It’s been 12 years since the Muppets were last seen on the big screen, and apparently many people have forgotten all about the puppeteered music and comedy numbers that once made The Muppet Show a hit for children and adults alike in the late ’70s and early ’80s. At least that’s the case in The Muppets, the new movie that is (thankfully) not a revamping of any kind and mirrors reality in a slightly more surreal version of a world that has not seen the Muppets in all these years.
Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire), Mary (Amy Adams), Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (Peter Linz) invite Rowlf the Dog (Bill Barretta) to rejoin the gang in “The Muppets.” Photo by Patrick Wymore
Their recent appearance on WWE Raw (and other promotional ploys) notwithstanding, it’s entirely plausible that there’s an entire generation or two that has completely missed out on the madcap mayhem that the Muppets were once known for. But in The Muppets, Gary (Jason Segel) is a small-town goodie-goodie who grew up watching The Muppet Show and continues watching old episodes with his little brother Walter (Peter Linz) into adulthood. Despite their lifelong brotherly bond, Walter, being a Muppet and all, is clearly adopted or something, which explains his undying fascination with the Muppets he watches on TV.
When Gary and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) plan a romantic getaway to Los Angeles, Gary can’t help but let Walter tag along so they can visit the old Muppet Theater together. But it appears that that old Muppet magic is long gone as all the historic Muppet landmarks have fallen into disrepair and not a single Muppet is anywhere in sight. And when Walter unwittingly uncovers a plot to tear it all down so oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) can drill for oil, the news is so devastating to his innocent little mind that he vows to track down the old Muppet gang and stage a telethon to save the theater and get the show back on the air.
Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) and his henchmen, Uncle Deadly (Matt Vogel) and Bobo the Bear (Bill Barretta). Photo by Scott Garfield
From there, it’s one satirical song-and-dance number after another as the trio teams up with Kermit to drive cross country (and, in Miss Piggy‘s case, they even find a way to drive a station wagon to Paris) to track down the old gang and try to get them back together again. In keeping with Muppet tradition, the adventure is filled with celebrity cameos including Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters (as Animohl, the drummer for a Muppet tribute band called the Moopets), Jack Black (who is in an anger management program with the real Animal), Selena Gomez, Whoopi Goldberg, Mickey Rooney and Zach Galifianakis as a hobo.
As the Muppets rally more and more support, it appears that they just might overcome the odds and save the theater from the tyranical Tex, a hapless villain played to the hilarious hilt by Cooper, who even breaks out into a hip-hop number at one point. Once the Muppet gang is back together, everything seems to fall into place despite minimal rehearsal, ramshackle planning and other setbacks.
The Muppet gang is back in “The Muppets.” Photo by Scott Garfield
In the end, life lessons are learned, relationships are mended and the Muppets (as well as the rest of the world) realize that they are meant to be together. Whether or not the theater is saved becomes almost inconsequential, and it seems that the unique satire and cleverness of the Muppets is here to stay. Let’s just hope that such a fantasy carries over to the real world, because even those who are just being introduced to the silliniess of the Muppets will likely agree that the pop culture landscape is a better place with Jim Henson‘s felt-and-fur covered guys around.
The Muppets. Directed by James Bobin. Starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and the Muppets. Rated PG. www.disney.com/muppets.
Review by Jonathan Williams