Muppet movies, the cameos are great. Jack Black delivers one of his funniest performances in years.
-Chris Cooper is fantastic as the lead role, mostly because you can tell he's having fun being cartoonishly evil.
-His rap number was pretty hyped before the film's release, but I thought it was only alright. Probably the weakest of the entire film (second to Me Party of course).
-Traveling by map should be an option pre-installed in every vehicle.
-Which reminds me, 80's Robot is a badass. He and Wafflebot from Harold and Kumar should totally star in a spin-off together. It should be a buddy cop film.
-Disney, I'm available with that script right now. Just waiting on you.
-Matthew
