Review

Review Date: 27-November-11
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Juicy

The Muppets (2011)

Shortly after watching The Muppets I saw a hip young man wearing a sock monkey hat with earflaps. This gave me a similar sensation as the movie. There's charm in silly behavior conducted without embarrassment or self-conscious sarcasm. Society could use more of it, which is why the Muppets merit a place on the big screen.

The latest Muppet movie was a labor of love for writer/actor Jason Segel and his screenwriting partner, Nicholas Stoller. Both fans of Jim Henson's work, they dreamed for years of a new motion picture starring Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and the rest, and their dedication shows. Addressing the fact that the Muppets have a long history and lack of trendiness, their plot revolves around a last-ditch telethon to save the neglected Muppet Studios from a greedy tycoon played by Chris Cooper. Kermit (voiced by Steve Whitmire) and his old friends are so down-and-out at the beginning of the movie that it takes a devoted fan to raise them from their funk. This is a new Muppet, Walter (Peter Linz), a noseless cutie with a shock of brown hair who happens to be the brother of Segel's character, Gary. Yes, Gary's DNA string somehow matches up with Walter's puppet string, and they are not only brothers but best friends.

Gary's devotion to his felt-covered sibling strains his relationship with a schoolteacher named Mary (Amy Adams, an obvious fit). Still, she doesn't complain when Gary invites Walter along for their 10-year anniversary trip to Los Angeles. This turns into a quest after Walter overhears the tycoon's plans to destroy Muppet Studios and convinces Kermit to rally the troops. Musical numbers and celebrity cameos ensue, with opportunities for Walter and Gary to grow as muppet-men and for Kermit and Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson) to renew their famed romance. Every scene is silly whether it's played for laughs (e.g., Jack Black being tortured by a barbershop quartet) or sentiment (e.g., Mary warbling her frustration at being left alone again). Children and adults are rarely treated to comedies as easy to watch as The Muppets. It's undemanding without being insulting or dumb.

Copyright © 2011 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.