Muppetmania!

Okay, before you go any further, know that I am a Muppet fan. Raised on Sesame Street and later the Muppet Show, these icons have been my compainions since childhood. So when I say that this was the only movie I was looking forward too this season, I want you to know the full weight of my statement. I loved it so much, I went to see it twice. In the same weekend. This weekend. The first time, not to discourage the lovely Miss Jackie Jarnigan, was by far the best. The screening was perfect, the chairs were comfortable, I was with friends. The cool thing was that there was young people ( younger than me) and old people ( 50's and up) and they all found common ground in this movie. I heard more laughing during this than I have heard during the other comedies I have seen. And to all those nay-sayers who say that it will never be equal to the original Muppets, with all due respect to Jim Henson, this may even be BETTER than the original Muppets. The spirit was gleefully preserved, and there were so many celebrity cameos it was like Scene It: Famous People Addition. But you can tell everyone was having a blast. And the Muppets humor was skillfully preserved and withstood the test of time. In fact, a large part of how this movie plays is the idea that the world has moved on from our felt-y friends. It opens with Jason Segal playing Gary, and his brother Walter, a new Muppet. Gary is dating Amy Adams -playing Mary- and the trio decide to go to LA to see the sights, including, natch, Muppet Studios. When they discover that the studio is old and run down, along with oil beneath the land that a greedy Chris Cooper oil baron wants, they reunite the Muppets to put on , as Kermit so umbly puts it, "One Last Show." For students of the Muppet Show, comparisons galore and tounge in cheek tributes to themselves. I love the fact that they break the fourth wall just enough to be funny. We know they are aware of us as movie goers watching, and they know that we know they know that. ( Man, I have always wanted to write something like that). The result is a delightfully witty and funny vehicle to watch. I particualry like when Statler and Waldorf say the following.
Statler: " Well, it also says here that if the Muppets can raise  10 million dollars before this contract expires, they own the studio and the Muppet name."
Waldorf: " Did we just reveal a major plot point to the audience?"
Stalter: " I hope so, maybe half of them will get it!"
Waldorf: " That implies half of them are still awake!"
And the montage effect, when the characters are fully aware of it, is funny as all get out. My favorite moment in the montage was when my ( quite possibly) favorite Muppet, Sam The Eagle, is shown hosting a show called "Everything Sucks" and the crawl reads " Young people... the French...Every other national country." Its a strech, but it works for what we know of Sam the Eagle.
There are only three things I didn't like in this film, but they were of the minor plot points and of reallly no concern whatsoever.
The first is Kermit, but I could not tell that he was voiced by someone other than Jim Henson. It was that perfect. He just seemed a little more ready to give up in previous excursions. I counted three times when Kermit said something like " It can't be done" Kermit never gives up, but if he does, he keeps being cheerful in some way. This one seems just a little sad (der) than usual. But, it adds depth to the character, more than he had, and it is particuarly moving to see him ponder it, shrug, and put on a smile to do the Muppet Show Opening once again. I didn't like how the ending was structured. ( SPOLIER ALERT) For a time, it made it look like Evil had won. Being the Muppets, thats not the case, but still. The words The End flash before the actual end of the movie. To tie up threads, they go into the credits. That it works great is not the point, just a little tickle in the throat of an otherwise healthy and robust movie. I give this movie an A, my highest grade so far... screw it, this once, something can be perfect.

A+



As a Final note, to the enduring power of the Muppets, everyone was singing along in the theater to Rainbow Connection. You can't get that nowadays, and it makes me confident the Muppets will survive long after me.