The Muppets (2012)

The Muppets gets a brilliant revival from director James Bobin and screenwriters Jason Segel (who also stars) and Nicholas Stoller who have re-energised a dormant franchise. The whole gang returns, which is plenty of cause for celebration.  With this story about a major showbiz comeback for Kermit, Fozzie bear, Miss Piggy and the rest, the filmmakers have smartly created a new Muppet character named Walter whose heart and soul drives this film – and indeed the whole franchise – forward.

This slight but thoroughly enjoyable family flick is, as they say, a film for all ages. No matter whom you’re taking to the cinemas.  Hell, even if you decide to go on your own, you can’t go wrong with this one.  James Bobin’s modest reinvention of the Muppet franchise blends the low-tech puppeterring style of the late Jim Henson with some tremendously fun old-school song and dance numbers.  It moves along episodically from one stage to the next - and captures the spirit of Henson’s Muppet show admirably, meaning that its core audience are probably adults in there 20’s and 30’s, but it’ll also be terrific for little children and grandparents.

As plots go, it’s the same as most reunion films you’ve seen before. And it’s when the group start re-forming that one thing becomes clear: The Muppets may not have been away for as long as you think, but it’s certainly a long time since we’ve seen them being funny in the way they were in the original Jim Henson TV show. The film’s that followed Henson’s death, even the utterly brilliant The Muppets Christmas Carol, attached the group’s weirdness to existing stories. The beauty of the latest film is this: They’re allowed to be weird and crazy in their own way, and not follow a particular narrative.

Segel clearly has a passion to drive this reboot forward – he even included his love for the Muppets in comedy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). He took the concept to Disney, which certainly was looking for a new take on the franchise that went missing for nearly ten years, but his and Stoller’s vision won the day and so does this joyous and hilarious movie. Starting out with a sweet toe-tapper , “Life’s a Happy song”, sung by Gary (Segel) and his Mupper brother Walter, the pair vacation to Hollywood’s with Gary’s long-term girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) where Walter feeds his obsession with all things The Muppets by visiting their famous studio. But when they get there, they discover the place has gone way down hill and The Muppets have gone out of business. On top of all that, an evil Texas oilman (Chris Cooper) plots to bulldoze the site so he can dig for oil. Walter and Gary decide to help The Muppets raise enough money so they can but the studio back. So after enlisting Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo, they now have to put on one last show to save The Muppet studio.

Segel and especially Adams make an adorable leading pair and the mild self-mockery of the whole enterprise is very much in the Henson spirit of old. There’s also Celebrity cameos, too  many to mention all here, but some include Jack Black as a rage counsellor, Emily Blunt as Miss Piggy’s receptionist (reprising her role from Devil Wear Prada?) Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Silverman, Selena Gomez and Alan Arkin just to name a few of them.

Make no mistake, the kids may enjoy it, but this film was made purposely for grown-up fans. This is The Muppets as you remember them: Funny and charming.