The gang is back! And thank God for that! As I walked into the theatre I got such a sense of enormous joy and excitement to see what the Muppets can bring, after a nearly ten year absence from pop culture altogether. They've always been there, distilled in numerous films, television shows, and random videos but never were given the chance for a true comeback. I was extremely happy to find out that they did not disappoint. Walter, a Muppet-obsessed Muppet, is dying to visit the old Muppet studios, and finally gets his chance when his best friend Gary (writer Jason Segel) and his girlfriend Mary (a delightful Amy Adams) vacation to Los Angeles. They finally meet Kermit, to Walter's shock, who tells them that the entire Muppet studios is being renovated...but what Kermit doesn't know is that Tex Richman, a meta-name if there ever is one, is planning on tearing down the studios to drill for oil. Unless Kermit and the classic Muppet gang, who have long separated and moved on since their days together, can come up with 1 million dollars, they will lose their beloved studio. So what else to do than put on a show?! The new venture isn't perfect. There needs to be more Muppets...many of the sequences and musical numbers are hardly performed by the crew that the film is titled after! Other problems consist of a lack true Muppet heart...the film feels all too much like a fun nostalgia trip, than a new addition to the Muppets canon. Some characters have been reduced: Rowlfe barely has a personality at all, while Rizzo is there in merely passing glances. But it does a whole lot of things right. It has the zany, cooky energy that the Muppets have lost and an endearing quality is back that has been missing since Jim Henson's death. The simple nature, the meta-awareness, and this film finally brings back the great comedy that the Muppets are capable of. The songs, though short and often forgettable, express a lightheartedness and Amy Adams is just the kind of celebrity who would be a guest host, if the Muppet show were around today. She proves herself Muppet worth in this film for sure, though her character gets shifted at times due to the films lack of focus. To me, this film is great but could have been more, and maybe that's just what will happen. The nostalgia is only nostalgia for those who knew the Muppets, but kids today have no idea who these felt creatures are! As an introduction, the film is lovely. It's heartwarming, and may create a few tears for true Muppet fans...when Kermit begins to sing "The Rainbow Connection," it is a reminder of what the Muppets have always been about: suspending disbelief and keeping the dream alive. They've infiltrated the hearts of America almost like no other since their inception, and judging by the box office reports, I don't think we've seen the last of them. It may not fully capture all the magic of the Muppets in their golden age, but The Muppets a brilliant, hilarious, and positively gleeful time to be shared, and certainly a promise of the greatness to come. B+
Review of The Muppets
