A long time ago, I heard that Jason Segel had a project to bring back the Muppets. I was familiar with the characters thanks to watching Muppets from Space as a kid, but I had never taken my fascination any further. Flash forward twelve years, and the Muppets have come back to theatres with as much charm and laughs as anyone could hope for.
The Muppets (the movie) centers around a brand new muppet named Walter and his brother Gary, Jason Segel. All his life, Walter has wanted nothing more than to see the famous Muppet Theatre and take a tour of the studio. When Gary decides to take his long-time girlfriend Mary, Amy Adams, to Los Angeles for their tenth anniversary, he lets Walter tag along to see the Muppet studio. On a tour, Walter finds out that an oil tycoon, Tex Richman, played by Chris Cooper, wants to buy the studio and drill there. The only way to save the studio is to raise ten million dollars, so Walter, Gary and Mary set out to reunite the Muppets and put on one last show.
This movie is Jason Segel’s dream project. He has been a huge fan his whole life and always wanted to make a Muppet movie of his own. Taking matters into his own hands, Segel proceeded to write, produce, and star in this movie, essentially making it his own; this is anything but bad. Any audience member could tell that this movie was truly a labor of love. Segel poured every last bit of comedy and nostalgia out of himself and stuck it in this movie. Segel does a great job as the lead, over-exaggerating emotions and making everything over the top, which is a staple of the Muppets, and Segel keeps it going. Amy Adams was the perfect choice to play his girlfriend. Adams is a charming bundle of joy and showed her great comedic musical acting in Enchanted, which carries over well with The Muppets. One of the greatest parts about The Muppets is the cameos. There are literally dozens of cameos in this film and you are bound to recognize at least one of the people making a surprise appearance. All of these cameos are done spot-on and always kept me smiling and pointing at the screen.
Director James Bobin, writer and director of Flight of the Conchords, works well within the confines of what the camera can show with The Muppets. Emotional scenes always look strong, and every sight-gag is handled with finesse. Segel’s writing is darn near perfect. Every joke deserves a laugh and, although the pacing may be a bit too fast, the music is fantastic. Music numbers are a common occurrence with the Muppets and they make their triumphant return here with catchy tunes and an unfortunate lack of classics (only two).
The Muppets is the definition of a feel-good movie. There was never a moment when I thought to look away from the screen and I had a smile practically plastered on my face. Although it may move a bit too quick and there is a surprising lack of classic tunes, The Muppets is the best time I’ve had at a movie theater all year. 9/10
