I’ll make no bones about the fact that I’m a fan of the Muppets. I had a Kermit the Frog cake for my first few birthday parties and used to get up a full hour early for school every morning during my elementary school years just to watch the show. Hell, I saw a midnight screening of Muppets From Space and loved it.
I really like The Muppets and I leapt at the chance to catch the preview screening of this latest film with my kids.
Going in, I’ll admit that I was wary. Jason Segel, in my mind, comes from that Apatow school of comedy and filmmaking which usually kind-of funny movies than run an hour too long. The marketing campaign has been nothing short of brilliant, so that seemed to put a lot of my fears temporarily at ease. Then I read an interview with Frank Oz about how he wasn’t a fan of the script and he didn’t feel like they were giving the characters the proper respect and I got worried all over again.
That’s when I tuned out all of the marketing and just went to the movie, hoping I’d be pleasantly surprised.
Was I pleasantly surprised? That might be an understatement.
I had so much damn fun watching this movie I can’t even begin to describe it. And I brought my kids who don’t have as much nostalgia or affinity for the Muppets and they enjoyed it even more than I did. In fact, as I write this, this is the second day in a row that my son has listened to nothing but the soundtrack to the film on a loop.
The film itself revolves around Gary (Jason Segel) and his brother Walter who is a puppet. Walter is the biggest Muppet fan in the galaxy and is delighted to be invited along with Gary and Mary (Amy Adams) to their special anniversary trip to Los Angeles so he can visit the Muppet Studios. There, while sneaking into Kermit the Frog’s old office, he uncovers a plot by Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to buy the Muppet Studios, bulldoze them, and drill for oil. Where else do they go for help but to Kermit the Frog? They need to raise $10 million in a short period of time to save the theatre so Kermit decides the best course of action is to get the gang back together and put on another show.
That’s pretty much it.
The plot is standard Muppets fare but it’s infused with such a love and incredible comedic touch that it’s too compelling to ignore. It was so full of love for the franchise that I found tears in my eyes more than a couple of times. And they were happy tears of joy and nostalgia. They were the same tears that used to get me during “Saying Goodbye” in The Muppets Take Manhattan. They were the same tears that made me cry the first time I saw a Star Wars film on the big screen. It’s just overwhelming.
Segel and crew did an amazing job replicating the feel of the old Muppets at the same time making it feel relevant. The entire movie is adorable and sacharine sweet and puts a smile on your face the whole damn time. In fact, the opening song (Life’s a Happy Song) puts that smile on your face and you never lose it through the whole movie.
It’s just that perfect.
And did I mention the music is fantastic? New songs were written by Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame and you can tell. They’re all fantastic but the solos he gives Chris Cooper and Amy Adams stand out more amongst a crop of stand outs.
And did I mention that it’s funny? I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in a movie in a long, long time. But it wasn’t just me laughing, my kids were dying, too. It mastered the all-ages comedy bit in a way that I thought only Pixar was capable of.
My only complaint about the film? Mickey Rooney had more lines than Rizzo the Rat. That’s it. That’s the only thing I found odd about this film.
If you’re even half a fan of the Muppets, you need to catch this new installment of their adventures ASAP. And if you’re new to the Muppets, this is also a perfect jumping on point. I can’t imagine someone going into this film and not coming away with a new appreciation for the characters that I’ve been in love with since before I can remember.
I hope it makes lots and lots of money so we can have more Muppet movies. And a show. Yeah… we need a new Muppet Show. And since they built a damned near perfect replica of The Muppet Theatre, why couldn’t we have a show?
Seriously, there’s way too much to love about this film and I don’t want to talk too much about it because it’ll just turn into a list of jokes and songs I loved, which is basically just the whole movie. So go see it. Now.
…maniacal laugh. Maniacal laugh. Maniacal laugh.
(Also, do yourself a favor and buy the soundtrack. Trust me. As soon as you get out of the theatre, you’ll need it.)