There are certain experiences in life that are quite difficult to convey to someone who was not actually there. They can be things you’ve seen, things you’ve lived through, or feelings you’ve experienced. This most definitely extends to popular culture as well. Nobody alive at the time could possibly convey in words the complete experience of seeing the Beatles live, or watching Star Wars on its original release.
And so it is that it is very difficult to describe, using the written word alone, just how big a deal The Muppets were in their heyday. The original run of the show went from 1975 to 1981, but thanks to repeat, syndication and movies, the incredible influence of Jim Henson’s creations drove on for at least another 15 years after that. Indeed, it was only the double blow of Henson’s death in 1990 and the meteoric rise of The Simpsons that finally led to the viewing public losing their Muppet fever.
But that was a long time ago, it’s been 12 years since Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest graced cinema screens in the underwhelming Muppets From Space, so the question has to be asked, have they still got it? In the age of Pixar, can old-school puppet based comedy still grab audiences and be relevant? Let’s find out
The story centres around Gary (Jason Segel) a completely human adult male whose brother Walter just happens to be a Muppet. This is clearly the norm in this universe, because rather than being carted off for experimentation or posed awkward questions about y’know the birth, Gary and Walter grow up quite happily together on a diet of TV dinners and The Muppet Show, with Walter in particular becoming the show’s biggest fan. During a vacation in LA, Walter discovers the plot of evil oil magnate Tex Richman, who’s out to destroy The Muppets’ old theatre so he can drill for oil then, and so he, along with Gary and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) set out to reunite the legendary gang of entertainers and save the theatre.
You’d be right to think “So far, so standard, but to do so with any negativity would be to misunderstand the concept of The Muppets since their origin. Henson’s genius in creating the original TV show was to take something very hackneyed and outdated (in the original show’s case, the music-hall/variety show concept) and embrace those cheesy ideas with gusto, and the same applies here. All the ideas are clichés getting the old gang back together for one last show, saving the sentimental location from money grabbing schemers, etc but it’s executed with such knowing, self-referential aplomb that the audience is immediately in on the joke and along for the ride.
Some credit for this has to go to Jason Segel himself, not only as a fine comic performer but as the c-writer of the script. One of the criticisms of the Muppets more recent TV escapades (A Very Muppet Christmas and the disastrous Muppets Wizard of Oz) has been the over-reliance on current pop-culture humour, but here Segel strikes a fine balance between the slick comedic style of the new millennium and the retro slapstickery and visual gags that made the Muppets so appealing in the first place.
On the human side of things, Chris Cooper cuts an amusing villain (although perhaps he should steer clear of rapping from now on) and Amy Adams is solid, if slightly underused, given the musical nature of the piece and her previous storming performance in 2007’s Enchanted. As for the Muppets, well they’re The Muppets, each an amazingly well realised character with more personality than a great deal of performers in cinema who aren’t operated by hand. Those concerned that new arrival Walter might upset the balance needn’t fret; he fits in nicely, an unassuming and quite dignified soul in contrast to the wackiness of the regulars.
Brett McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords is the man entrusted with the always vital task of great music in a Muppets movie, and for the most part he gets it dead on. There are a couple of slips, notably the slightly cringey Amy Adams/Miss Piggy duet “Me Party and the aforementioned Chris Cooper rap, but Man or Muppet is superb, well worthy of its Academy Award nomination, and the all-chicken version of a recent hit will be stuck in your head for days afterwards.
The Muppets Movie, far from being a rehash of a tired format, is a reboot in the best possible way. It successfully marries old and new, retro and modern, and throws some good old fashioned laughs in for good measure. It doesn’t quite measure up to the finest moments of the TV show or the classic that is Muppets Christmas Carol, but even from the most cynical perspective, it’s hard to see how they could have done much better.
Overall Verdict: It’s like they never left. If you like the Muppets, you’re in for one of the most enjoyable cinema experiences you’ll have this year. If you don’t like the Muppets, well firstly check for a pulse, but don’t write this off, it’s unpretentious fun at its very best and proves that after 35 years the Muppets are still a phenomenon doo doo dee doo doo and so forth.
Reviewer: Alex Hall