"The Muppets" Review

Ah, the Muppets. What better times they've seen.

After the shock of Jim Henson's frighteningly sudden 1990 death wore off, it appeared as if things at Jim Henson Productions would continue on business as usual. Sesame Street remained as popular as ever, the studio produced acclaimed and successful TV shows such as Dinosaurs and FarScape, the Jim Henson Creature Shop continued to be the go-to place for practical monster effects, and the Muppets made another three films and a TV series within a decade, with Henson's own roles adeptly filled in by his fellow Muppeteers.

But then, as the new millenium set in, something happened. Most of Jim's former gang began to leave, for various reasons- some had died, some were too old or sick, some had lost interest. The studio sold off their most famous properties- Sesame Street and the Muppets- to other companies, and the original works that they continued to produce tanked hard. And worst of all, the new caretakers of Kermit and friends, Disney, seemed content to rest on their laurels milking the Muppets money machine, aside from making a TV special once in a blue moon.

But all is not lost. For in 2008, there came a man. A man who made his career on raunchy comedies and immature humor. A man who, despite this, wanted to make a lovable, saccharine family film. A man who had an idea.

That man was Jason Segel, and right here in front of us, we have that idea.

Gary (Segel) and Walter (puppeteered by Peter Linz) are brothers and the best of friends. They do absolutely everything together, and the one thing that unites them the most is a love of all things Muppets. Walter wants nothing more than to meet Kermit and the gang, and he gets his chance when Gary decides to bring Walter along with he and his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), to Los Angeles.

Naturally, Walter's first stop is the Muppets Studio- but when he gets there, he finds it dilapidated and distended, with very few visitors and few attractions remaining open. Sneaking away from the dull tour, Walter finds himself inside Kermit's old office, where he witnesses a greedy oil tycoon named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) making plans to bulldoze the studio to get the oil beneath. The only way to stop him is for somebody to outbid him on the rights to the property- a hefty 10 million dollars.

With Gary and Mary's help, Walter manages to find the large mansion of Kermit the Frog, who lives alone with only his hilariously outdated "80's Robot" for company, and who hasn't seen any of the other Muppets in years. But that's hardly enough to keep a good frog down, and he and his new friends embark on a long journey to get the gang back together and put on a fundraising show.

Star and co-writer Jason Segel is a longtime fan of the Muppets, and it deeply shows. Continuity references abound: Kermit's "Standard Rich and Famous" contract from The Muppet Movie is an important plot point, as is Kermit and Miss Piggy's wedding photo from The Muppets Take Manhattan; Sweetums is shown working at the same used car lot as he did in The Muppet Movie; "The Rainbow Connection", "The Muppet Show Theme", and "Mahna Mahna" return; and the theater where "The Muppet Telethon" is performed is the very same one as in the original Muppet Show. And, beyond the references, the classic Muppet movie formula remains: lots of catchy and clever original songs, cameos from numerous celebrities (I dare not spoil any of them), and an important message in its heart.

The writing is perfectly fitting of the Muppet characters, but Segel's touch can definitely be detected: much of the humor is decidedly edgier and more subversive, with a bit more of an innocently mocking tone. The "Moopets" (a supposed tribute group to the Muppets that nevertheless manage to be the absolute opposite of everything they stand for) seem to be constantly straining to not cuss like sailors, numerous self-referential gags are included, and popular culture jokes are commonplace (Kermit is once asked if he's a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle).

While I'd rather not spoil the
majority of the hilarious gags, a few standouts include the brief appearance of Beauregard, the janitor (he's been cleaning the studio, alone, for the past 30 years- "where have you guys been?") and an unexpected cameo by The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons during the hilarious musical number "Am I a Man or a Muppet?"

Kermit and friends have been gone from the limelight for far too long, but boy, did salvation come from the most unlikely of places. Jason Segel, along with co-writer Nicholas Stoller and director James Bobin, has created a phenomenal tribute to Henson's works, as well as a stellar film in its own right. I urge you all to see The Muppets, so that, hopefully, we'll see more from the classic gang of heroes.

Awesome