I am an unabashed Muppets fan. I've mentioned my love before and I've been eagerly waiting for this new movie to come out since I first saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall and heard rumors that Jason Segal was in talks to make another Muppet movie. Even then you could see Segal's passion and the potential awesomeness of this project. This was a man who clearly had a fondness for the Muppets. Took a little while, but the proof is in the pudding...or on the screen?
We have not been let down, people.
The Muppets is a blast of carefree innocence, love, happiness and most of all, nostalgia. It's a touching, fun, feel-good flick that brings back some old friends that we never should have grown out of touch with. It's actually hit on in the movie that the Muppets have been left behind or forgotten. And there are questions as to whether they can bring back the magic. Can they all reunite and do it all over again? There's an almost heartbreaking song within the film that is all about this. Which makes the movie somewhat meta because we are all wondering the same thing probably even before going into the theater.
Well the answer is yes, the Muppets still got it.
If I had to sum up the moral/plot of the story it could be as simple as saying that this movie and even the Muppets themselves are up against a wall of cynicism and negativity, which they blast apart with wrecking ball made of positivity and comedy.
It's very refreshing and FUN (I'm going to repeat this at least once).
The musical numbers are excellent and are almost always touching and surprisingly sentimental even when they're funny or just plain FUN (see what I did there?). There's even a fantastic number about being comfortable in your own skin and loving who you are no matter what you are with ideals hinting at dreams of doing anything you want to do or being anything you want to be. It's good, old-fashioned stuff that speaks to all of us no matter how jaded we've become. We've been missing this whether we realized it or not.
And as you'd expect, there are a ton of celebrity cameos. But lest you think that takes away from Kermit and the gang, think again. The focus is entirely front and center on the Muppets. Even the new Muppet, Walter doesn't hinder our old friends. I have to applaud Segal for this. It would've been all too easy for him to take time away from Kermit, Piggy, and Gonzo and overuse Walter's character or even his own and Amy Adams'. It'd be easy to let your ego go out of control here. But he doesn't let this happen, and his clear love and respect for the characters outshines anything he wants to do other than make a great Muppet movie...which this truly is.
I'd prefer not to go too much into the story because it's not really all that important. The gist is that the Muppets have gone their separate ways but in order to keep their old home, the Muppet Studios from being torn down, they have to get back together and raise ten million dollars. See? The plot doesn't matter, what matters is that the Muppets get back together, music and the funny ensues.
The movie revels in glee, joy, and our fondness for old things that can be new once again. It's a revelation and just a lot of FUN.
What else do you need to know? Go see the Muppets, and bring the kids! The next generation's gotta keep this rolling, right? Plus, it's good for them!
9 / 10
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