Photo: Patrick Wymore, © Disney Enterprises, Inc.
“In this market,” a TV executive (Rashida Jones) tells the crowd gathered in front of her desk, “you guys are no longer relevant.” Alas, she is speaking to Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Animal and the other Muppets hoping to stage a comeback via a telethon to raise $10 million to save their old theater. Accompanying the Muppets are Gary (Jason Segal), his long-time girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) and Gary’s brother Walter, a Muppet who has been raised with Gary in Smalltown, USA.
The Muppets is the first times since 1999 that the group has made a foray into showbiz. Acquired from the estate of Muppet creater Jim Henson by the Disney Company in 2004, there never seemed to be the right vehicle to bring them back to the screen.
Enter actor Jason Segel, whose lifelong love for the fuzzy characters led to him working with his writing partner Nicholas Stoller and selling the script to Disney. There, in the most capable hands of director James Bobin (Flight of the Conchords, Da Ali G Show), these cultural icons of the 1970s, 80s and 90s are revitalized.
In the movie, Gary and Mary are about to celebrate their tenth anniversary…..of dating. He is apparently too immature and too wrapped up in his friendship with Walter to take the step into marriage. But, to celebrate their anniversary, Gary is taking Mary to Los Angeles. The day of the trip, Walter asks him to visit the Muppets studio and send a postcard from there. Gary tells Walter he won’t do that because Walter is to accompany them to LA.
Once there, they find an abandoned, dilapidated wreck of a studio where they’re shown around by a security guard (Alan Arkin) and where Walter overhears tycoon Tex Richman plotting to take ownership of the studio property and get the oil that is underneath it. Saving it will cost the Muppets the aforementioned $10 million.
The Smalltown, USA trio finds Kermit the Frog (referred to by other characters as “Mr. the Frog”) and talk him into believing it will be possible to save the studio. Together, they gather the Muppets from around the world and plan their show.
The film is interspersed with some fun old-fashioned musical numbers — including the Muppet theme The Rainbow Connection — and is lots of fun. Alan Arkin’s is not the only celebrity cameo in the piece. There’s Neil Patrick Harris, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Judd Hirsch, Selena Gomez, Whoopi Goldberg, John Krasinski, Rico Rodriguez and, even, Mickey Rooney. Jack Black, in an unbilled appearance, plays a key role. The one cameo that brought instant applause at the screening I attended was Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory
It may have taken 12 years to reboot the Muppet franchise but, after this first film of the 21st century, but there can be no doubt we’ll be seeing lots more of it, especially if the films to follow are as smart and entertaining as this one is.
As a bonus, judging from the response of the adults in the audience, The Muppets is not one of those films grown-ups suffer through to please the kids. Grown-ups seem to enjoy it, too, and it’s easy to predict that it will draw even those adults who have no children to accompany to the theater.
The Muppets is heaps of fun for everyone.
I am overjoyed to see that the Muppet’s are back again as they have been visiting me only on DVD. I grew up in the age of the Muppet Show and I watched it loving the creativity even then. I came from a creative family so I think some of that was genetic and the rest “environmentally inherited”. With the joy of singing and the adventures, anyone watching would be smiling whether they knew it or not. Anytime Gramps would come to visit us, he enjoyed the Muppet’s and the cartoons for that matter. There we were Gramps, my brother and I all in our p.j’s watching morning cartoons together. Good memories are never a waste and it’s those memories we have to hold on to especially with the Muppet’s. Jim Henson was one of a kind and was so successful with his Muppet Show lasting 120 episodes, which were each unique and creative. With his death went the famous voice of Kermit the Frog, the funny Swedish Chef, Rowlf the Dog, Ernie from Sesame Street and other characters never to sound the same again. It is that memory I hold dear however, I would never hold back the joy that the Muppet’s bring to any generation of children. I would honor the efforts and magic of Jim Henson by bringing back the wonder of his fantastic characters as Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller have done. I hope that by selling their script to Disney, we will see more of the Muppet’s in films to come. To make my mark I’ve decided to do a larger than normal project for my film blog which is an article about the Muppet’s. I love research so that will really be the biggest part of the project which as usual I will be doing while traveling for work. I’ve found it soothing and a stress reliever for my busy mind to have a passion to turn my attention to while traveling. When I first relocated, it seemed like a good time to reassess certain aspects of my life especially with the economy we were and are in right now. As far as entertainment providers, I knew I would need satellite because of the options available. Due to my joy of film and writing, I require a service that provides me with the necessary options for my needs. It was a bit shocking that Direct TV requires an online rebate application to get new customer promotions, which take 6-8 weeks. There are no extras for the basic package if that is all I can afford. Meaning no free HD for life, or an upgrade to a DVR should I need one. Nor would I receive premium movie channels once I am a customer as I found with Dish Network once a customer. This is not an option due what I am looking for. I found that with Dish Network I could get more programming and movie channels for far less money plus a free Sling Adapter free through a rebate to qualifying new and existing customers, which fits me as I travel a lot and need to bring my services with me. I ended up changing jobs and started working for Dish Network, I am still traveling a lot but I have what I need now. More recently, I became aware that as of October the Blockbuster Movie Pass was launched. Hello Live Streaming! For someone like who travels more now and needs specific access this comparison us blatantly obvious to me. Looking at my options is a gift from my Dad, how thankful I am that he gave me a broader perspective that I can utilize in my creativity. With that creativity, I hope that I will get the opportunity to write more articles on the Muppet’s based solely off seeing more of them in the future.
I love the muppets been watching their show since I was a kid. Having this movie really brings back old memories.