The Muppets (2011) Review

The Muppets are a part of my childhood. They've been around so long that they span more than just one generation. However in recent years they have become less relevant than they were prior to the CGI-ridden 3D slop that tends to inhabit theaters. The last theatrical Muppet film, the overall disappointing Muppets From Space, was twelve years ago. Now with The Muppets well, the Muppets are back to where they fit best in a world of ridiculous jokes, off the wall situations and bears telling bad puns.

Walter (performed by Peter Linz) is a puppet who loves The Muppet Show and dreams of nothing more than meeting the characters. He and his human brother Gary (Jason Segal) travel with Gary's girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams) to Los Angeles to visit the Muppet Studios. They get there and find it in serious need of repair. Apparently even though Beauregard has been sweeping for X years the place is a mess. Enter our villain. Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) is an oil man who knows that there is oil beneath the studio. He plans to own the studio and theater so he can destroy them and drill. Walter learns of this and he, Gary and Mary decide to reunite the Muppets to put on one last show in order to save their theater.

There are so many great moments in The Muppets that I can't possibly list them all but among my personal favorites are how Rowlf ended up being convinced to be reunited, Animal in anger management and the entire Muppet Show cast singing a new version of "Rainbow Connection". Writer and co-star Jason Segal is a self-professed Muppet fanatic and so The Muppets plays like a love letter to the characters and their brand of humor. That's what allows the film to be so great. The songs are an additional boost to the franchise but then again Muppet songs have always been wonderful.

Where would any review of a Muppet movie be without mentioning the brilliance of the Muppeteers. Steve Whitmire (Kermit, Beaker, Statler, Rizzo, The Newsman, Link Hogthrob), Dave Goelz (Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Waldorf, Kermoot) and Eric Jacobson (Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Marvin Suggs, Animal) are all the top performers in the film. It's not easy to push a performance out through your hand and make the audience believe that what they are seeing are real, living, breathing things even though I know the performers don't see them that way.

To give you an idea of how wonderful the film was, I have only been to four films that were met with applause at the end. This is the fourth film.

I must set aside a spot on "My Ten Favorite Films of 2011" list. Don't know where yet but I can promise it will be on there.

★★★★