It’s Time to Meet the Muppets…

If you were to go diving through some of my old stuffed animals, you will find a Miss Piggy plush. And probably my old Kermit one as well, which was handed down from a cousin. I watched the Muppet Babies as a child. One of my favorite tapes was a collection of various Muppet Show episodes. I knew who Alice Cooper was at the age of 5 because of that tape. A friend and I once spent a good chunk of an AIM conversation IM-ing quotes from “A Muppet Christmas Carol” to each other. My mother loves Pepe the King Prawn while both my sister and I own shirts that have Waldorf and Statler on them.

So when it was announced there was a Muppet movie coming to theaters, there was much rejoicing in my household. And then we found it was opening around Thanksgiving. And we knew what our Black Friday movie choice was.

We weren’t disappointed.

So, someday we’ll find it, the Rainbow Connection, the lovers, the dreamers and the SPOILERS!

(I’ll actually try to keep them to a minimum though)


When they arrive in LA, they go to Muppet Studios—Walter’s lifelong dream. However the Studio’s glory days are long behind it. Walter ditches the tour guide (Alan Arkin, a part of a long line of celebrity cameos) and sneaks into Kermit’s old office. There he overhears a deal where Waldorf and Statler reveal that the Muppets will lose their property due to a clause in the Rich and Famous contract they signed in the The Muppet Movie. Businessman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) offers to buy the place to turn it into a Muppet museum. When the hecklers leave, Richman reveals that he’s going to tear everything down and dig for oil. Horrified, Walter runs and tells Gary and Mary.

The three decide to go find Kermit and tell him the problem. He is disheartened by the news and isn’t sure how he can help. They suggest putting on a show to raise the money. Kermit isn’t too optimistic—it’s been years since the old gang saw each other. But the ghosts of the past encourage him to try and the four set out on the road with Kermit’s 80’s robot. They find Fozzie performing with a Muppets tribute band (The Moopets) in Reno and it takes little cajoling to get him to sign on. They then move on to Gonzo, a plumbing magnate. It takes more time, but he agrees to go as well.

By way of montage, the rest of the gang is found—including Animal in an anger management group with Jack Black. All except Miss Piggy. The gang tracks her down in Paris, where she is the editor of French Vogue. (Note Emily Blunt’s cameo, in a nice nod to her role in The Devil Wears Prada). She is disinclined to join them due to a rather bad breakup between her and Kermit. She also protests that she has a life in Paris that she can’t leave. And so the Muppets leave without her.

They next approach several networks to ask for some airtime. They all say no. One exec, Veronica (Rashida Jones), explains that the Muppets aren’t popular anymore. But when space opens up on her schedule, she has no choice but to give it to the Muppets. She only has one condition: They must find a celebrity host.

Hopes renewed, the gang—plus Walter, Mary and Gary—fix up the theater and start to rehearse their gigs. Kermit invites Walter to join them on stage, though Walter doesn’t think he has a talent. While he tries to find his talent, Kermit tries to find a celebrity host. However, it’s been a while since he’s updated his Rolodex. They decide to just ask Tex for the studios back, but he refuses and reveals that the gang will also lose their name as well. Kermit is ready to throw in the towel, but a returned Miss Piggy leads the group into kidnapping Jack Black. The show goes on.

Meanwhile, Mary feels abandoned and leaves. Gary then has to determine where his place is as does Walter while the show begins.

Before I continue with the review, I want to address something else. When Disney first started, cartoons were only shown as shorts before the main feature at movie theaters. And Disney has continued the tradition, pairing “The Muppets” with the Pixar short “Small Fry.” It’s set in the Toy Story universe, following Toy Story 3. During a trip to a fast food joint, Buzz is left behind in the ball pit while a kid’s meal display toy takes his place with Rex being none-the-wiser. However the other toys aren’t fooled. They try to figure out a way to save Buzz. Meanwhile, Buzz is trying to get out. But the other discarded kid’s meal toys stop him, thinking he is one of them. They take him to their support group, led by a mermaid voiced by Jane Lynch. The short was delightful, though not much put out from Pixar isn’t. It was smartly written and answered an old question—what did ever happen to the kid’s meal toys of our childhood? And Jane Lynch is always great.

Now back to “The Muppets.” This movie has been praised to high heaven. And rightly so. But why? Is the story necessarily new? Not really. It’s in most part a callback to “The Muppet Movie.” But it’s a new twist to the movie. I really liked the montage where they gathered the gang. But the plot was needed. Especially since the Muppets have been off the radar for a while. There’s a generation who doesn’t know who these characters are. This is a good introduction.

Do I have any nitpicks? Of course, but it goes to the quality of the production that I’m going to the itty-bitty details. The movie never goes into why Kermit and Piggy broke up. There are hints—both carrying a torn picture from the wedding scene in “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” Miss Piggy wants Kermit to say that he needs her, etc. So while it seems commitment issues played a part, it’s never clearly stated. Perhaps that’s all that could be done in a family film, perhaps it’s being held for any possible sequels. Who knows? The other nitpick is why Richman was able to throw them out of the theater. The theater was not part of the Rich and Famous contract in the first movie. Skeeter’s uncle owned the theater and gave it to the Muppets. So how would Richman get it?

As for the human actors, Segel and Adams are always delightful. I do wish we had seen more of Adams, but as Mary kept getting the shaft, so did her portrayer. Segel plays these man-child characters with so much heart, almost like Marshall on “How I Met Your Mother.” I loved the bond he had with Walter—talk about a co-dependent relationship. This is both their coming-of-age story. Chris Cooper was just so over the top as a villain it was brilliant. It was like the director told him that subtlety doesn’t exist. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t in the Muppets’ world. I loved the fact he couldn’t laugh and had to say “Maniacal laugh” instead.

The songs in the movie are great. From the opening song to the obligatory version of “Rainbow Connection,” each song is a delight. I read many a review highlighting the barbershop quartet version of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” I would highlight Camilla the Chicken’s version of Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You.” The ending song is a delight, but I won’t tell you what it is.

Humor is derived from pop culture references, sight gags and fourth wall jokes. Those are expected in any Muppet movie. Aside from the fact that Gonzo becomes a plumbing magnate, there is little by way of toilet humor. There is also no cussing. So the entire family can enjoy it!

Welcome back, Muppets. You’ve been missed. “The Muppets” tells the story of Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter, who is a Muppet. He grows up feeling different, especially as Gary gets taller. But then Walter discovers “The Muppet Show” and becomes a fanatic. He grows up loving The Muppets and remaining with his brother, Gary. One day, Gary surprised Walter with a bus ticket to LA. Of course, he’s going along with Gary and his girlfriend of ten years (!), Mary, on their anniversary trip. Mary (Amy Adams) is less-than-thrilled about this.