It’s not easy being green in the Muppets‘ new adventure. Written by, and starring long-time fan Jason Segel, this film takes the meta-textual route for the first time since The Muppet Movie (1979). Instead of inserting the Muppets into existing stories (or space), here they are very much part of our modern world. But is there still a place for them in the age of violence and reality shows?
It’s been years since the last Muppet Show and the gang has dispersed all over the world, all but forgotten by everyone. Everyone except young Walter that is. Walter is a muppet in a human world and watches The Muppet show to come to terms with being different from everyone around him. His dream comes true when his brother Gary (Jason Segel) invites Walter along with him and his fiancée Mary (Amy Adams) to L.A. to go see the old Muppet Theatre. When they get there however, they find the theatre is only a shadow of its former self, a neglected ruin. By chance, Walter happens to hear a conversation between the new owner, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) and his cronies about how he intends to tear down the theatre and drill for oil. Gary, Mary and Walter immediately set off to gather the Muppets together to save the theatre using the old musical-theatre trope “Hey, let’s put on a show!”.
Cue an entertaining sequence where we get to see what the various Muppets have been up to since we last saw them. Needless to say they haven’t all been great (apart from Gonzo, who’s done very well for himself in the plumbing business). After the obligatory montage and a *wink wink* “travel by map” all the Muppets are gathered and ready to go. They’ve only got two problems: A) Nobody wants their show and B) They are really out of practise. They finally get a break from a young TV executive (Rashida Jones) and have two days to put on a show that will raise $10 million to save the theatre. Will they pull it off? I won’t spoil it for you but it sure is fun to watch them try.
The star of the film is undoubtedly Kermit. It is amazing how much emotion you can show with green felt (although his behaviour towards the fairer, erm…pig, sometimes leaves a lot to be desired) and he’s as charming as ever. Miss Piggy is the fabulous diva she’s always been and poor Fozzie the Bear is still the world’s worst comedian. In fact, the gang’s all here and all the same so there should be something for everyone, whether your favorite is Animal or the Swedish Chef. New muppet Walter is a nice addition and balances out some of the craziness with his sweet and optimistic nature.
The human actors don’t fare as well though. Amy Adams is sweet as the long-suffering Mary who’s had to live with Walter being the third wheel in her relationship with Gary. But she’s not given much to work with other than being the foil for Gary’s identity crisis. Jason Segel plays Gary. As previously mentioned he’s a long-term fan, and at times he seems to lose himself in fanboy admiration and forget that he’s also acting in a film. He’s built a career as the lovable loser but here he’s sometimes just too sickly sweet and it can come off as insincere. Chris Cooper chews scenery like he hasn’t been fed for months and Rashida Jones has fun playing against type as the high-strung executive. Various celebrity cameos range from the good (hi NPH!) to the very bad (why is Jack Black still a thing?).
Most of the film’s songs are written by Flight of the Conchords‘ Bret McKenzie and wouldn’t be out-of-place in the duo’s show. They’re clever and catchy but non-diagetic and therefore don’t necessarily always click with what’s going on in the narrative. Chris Cooper’s rap is a good example of this (why, oh why must Hollywood persist in thinking middle-aged, white men rapping is funny?) And maybe it was just the print I saw, but the dubbing of the human parts of the songs was really out of sync.
Despite these minor gripes the film retains that old Muppet magic, with something for the older fans (the next-to last act of the show almost brought me to tears) and new fans alike. It grapples with some age-old issues of identity, belonging and growing up but does so without forcing it down your throat.
Final Verdict: A film for all the family to enjoy, this isn’t ‘The Muppets Gone Cynical’. They’re as sweet as ever and you can’t help but leave the cinema with a smile. They’re back!
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