THE MUPPETS (2011)

Genre: Comedy/Family
Director: James Bobin
Cast: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Walter, Zach Galifianakis, Selena Gomez, Neil Patrick Harris, Emily Blunt, Mila Kunis, Ed Helms
RunTime: 1 hr 49 mins
Released By:  Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.disney.com/muppets

Opening Day: 8 December 2011

Synopsis: On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

Movie Review:

Once you get over the fact that it is possible for a human to have a Muppet brother, then this movie is one hugely entertaining affair.

Because you see, Jason Segel loves the Muppets so much that he decided to write a script with Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller, and have himself play the human protagonist whose Muppet brother helps The Muppets reunite and save their old theatre from a greedy old tycoon. Wait, we take that back. The protagonists in this 98 minute movie aren’t humans – how can we forget Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and the rest of the gang?

Segel and Stoller’s script has The Muppets split up after their once popular TV show stopped running. A depressed Kemit now lives in his own mansion in Hollywood, Gonzo is the owner of a plumbing company named Royal Flush (how in the world did anyone come up with that idea?), Fozzie performs with a shady tribute band called The Moopets, while Miss Piggy is living the life as a fashion editor at Vogue Paris.

Enter Gary (Segel), who has a Muppet brother named Walter (Peter Linz, who has been the voice of “Additional Muppets” in other Jim Henson productions), and both of them are great Muppet fans. Gary brings his girlfriend Mary (the wonderful Amy Adams) to Los Angeles for a romantic getaway and brings Walter along. They discover an evil plot where an oil magnate (the gleefully sinister Chris Cooper) plans to tear down the beloved Muppet Theater and drill underneath for oil. The three then go on a quest to bring The Muppets together to put on a show to raise $10 million to repurchase the theater.

The musical comedy film has a simple plot, and you know it’s not going to disappoint kids with an unhappy ending. And who doesn’t love The Muppets? It doesn’t matter whether you are a fan, because seeing Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo doing their familiar antics (yes, Miss Piggy will punch people off with her famous “hi yah!”, while Gonzo will do his human cannon ball thing) will leave a smile on anyone’s face. What about minor characters like Animal, Sam the Eagle, The Swedish Chef, Statler and Waldorf? We aren’t forgetting the rest of The Muppets whose names we aren’t very sure, but look somewhat familiar. This bunch of puppets is a hoot to fans and new audiences alike.

The humans may not be the focus here, but look out for fun cameo appearances by familiar faces like Alan Arkin, Emily Blunt, Feist, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Neil Patrick Harris, Ken Jeong, Zach Galifianakis and Jack Black as an abducted celebrity.

The musical numbers are wholesomely fun – from new songs like “Life’s a Happy Song”, “Pictures in My Head” and “Man or Muppet”, to familiar tunes like “Mahna Mahna”, “Rainbow Connection” and the beloved “The Muppet Show Theme”, which will have you reminiscing the old days (if you grew up watching them on TV).

It also helps that the James Bobin directed movie boasts of some very clever and truly funny moments. Take for example how the gang introduces the muppets in “montage” style, and how they travel across the world “by map”. You could see this coming with the hilarious publicity online stunt involving parody trailers (The Pig with the Froggy tattoo, anyone?) the movie had leading up to its opening.

That said, there are also some very heartfelt moments which tug at your heartstrings. You will want to celebrate the Muppet spirit, one that is always, for the lack of a better word, happy.

Movie Rating:

(A truly funny and heartwarming movie which celebrates the Muppet legacy in a cleverly charming way)

Review by John Li