Review: The Muppets (2011)

(Originally reviewed in 2012)

There’s a point in this film when villain Tex Richman tells The Muppets that they don’t belong in this hard cynical world. He’s half-right, this is a hard cynical world but there is place for The Muppets. This is the very definition of Family Friendly, it’s light enough for the kids to enjoy and yet its humour isn’t so light that adults find it boring, it’s very self-referential and forth-wall breaking that kids will find funny but adults will understand and find funnier. The film reaches all ages, even the hard cynical teens like myself. The Muppets are something rare in modern cinema, it’s a film that has no depressing moments it’s just so upbeat and happy almost all the time with only a few sad moments to bring the audience down just before bringing them right back up again. Right from the start the story shows Walter, a Muppet that’s never fitted in with his human life, it’s a common story about not fitting it but it works. Straight after this opening the film bursts into song with the sun-filled ‘Life’s A Happy Song’ and the screen bursts into colours and dancing and you can’t help smiling.

Everyone does great in their parts, The Muppets are just as brilliant as they were decades ago although some of them could’ve had bigger parts - Sam The Eagle got one great line and part of a song and we got practically nothing from Rizzo – and the human actors played their roles well, Jason Segel’s Gary is suitable kind and helpful but this leads to problems as he can’t help his brother Walter and his girlfriend Mary at the same time. Amy Adams may come off as whiny in the character of Mary but she’s just so damn adorable in this film that you don’t hold it against her. Seriously it is impossible to come out of this film without falling in love with her. If I have one complaint it’s that Gary and Mary’s relationship isn’t as fleshed out as it could’ve been. Chris cooper shows a pretty good comedic side as Oil Baron Tex Richman, saying ‘Maniacal Laugh’ instead of laughing is great and his surprise burst into rap was shockingly brilliant. Even Jack Black puts in a good turn as himself being kidnapped by The Muppets and being forced to host the show.

The songs are all fantastically used, from the originals like ‘Life’s A Happy Song’ and ‘Man Or Muppet’ – really wasn’t expecting Sheldon to pop up as human Walter – to covers like the barber shop version of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and the chickens singing ‘Forget You’ or ‘Cluck You’ as I like to call it, everyone fits in with the scene they’re in. Where The Muppets shine is that they can show you a musical and yet you never know you’re watching a musical, that’s the happiness it’s able to bring to the screen.

Overall this is a perfect film to cheer you up and given all the shit people go through these days that’s something to be celebrated. Any small flaws can be overlooked because it’s The Muppets, how can you criticize them?

8/10