As regular readers of Thom's House Of Words know, I was very worried about pretty much every aspect of a new Muppets movie being released. Could the charm and innocence of the late 70's and early 80's films still work in cynical and selfish 2012? (or more accurately, 2011, which was when the film was released in the States), do we really need a new Muppet? And what about there being several big roles for actors, surely that would take up Muppet time?
On all fronts, I had nothing to worry about.
Slightly echoing real life, The Muppets are no longer famous, and have each gone on their separate ways. But a lifelong fan Walter, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary's girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) help persuade Kermit to put on another show with the original gang to help prevent their old theater being destroyed by the evil oil baron Tex Richman (Chris Cooper.)
Obviously, just the first part of the plot rings true. A whole generation of kids, up till now, didn't even know who The Muppets were! And only people who grew up with them remembered, even though that memory had been slightly tarnished by some not-brilliant DTV efforts, but we always had the original movie and Christmas Carol, personally, I never thought anyone would make an attempt on another big screen outing.
Thank god then for Jason Segel. He was the guy who took the idea to Disney, and they let him run with it (he also co-writes and co-produces), and it's clear that it's a labour of love. Unlike so many other people, Segel, and co-writer Nicholas Stoller (Yes Man, Get Him To The Greek) make no attempt to reboot, or in any way contemporize the Muppets. They are exactly the same as you remember them.
There's also zero innuendo, or any kind of cynicism or attempts to be smart-alecy or flippant about the Muppets, the film is warm, fuzzy and innocent (except of Chris Cooper's bad guy, and hilarious tribute act The Moopets, but that's kinda their point in the movie.) When reviewing the original Muppet movie, I wondered with the same kind of innocent charm could ever be replicated. Yes it can, and is on display throughout.
There were several times during the film where things get quite emotional, such as Kermit's melancholy song 'Pictures In My Head', and pretty much most of the stuff between Kermit and Miss Piggy, and later scenes with Gary and Walter, which will bring a tear to your eye almost. The fact that you can connect to these characters so easily says so much about their enduring appeal, and the writing. I found Gary, Mary and Walter to be just as important to the film as the rest of the gang within minutes.
Another important part of any Muppet film is the songs, and with Flight Of The Conchord's alumni Bret Mackenzie involved (FOTC creator James Bobin also directs the film), we are treated to some of the best Muppet songs ever. 'Life's a Happy Song', 'Me Party', 'Man or Muppet', and the aforementioned 'Pictures In My Head' are all instant classics that will remain lodged in your head for weeks. And the evergreen 'Rainbow Connection' is revisited in grand style. Heck, there's even a couple of Muppet-charged covers thrown in for good measure.
The cameos are also there. There's no huge names to distract from the business at hand (arguably, the biggest star that shows up is Jack Black), but they are fantastically placed and work well. Probably the best would be the one that takes place during the 'Man or Muppet' song, in fact, that was the only cameo that wasn't revealed before the film came out! But I won't go into any other appearances, just in case.
There are some faults of course. The voices of the Muppets are slightly different now, due to some of the voice actors have passed away (Muppets creator Jim Henson and Richard Hunt), or just passing on the project - Frank Oz read the script and didn't want to do it. I have a hard time believing that, because everything that makes the Muppets great is there.
The possible induction of a contemporary song (Cee-Lo Green's 'Forget You') to be clucked along to by the chickens was another minor quibble. Not for the content, it was another funny moment, but putting a song like that in this, or any, film has a habit of dating it. Just hope people remember that song 30 years down the line.
But these are tiny, minuscule complaints. The Muppets is a fantastic film for all ages. I've been to see it twice now, and the screenings combined had all age groups. Kids, teenagers, adults and everyone loved it. It makes no attempt to try and be different or trendy, sticking to what the Muppets do best. It's a heartwarming hug of a movie, and a movie that has had an impact. In just the week after it's UK release, I've seen kids with Muppets shirts, with Animal toys, and singing 'Mahna Mahna' loudly. The Muppets are back, and it's all thanks to Jason Segel et al. Huge praise for all involved.
****1/2
The Muppets return in fine form, with a witty and touching script, great cameos, some of the best Muppet songs ever...look just go and see it OK?
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