The Muppets, a Joy

November, 23, 2011 , by Isaac Weeks

From the reception that The Muppets trailers have received since they first hit theaters, you would think Christmas had arrived one month early for everyone over the age of thirty. It seems that everyone has been eagerly anticipating a return to the big screen for these felt ambassadors of feel-good, but are we setting ourselves up for disappointment ala 1999's Muppets from Space?

I would like to think that the folks that actually read my drivel understand that I'm not a huge fan of hyperbole. If I say something is bad, it's bad; I'm not going to say it's the worst thing I've ever watched in my life just to get a rise out of folks. The same goes for good movies. If you are a filmmaker that is talented enough to entertain me for two hours, I'll give you your due, but I'm not going to shout, "Best Picture of the year," from the rooftops for making me chuckle the right number of times. All of this is to say that I have not sat in an audience that was as full of sheer joy, this writer included, as during the screening I attended of The Muppets.

The film is the story of Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter, best friends since childhood. While Gary and his longtime girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) are human, Walter isn't, and that reality is starting to have a more negative impact on his life. While the three are visiting the dilapidated Muppet Theater in Los Angeles, they overhear evil oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) place a bid for the property in an attempt to extract the crude buried underneath. The threesome approach Kermit the Frog with a plan to reunite all of the former members of The Muppet Show for a one night reunion/telethon in order to raise the money needed to save the theater.

Director James Bobin (Flight of the Conchords) has helped craft one of the finest musicals to grace movie screens in years with The Muppets. While the film does have it's fair share of jukebox music numbers, the movie is almost wall to wall original material, with not a one of them a dud. From the very beginning of the film, when Gary and Walter break into song while walking through Smalltown, USA, followed shortly thereafter by Adams hamming it up singing a ballad through a "rain" soaked window, you know that these are talented folks that have an appreciation for the art of the movie musical.

Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) is sure to bring some of his trademark melancholy to the script as well. When Kermit reunites with Fonzie at a rundown motel in Reno, the puppets suddenly look a few years older than they did just a few frames earlier. Kermit's guilt at leaving his old friend to fend for himself is palpable. It seems that every member of the old troupe joins up out of a sense of chasing immortality once again more than out of any other real obligation.

I was actually sad when the end credits rolled on this film, and I couldn't tell you the last time that has happened. The filmmakers have given us a true holiday gift with The Muppets. Now if only Disney would announce the return of The Muppet Show.