In the better late than never category, here’s my review of one of the best films of the year:
Admittedly, I love the muppets. I love the TV show, the movies, the characters, and the mythos. And if there’s one thing this film does well, it preserves and enhances the mythos. Jason Segel has done something incredible, which is to take these time-less characters down from the top shelf at Disney, dust them off and turn them loose for another romp through Hollywood. And they do. And they do it with the same style, flare and panache that you remember. Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rolf, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, they’re all here, all handled with tender loving care. Some of them even have surprisingly real character arcs, and it makes them all the more believable. The newest addition to the gang, Walter, feels like he walked off the set of the Muppet Show in the 1970s, but has all the sensibilities of today’s world. It works.
The humans are pretty good too, with both Segel and Chris Cooper (as a villainous oil baron) being outstanding. Amy Adams–who should fit right in–is the only one that seems to come across a bit flat, but that may be more from her whining character’s personae. (and in fairness, you do sympathize with her character.) And it wouldn’t be a Muppet movie without a slew of celebrity cameos, some of which delighted, some of which surprised, and some of which felt like Disney exerting their influence.
One part musical comedy, one part loving tribute, THE MUPPETS is an amazing film. I laughed, I cried, I spent two hours with good friends I hadn’t seen in a long while, and found that yes, we could fall back into the same conversations we remembered. Some of the jokes are very “in universe” (and I was glad to have just recently gone back and watched THE MUPPET MOVIE, GREAT MUPPET CAPER, MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN and MUPPETS FROM SPACE–which are what I consider to be the four essentials–before seeing this one), some of the characters are “OMG I REMEMBER HIM!” and while the situations are standard Muppet fare (an evil plot to take over the studio must be foiled by midnight!) you really don’t care.
It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights… The Muppets are back, ladies and gentlemen. RUN to see this movie.
THE MUPPETS – A+
