Movie Review

The Muppets
Dir: James Bobin
Hollywood is no stranger to the reboot. Nothing invigorates a floundering franchise like new talent in front of and behind the camera. As soon as The Muppets movie was announced several years ago, I had already cast my doubts. I had grown up with The Muppets and had quite a soft spot for them. I remember watching reruns with (obscure to me) celebrities and not quite getting a lot of the jokes. A recent trip to Disneyworld and watching the Muppetvision show (largely unchanged since my childhood) had me pining for the Muppets again. It seems as though the same nostalgia radiated through Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) as he has imbued his script for the new Muppet movie with the same warm, glowing reverence.
Segel stars as Gary, a grown man in a long-term relationship with schoolteacher Mary (Amy Adams). Gary’s brother Walter is one of the biggest Muppet fans you’ll find – and he’s a Muppet himself but doesn’t quite realize it. On a group trip to Los Angeles, Walter discovers a nefarious plot to shut down the old Muppet theater so with the help of Kermit the Frog and all the Muppet pals, the group attempts to put together a show that will save the theater.
The premise is familiar and has a equal parts road trip and Busby Berkely, “putting on a show” vibe to it. Throughout, cameos come fast and furious from the likes of Rashida Jones, Jack Black, Selena Gomez and that kid from Modern Family. The cameos, though, are really the only modern thing about the Muppets which turns out to be a good thing. There are no winking jabs at Disney or nudging references to the “industry”. Snark, sarcasm and a cynical attitude are eschewed in favor of silliness. That’s not to say that some of the jokes aren’t aimed at adults (we can clean up the theater much faster through montage!), but it always comes from a heartfelt place that just wants to make the audience smile.
Despite all the laughs (and there are many), much of the movie deals with nostalgia in a difficult way. Kermit, in particular, finds it difficult to revisit the past and (until convinced otherwise) is mostly content with leaving things the way it is. He, in many ways, is very modern in that he’s not just a bounding source of optimism, but seems to understand that the sometimes history can be painful. That being said, sometimes I wanted to just smack him and tell him to snap out of his funk, but luckily we have Miss Piggy to do just that. Speaking of, Miss Piggy and all the Muppets, display very interesting and funny quirks. Almost the way that ensemble superhero movies have so many characters that you’re bound to connect with one of them, The Muppets all have something about them that is individual that you can connect with. Miss Piggy has been hurt romantically in the past and is fiercely guarded; Gonzo has compromised his individuality and “sold out” as the head of a large corporation -- heady stuff for a blue furry creature.
Ultimately, The Muppets is a movie that will probably appeal more to adults who have missed the Muppets for the past 10 or so years rather than 6 year olds (though everyone can enjoy the chicken rendition of Cee-Lo’s Forget You). Plus, if this movie isn’t a success you can expect a reboot in 4 years starring the Moopets, and that’s something you definitely don’t want to see.
Grade: B+