A few months back, when former Muppeteer Frank Oz was asked about “The Muppets,” Oz replied, “I don’t think they respected the characters.” He then excused himself to sit silently in a darkened room where he glared at the floor for the next two hours.
Oz was only one of many sour scold to publicly object to a film he hadn’t seen. There were others, such as the people who were upset by the fact that — in the movie — Kermit lives in a sprawling estate or that Fozzie Bear was wearing “fart shoes” (which admittedly, wasn’t a promising sign), but like most people who are predisposed to hate something over the tiniest, most inconsequential reasons, their hatred was unfounded. For the first time in almost a quarter of a century, the sacred corpse of Jim Henson can briefly stop spinning in its grave because “The Muppets” is actually good.
When Gary (Jason Segel, who also co-wrote the screenplay), his Muppet brother Walter and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) travel to Los Angeles in order to celebrate Gary and Mary’s 10-year anniversary, their trip is sidetracked when they discover that the Muppets have disbanded for reasons the film unfortunately never explains. If the Muppets’ unexplained breakup isn’t enough, it’s also revealed that an evil Texas oilman (Chris Cooper, who actually raps at one point) plans on destroying what remains of Muppet Studios.
Unwilling to sit back and watch as the Muppet legacy is carelessly swept under the carpet, the trio tries to convince Kermit to reunite with his estranged fellow Muppets so they can stage a sort of Muppet show/telethon to raise the $10 million it costs to buy back the studio. But it won’t be easy considering that their telethon is only going on the air because the network couldn’t find a more suitable replacement for the recently cancelled game show “Punch Teacher,” they can’t find a celebrity willing to host and one Muppet is unable to reconcile their past differences with Kermit.
“The Muppets” has its fair share of missteps along the way. There’s a montage sequence set to Starship’s “We Built This City” that unfortunately never morphs into a parody of or a scathing attack on Starship’s “We Built This City,” and although never reaching the annoying heights of Scrappy-Doo or Cousin Oliver, Walter is a bland, unimpressive addition to the Muppet family.
But these are all minor complaints considering the sheer amount of things that work in “The Muppets.” Segel and company really nail the gentle edginess of the Muppets and actively avoid the easy pop-culture-based gags that infected the series in the late ’90s. “The Muppets” is filled with clever and weird little touches like the embittered group of off-brand Muppets called Moopets, Cooper’s inability to laugh (instead of laughing maniacally, his character simply says, “maniacal laugh”) and a surprisingly nuanced depiction of Animal.
“The Muppets” is a fun film with a lot of heart. There’s loving callbacks to the original TV show and the Henson movies as well as a bittersweet poignancy that adds more depth to the proceedings than expected. The Muppets have finally come of age, which is why “The Muppets” will be the first children’s movie that will be appreciated more by the parents.
Rating: W W W 1/2
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