A "Kids" Movie for the Grown-Ups

I remember my childhood being punctuated every few years by some momentous "Muppets" movie.  Stand outs were "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Muppet Treasure Island."  By 1999's "Muppets From Space," I had lost interest; I grew up.  In 2011 we have "The Muppets," now a Disney property, and the aim here seems to be to remind audiences that not only is it okay to grow up, but it's okay to be a little silly, too.  It didn't stir any great sense of nostalgia, per say, but quite a few times I found myself laughing out loud, and then I realized that is exactly what The Muppets always aimed to do anyway.  According to Walter, a new Muppet introduced here, laughter is the third greatest gift in the world.

I'm not sure younger generations have the familiarity with The Muppets that I had as a kid so their relevance has more or less faded throughout the years.  One of the wisest choices of "The Muppets" is that it acknowledges this fact within the first few minutes.  That fact is sort of the driving force behind the whole plot, and the reason for the movie being made at all.  The story couldn't be simpler.  Gary (Jason Segel) is the big brother, or maybe twin, of Walter (voiced by Peter Linz), who is a Muppet.  Never mind that Gary is a human, I didn't take much time to wonder how these two are siblings; the relationship is strangely convincing.  Gary and his long-time girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) are about to travel to L.A to celebrate a ten year anniversary.  Since Walter has been an avid fan of The Muppets for years, Gary figures Walter should come along and tour the long-abandoned Muppets' studio.  Here Walter finds a snarly oil tycoon named Tex Richman (snicker) played by a never-better Chris Cooper.  Tex's plan is to wait out the expiration of the dusty ole' Muppet studios contract so that he can tear it down and drill for oil!  Walter is frightened into convincing Gary that they must assemble the Muppets for a show once again so they can earn the 10 million required to save the studio.

That's about it.  All the details are delivered every few moments in hilarious expository dialogue.  One of the pleasures here is that all the "Muppets" motion pictures have invited the audience in by acknowledging their presence.  Here is glorious proof that a fun family movie need not be offered in 3D to violate the fourth wall and have a good time with the viewers.  "The Muppets" has been written by Jason Segel, himself a long-time Muppets fan.  The writing has a crisp simplicity that doesn't condescend.  It functions to merely side-step the need of staying focused on the finer details so that the Muppets can get to having a lot of fun.  They all still look great and the gang's all here; Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Animal, Fozie Bear, and my personal favorites, Bunsen and Beaker.  As directed by James Bobin, the movie is a musical extravaganza, well choreographed and full of the energy you would expect from Jim Henson's beloved creations.

Considering its many joys, I'm not convinced "The Muppets" is entirely successful.  Disney has done a wonderful job here at dusting off the property and given a fresh spin by Segel, it certainly takes an energetic stab at finding new relevance, but there are a few elements that prevent it from fully coming together.  Most of the songs are fairly excellent, but a few wander into awkward territory, such as the middle act duet with Amy Adams and Miss Piggy.  Come to that, "The Muppets" never quite knows what to do with Mary as a character.  I found Gary and Walter's relationship much more intriguing and I thought it would have been more touching if they learned what they needed to learn about themselves from each other.  Another issue is that while this new film mostly handles the Muppets with reverence, there are a few too many fart jokes toward the last act of the movie.  The Muppets never really went there; and when a movie is trying to convince the audience of their timeless relevance, it isn't the best way to leave a lasting impression.

Aside from those few qualms, I couldn't help but grin for most of the proceedings.  "The Muppets" is littered with celebrity cameos that are actually pretty funny.  A few of them are obvious attempts to get a "hey, it's that guy" reaction, but it's still nice to see so many talented people wanting to be involved with the ever-lovable Muppets.  Most of the humor here comes from the utter sincerity of the actors along with the expressive puppet design that has always been a vital aspect of making them fun.  The choreography is actually a great deal more exciting when watching the Muppets strut their stuff, whether through graceful dance numbers or bumbling accidents.  It all gets a laugh.

The energy is pretty high throughout the film's fairly brisk running time of 98 minutes, which makes it a safe bet for kids of all ages.  Here's the kicker though.  While this is certainly a family-friendly entertainment, it is as clear as the Muppet's marquee that this movie is for the people who grew up with these characters.  Where I thought I had outgrown the Muppets, here I was enjoying myself more than at most so-called "kids" movies.  For any adult hesitant to go see "The Muppets" this holiday season, I challenge you to go anyway and pay close attention to the audience within the film at the Muppet's theatre at the end.  How many kids do you see sitting in that audience?  I didn't see any either.  Not a one.