The Muppets

As a lifelong Muppet fan, I've had equal amounts of excitement and trepidation building over the last year as I've been anticipating the new Muppet movie.  Jason Segel's passion for the material as a fan, as well as strong critical reception, had eased my cautious optimism and I'm happy to say that most of it was unwarranted.

"Don't trust this review, his favorite Muppet is Fozzie! Ohohoho!"

The movie starts strong and it's no exaggeration that I had a smile plastered across my face for the first ten minutes, easy.  The new addition to the Muppet clan, Walter, is likable and serves as an excellent way to reintroduce the Muppet franchise to a new generation, as well as those of the older generation who have long-forgotten their felt and fuzzy friends.   The story does a great job of blending new characters with the classic franchise as well as being a sentimental homage without becoming sappy and cloying.  This is where the movie is its strongest: paying tribute to its pedigree.  There are tons of references in the background for Muppet fanatics to catch, without ever getting too ham-fisted in its love letter to Jim Henson.  I loved looking in the corners of the screen for small little nods to the classic show and I'm sure for as many as I caught, I missed even more.  The movie hits its sentimental peak when Kermit the Frog is remembering his friends through song in a heartfelt and moving scene.  For me it was a powerful moment that served to remind me how much I've missed new Muppet stories.  It's a beautiful moment that, unfortunately, also serves as a bar that the movie doesn't quite reach again (though the Rainbow Connection moment towards the film's finale comes close).

"Wokka wokka, motherfucker."

 After reminiscing, Kermit resolves to get the gang together for one final show.  What should have been the moment the movie starts to gain momentum is where it plateaued for me.  While I generally have no problem with the Muppeteers passing off their responsibilities (Steve Whitmire was set to takeover Henson's duties, even before his untimely death), Frank Oz's presence is sorely missed here.  Eric Jacobson has taken over Oz's roles and, well, he's no Frank Oz.  His puppet duties are mostly serviceable, but his Miss Piggy is hit-or-miss and his Fozzie is just completely off.  This shouldn't be a problem for kids new to the Muppets, and it may not be a problem for most people, but as a diehard Fozzie fan this was a big drawback for me as it constantly took me out of the movie.  Other drawbacks include an unnecessary subplot between Segel and Adams that grinds the movie to a halt and just the general look of the movie.  I don't have the technical know-how to properly explain it, but there are several moments where the Muppets don't look like they're inhabiting the same space with their human peers.  It has an over-produced, digital look that made everything feel very unnatural.  It wasn't a major detractor, but it didn't do the movie any favors in terms of audience immersion.

Sweeney Todd ain't got shit on Beaker.

Still, for all of the little things that kept bugging me, the movie excels at so much more.  The jokes are (mostly) very funny and in line with typical Muppet humor and the celebrity cameos were a riot.  I don't want to give anything away, but Dave Grohl and Zach Galifianakis have some of the best cameos in Muppet history, the latter being almost as good as Steve Martin in the original 1979 Muppet movie.  The music is wonderful; an equal blend of original songs, pop hits, and Muppet classics and I think the soundtrack stands up very well in comparison to the likes of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan.

The one time it's okay for a man to cry like a little girl.

The Muppets isn't groundbreaking in any way, but it's a mostly pleasant romp with enough charm to help anyone look past its shortcomings.

Note: The Muppets is preceded by a Pixar short, Small Fry, set in the Toy Story world.  It's brilliant; don't miss it.