MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (11/23/11): THE MUPPETS
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Jack Black, several cameo-making celebrities and all your favorite Muppet characters (and the voice actors behind them)
WRITER(S): Jim Henson (characters); Jason Segal & Nicholas Stoller (screenplay)
DIRECTOR: James Bobin
WEB SITE: disney.go.com/muppets
THE PLOT: A film that breaks the fourth wall while at the same time paying tribute to the past, acknowledging the present and hoping to lay groundwork for the future, The Muppets begins by introducing us to a pair of brothers: Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter, the world's biggest Muppets fan who is ... A little different physically than his older brother. Gary is also the boyfriend of alliteration-friendly Mary (Amy Adams), a schoolteacher who's handy with a wrench. Gary and Mary have been dating for a decade and to celebrate the occasion, the couple has planned a trip from their native Smalltown, USA (yup, that's the name!) to Los Angeles. Los Angeles also happens to be the home of Muppet Studios, which is why Walter is excited about Gary and Mary's trip ... Although the latter would prefer some alone time (and a marriage proposal) with her boyfriend.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Walter, Gary and Mary make their way to Muppet Studios, which they quickly learn has fallen into a state of disrepair. Worse yet, Walter accidentally learns of a secret no one else was ever meant to hear: Oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) isn't really going to buy the theater and turn it into a Muppet museum - he's going to tear it down and dig for the oil he's certain lies beneath it! But, as Walter also learns, if the Muppet gang can raise $10 million by midnight in 2 weeks, they get the theater back.
So what are Walter, Gary and Amy going to do? What do you think - all they have to do is find Walter's hero, Kermit the Frog, and get to work!
THE TAKE: Now, before I get into the bulk of my review, let me say this: I grew up a Muppets fan, still am a Muppets fan and will die a Muppets fan. And in the case of their latest outing, The Muppets is a fairly entertaining affair.
It's just not the perfect one you'd hope it'd be; but as long as you don't expect perfection, you'll enjoy the movie quite a great deal.
Let's address the film's weakest aspect quickly. The Muppets don't just outshine Segel and Adams (and just about every human involved), they upstage them - because most of the human performances are just that corny. Instead of playing it straight, the repeated breaks of the fourth wall coupled with some "I'm-in-on-the-joke, but-I'm-still-gonna-act-this-way" musical numbers by the living, breathing cast is something you'll [A] Be on board with; [B] Deal with for the sake of the movie or [C] Grind your teeth though until things focus again on the late Jim Henson's beloved characters. (Remember how uncomfortable Anne Hathaway looked when she hosted The Academy Awards with a ... Less than interested James Franco earlier this year? Those are the same faces Adams makes through a lot of her scenes.)
That's not to say all the humans are too corny for their own good; Jack Black makes some nice contributions playing himself, as do Zach Galifinakis and ... Well, I don't want to ruin it for you. (There's a LOT of cameos - try to spot them all!) And Chris Cooper has some fun playing-against-type-but-not-really as Richman ...
Of course, NO ONE is coming to The Muppets for the humans, let alone their acting. They're coming to watch Kermit the Frog be the even-keeled leader of the group, Miss Piggy to be her diva self, Fozzie to tell his so-awful-and-old-they're-good jokes and Animal go wild. And in that aspect, the most important aspect, the film delivers in spades. Sure, there may be certain characters you wish had more screen time (Hello?! Pepe the King Prawn, anyone?!), you will fall back in love with the characters as soon as you see them back on the screen.
The Muppets are well aware of their place in the world now, but what has always made them special is the place people hold them in their hearts. With The Muppets, the gang attempts to act as mature characters, but without letting go of the qualities that made them so endearing in the first place. And when they sing, it's not corny, it's poignant. When they crack a bad joke, it's cute, not corny and when they get serious, it's a highlight, not a forced moment. From clever pop culture references to Muppet performance theater, there's never a dull moment when our heroes are on the stage.
This is why whereas most franchises introducing a new character might have some concern, the introduction of Walter is a perfect fit for The Muppets. On one hand, he adheres to the values that Kermit and company have held near and dear for years; on the other, he provides a nice access point for a younger generation of fans to follow his journey - and that's what's always made The Muppets so special: They can make you laugh, they can make you think and they make you appreciate the simple joys in life; Walter is just the latest character to reinforce those ideals and bring them back to the spotlight.
PARTING SHOT: A movie that will have you ready to start watching pigs in space, fish flying in the air and hanging out by a pond, The Muppets - which is definitely more skewered towards adults already familiar with the franchise - is a nice trip down memory lane with a modern, appreciative touch.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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