When I originally heard that Jason Segel was writing a script for a brand-new Muppet movie that would attempt to reboot the franchise, I was excited, and nervous. It’s been almost 20 years since the last decent Muppet film (The Muppet Christmas Carol
Segel has created a two-layered script that accomplishes the most important thing in any Muppet film: He has them put on a show, which, naturally, is needed in the story to save the theater from destruction at the hands of evil oil baron Tex Richman (played by Chris Cooper, clearly having the time of his life). The basic story has Segel’s character, Gary, and his little brother, Walter (who is a Muppet, but no one seems to realize this, which is a great conceit that just sits in the background like an inside joke), headed to Los Angeles with Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), where they go to tour the Muppet Studios only to learn of Richman’s evil plot. They track down Kermit the Frog, living in semi-retirement in the home that he should have shared with Miss Piggy, and persuade him to put the gang back together for “one more show.” And Walter, who has never been able to fit in as the lone felt creature in a town full of actual humans, lives the ultimate fan’s fantasy, working alongside his idols and finding, for the first time in his life, a community where he really fits in.
The macro story here, and the real theme of the The Muppets, is that there are, and have always been, millions of Muppet fans out there just waiting … and waiting … for someone (one of us, as it turned out) to bring them back into the spotlight in a movie that cuts right to the heart of what we love about the characters individually and as an ensemble. Segel is such a fan that he inserts himself and his fuzzy alter-ego brother into the movie, only to wisely work Gary and Mary back out of the story in the second half of the film so that the Muppets can take over. And take over they do, with Walter on board, and a great turn by Jack Black playing the, um, reluctant guest host of the show-within-the-film. Amy Adams also deserves mention for an incredibly game performance that includes a very silly dance number in the middle of a diner and a slew of wide-eyed, deadpan lines that kept emphasizing how very absurd all of this is. Having seen her in The Fighter a few hours later, I feel like she’s the Nicole Kidman of this generation of actresses, up for absolutely anything and able to nail whatever role she’s given; let’s hope she doesn’t botox herself into zombiedom in her 40s like Kidman has.
That’s not to say the celebrity cameos, such a critical element in the best Muppet movies, are absent – they’re there, and many of them make an impact in just a few seconds of screen time. Neil Patrick Harris has one line and it’s one of the funniest jokes in the film. Mickey Rooney’s cameo is a funny nod to past cameos. Jim Parsons’ cameo would be ruined if I tried to explain it, but he’s nails. I kept waiting for someone to point at Rashida Jones with both hands and say, “Ann Perkins,” and she was one of the best at interacting with the Muppets, grabbing Kermit by the lapels and shaking him like half the guest stars on the original The Muppet Show
Segel also shows off his knowledge of the characters with some Muppet cameos as well. The Beautiful Day Monster is taking pledge calls in the balcony, and Wayne and Wanda appear for a moment when the lights come back on after Chris Cooper briefly cuts the power to the theater. The Newsman (one of the few voices that didn’t work for me) appears briefly in the balcony as well. Marvin Suggs and the Muppaphone appear in the “Life’s a Happy Song” reprise. Behemoth is in Jack Black’s dressing room – and how did he not eat anything? – with a few other monsters I couldn’t name. If Segel had a checklist of Muppets to include, he couldn’t have been more complete.
The music, which really set the two good Muppet movies (the original and the Christmas Carol) apart, is outstanding here, making Bret McKenzie the somewhat unlikely heir to the legacy of Paul Williams, who wrote most of the music in those two earlier flicks. “Life’s a Happy Song” is the breakout hit, stuck in my head for the rest of the day (which is fine by me) and so good they included it twice, while “Man or Muppet” inserts some much-needed humor at a point where the film threatened to get all serious-like on us. But the gem on the soundtrack was actually written by a songwriting team largely responsible for writing bubblegum pop songs for Disney artists: “Pictures In My Head
One of those other emotional moments comes when Segel, constantly paying homage to history, has Kermit and Miss Piggy perform a duet of “Rainbow Connection,” which is a high point of the film but had particular resonance for me. In 1994, PBS aired an episode of “Great Performances” on the life of Jim Henson; when they reach the end of his life in the documentary, the producers used “Rainbow Connection,” apparently at Jerry Juhl’s suggestion, to close the discussion of Henson’s life and death and lead into the closing credits. I’ve only seen the show once, when it first aired, but that song, already a favorite of mine, has always brought me back to that point in the documentary, where the full impact of our loss seems to hit all at once. (If whoever holds the copyright on that show has any sense of marketing, they’ll put it out on DVD now while the Muppets are hot again.)
If you don’t love these characters already, however, the film is going to feel a little thin. The story is good by Muppet movie standards, but the contortions required to get the Muppets back together and on the stage don’t leave much time for plot. The film is actually not that funny – it’s sweet, sentimental, almost romantic, but has only a handful of real laugh-out-loud moments, more from the humans than the Muppets. (I’m pleased to report that the much-maligned “fart shoes” joke turned out to be funnier, and more clever, than the trailer indicated.) Chris Cooper rapping is something I never need to see again – and really, can we just put a moratorium on older white male actors rapping badly in film and on TV? It’s not funny now, because it was never funny. I mentioned the Newsman’s voice being off, and Fozzie Bear’s voice was only intermittently right, like two people were behind it, or like the one person behind it couldn’t hold the right pitch and kept slipping out of character, although the vast majority of Muppet voices were more than good enough. I could also pick nits at the absence of a ballroom scene or Veterinarian’s Hospital, but now I’m just being (in my wife’s words) a “Muppet sap.”
I was a little surprised that they tweaked some of the Muppet characters’ personalities, although that may just emphasize just how much I have invested in the characters at this point. Kermit remains the flawed hero, frequently frustrated but less stalwart than in the past, and I missed his old habit of freaking out and flailing his flippers all over the place. (They had a chance, too, in the kidnapping discussion.) Gonzo seemed a little less, well, gonzo, and I don’t remember any lines from his pal Rizzo. Even Miss Piggy seemed a little older and wiser, with just one real “Hiiiii-YAH” in the film, although she made it count. But again, if you lack history with them, you’re not even noticing this stuff, let alone nitpicking like I am. You’ll find it a sweet film with fun music, corny humor, and very high production values compared to any previous Muppet film, but you won’t get all choked up when Kermit walks out of the theater doors for what might be the last time.
If you do love the characters, and I assume by this point you know where I stand on that subject, you couldn’t ask for a better film than this. It’s a tribute, a love letter, a nostalgia trip, a shot in the arm, and probably the impetus for a slew of sequels – and perhaps a revival of the TV show? Please? – written and performed by people who feel the same way we do. But the highest praise I can offer is that after we walked out of the theater, my five-year-old daughter, who knows the characters but obviously doesn’t have the same history with them, said to us, “I want to buy that movie.” I’m hoping her generation takes to these characters the way mine did.
Oh, and next spring, when I need to go see high school players scattered across the country, I am absolutely going to travel by map.
I loved this movie so much. I’ve always been a fan, but not nearly as invested as Keith (or my wife) is. Expected to enjoy the movie when we went to see it on Wednesday night, but loved it so much that we went back and saw it again on Thursday (and loved it just as much, in a less emotional, more appreciative way). It’s just pure joy, basically.
As a school teacher, one of the last things I want to do on my first day of a much needed break is spend hours in a room full of 100+ children. Nevertheless, I went to see this movie on Wednesday and I would do it again and again even after a full work day! This was definitely a great movie. I agree with all of your points about the movie – especially about if you were not a big fan before. This is a great Muppets movie, but would definitely feel thin to an “outsider.” Love the review, thanks!
I went to see his movie with my whole family. I think I was more excited than anyone else to see it (I’m a teenager if you’re wondering).But my favorite point was my little brother (he’s 8) leaning over to me after Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, and Rico Rodriguez walk in and asking who the old lady is.
My 12-y-o son has watched the Muppet Show season 1 DVD repeatedly and can’t wait to get to this movie. Since he somehow has almost zero interest in baseball, it really makes me happy that we can share this.
I haven’t been to the theatre in well over a year, but this movie might just get me there. Thanks for the review.
I would still argue that “A Muppet Family Christmas” is the best of the Muppet movies (even if it’s more of a made-for-tv special). The final medley of songs is just phenomenal. The full version with all of the songs isn’t available to purchase (the DVD omits a few parts due to copyright issues), but you can watch the full original version on youtube. Part 1 is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtgYDpvRCMI and the rest can be found in the sidebar.
I brought my kids to see this on a spur of the moment this afternoon (it was a “stay out of Momma’s hair so she can write a paper for class” day). They are three and five, and found it a little intense at times . . . the younger spent most of the movie on my lap, though I think she was so spooked by the inappropriate previews (multiple explosions, near-deaths and scary bad guys) that any tension at all in the movie was going to make her nervous. Plus from that vantage point she could better reach the popcorn.
(Seriously- what was the deal with all the violent pirate previews? Are these universal? I had to convince my kids that the movie hadn’t started yet. Totally set us up for an emergency bathroom/conflict avoidance run 2/3 through when Chris Cooper’s bad guy emerges more).
I do think more of the classic Muppet silliness would have been good- the Man or Muppet song killed, especially Jim Parsons’ appearance. Jason Segal did a really good job- and really, he is a pretty muppetish man- but I did miss the more madcap puppetry. That said: all hail Jack Black, the hobo king!
We got Tintin, The Secret World of Arrietty (totally stoked for this – Studio Ghibli’s take on The Borrowers!), The Big Miracle, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, plus a cute Toy Story short. I thought the Journey trailer was inappropriate, but Tintin was fine. My five-year-old wasn’t scared by that one but said she didn’t want to see it.
My only quibble with your review is Chris Cooper’s rap scene – it was so corny and over the top it looked and sounded hilarious – but I will absolutely agree that Cooper looked like he was having a blast. My only quibble with the movie was there weren’t enough Statler and Waldorf jokes. Other than that, I loved the movie as a fan of the original Muppet Show (I’m approaching 30 and watched reruns when I was a kid) and enjoyed the fun cameos. I will say that I was signing along to the Muppet Show theme and I wasn’t the only one. All in all a fun experience and I hope to see more Muppets on TV in the future – this seemed like the perfect springboard, and I hope Disney will see a good product in the Muppets and bring them back to the masses.
http://bloglynch.blogspot.com/2009/06/30-rock-is-rip-off-of-muppet-show.html
Thank you, thank you for giving big ups to The Muppet Chritmas Carol.
I was never into the Muppets growing up (I’m 26, so I came along at something of a dry spell in Muppet history), but my wife is a die-hard in the same way you are, Keith. I was a little concerned going into this that I would be lost or just not have a connection with the characters and find it juvenile. However, I have to say I really enjoyed the experience from start to finish, and have made it a goal to at least go back and get acquainted with the high points in Muppet movie history.
You hit it spot-on when you point out how smart it was for Segal to back himself out of much of the latter half of the movie, as really it would not have felt right for anyone but actual Muppets to drive the conclusion.
For me the cameos definitely took the movie up a level from enjoyable if overly-sentimental family movie. The Muppets, while entertaining and endearing, really don’t bring many out-right laughs on their own. I enjoyed all of the cameos you mentioned (especially Parsons, who had me almost rolling on the floor of the theater in laughter), but wanted to add one you didn’t, Emily Blunt’s enjoyable reprisal of her ice queen character from the Devil Wears Prada.
All in all a really good job by Segal and company, and I hope this does give the franchise a kick-start.
Emily Blunt’s enjoyable reprisal of her ice queen character from the Devil Wears Prada.
I love Emily Blunt, because she’s real nice to look at, but I didn’t get that reference – I have never seen Devil Wears Prada because …
I’m a maaaan!
(or a very manly Muppet. One of those, at least.)
I’m with you on some of the cameos. Not many tremendously familiar ones (I can’t be the only person who doesn’t know what Feist sounds/looks like). I wouldn’t be surprised if more cameos were left on the cutting room floor.
My favorite Muppet was basically absent: Pepe the King Prawn! I was waiting the entire movie and had only one scene! I’m younger and I know Pepe isn’t an original Muppet, but I was sad he didn’t have a bigger role like he did in Muppets in Space.
The Davis Square theater (a wonderful old community theater) in Somerville ran a double feature on Tuesday night- the original Muppet Movie at 10:15, followed by the new film at midnight. It was tremendous- the theater was packed with Muppet die-hards, and the crowd sang along to “Rainbow Connection” and “Moving Right Along” (should be mentioned here that the theater serves beer & wine, which may have helped the sing alongs). Seeing the original right before the new film was a great refresher going in to the new film, ensuring that my friends and I didn’t miss any of the new film’s allusions to the original.
Great review and I wholeheartedly agree with the hope that The Muppet Show ends up on TV regularly. The show at the end of the movie was the best part but I enjoyed the journey to that point as well. I could have done with more of Pepe and Rizzo but given what Segel had to do in this movie, I understand the choices he made. Also the movie was the perfect length. In an era where it seems every movie is about 15-30 minutes too long it was refreshing to see some restraint.
I’m far from a Muppet expert and grew up more interested in “Muppet Babies” than the real deal and I’m not sure how related the two were. I will say that, from reading this review and that of another trusted blogger, it seems the movie got things right. The other writer also mentioned the skepticism surrounding Segal and I understand it based on much of the work he’d done to date. However, I think a closer look shows there was a bit more than the frat-ish humor that seemed to bring him mainstream in “Knocked Up”. Ultimately, it seems that Segal was a true fan and lover of the Muppets and that shows through in the work. There are few things more enjoyable than seeing someone do what they love and do it well. Few people are going to respect a work more than a true fan. I’m excited to see the Muppets and hope that I enjoy this film as much as I enjoyed The Muppet Christmas Carol, which I loved when I saw in theaters at the tender age of 9.