A Welcome Return

“The Muppets” is a great homage to the beloved Jim Henson creations which gained their highest popularity in the 1970’s and 80’s. The great thing about the new film, “The Muppets,” is that it knows that it’s greatest popularity has already been reached. I feel that “The Muppets” is not trying to reestablish popularity in the days of You Tube (which I admit is way cool), Kardashians and so many other means of instant gratification and diversion. “The Muppets” is an almost tear-jerking acknowledgment that Henson’s creations meant a lot to people of a particular generation and that that amount of popularity will never be seen again because times have changed. It is a bit sad, however, throughout the film are reminders of why the Muppets were so successful. They appealed, not only to kids, but also, to parents. The humor in any given episode of The Muppet Show or any of their first three films was always clever and well-written. There was not a sense that Henson and his crew were dumbing anything down for an attention deficient or uneducated audience. I would love for the Muppets to regain the popularity they had when I was a child, however, I believe the sad reality is that our society is not capable of embracing the genius and wit of the Muppets.
“The Muppets” tells the tale of Gary (Jason Segal), his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams) and Gary’s brother, Walter, a new Muppet creation. Walter is a very welcome addition to the Muppet pantheon. Walter is a likeable Muppet. The trio take a trip to Los Angeles to visit Muppet Studios, former home of the Muppets in their halcyon days. Once there, the trio discover that Muppet Studios is abandoned and that only cheapjack tours led by a bored tour guide (Alan Arkin) are available. They seek out Kermit , whom they convince to embark on a cross-country trip to get the Muppets back together so as to put on a telethon to raise the $10 million necessary to save Muppet Studios from the evil Tex Richman (Chris Cooper). Richman wants to tear down Muppet Studios and drill for oil on that land.
There is a nice belt in the face to modern culture in “The Muppets,” as the 2 hour telethon that Kermit and the gang produce to save Muppet Studios from Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), is allowed on the air only because the normally aired episode of Punch Teacher had encountered a snafu. Yes, Punch Teacher. The makers of “The Muppets” get it, meaning that they seem to understand that their film is more of a nostalgia trip than a possible reboot of a franchise. It does help that “The Muppets” is an outstanding film, reminiscent of the original 1979 film, “The Muppet Movie.” There are even some nice homages to that film such as Sweetums chasing after the rest of the Muppet gang at one point and a very nice rendition of “The Rainbow Connection” by Kermit with help from Miss Piggy. I know it may not make much sense to say that “The Muppets” does not aspire to become the next big movie franchise like Harry Potter, Pirates of the Carribean, or Twilight (…..yeah…..), but I did not get that sense from the film. As I have mentioned, “The Muppets” feels more like an appreciation by a group of actors of Jim Henson’s creations. “The Muppets” stars and was co-written by Jason Segal from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and the tv series, “How I Met Your Mother.” It was co-written by Nicholas Stoller, director of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” It seems that the two have collaborated out of obvious love and appreciation for Kermit and his friends. This is another reason why the film does not feel like a rebooting of or the beginning of a film franchise. I think Segal and Stoller simply wanted to create a loving celebration and appreciation of the Muppets. Unless “The Muppets” makes a lot of cash, I would be surprised to see Disney make another Muppet film anytime soon. Of course, in Hollywood, anything is possible. When is The Fall Guy movie coming out, or perhaps a B.J. and the Bear movie? Sheriff Lobo perhaps…..hmmmmm?
I had only a few issues with “The Muppets.” One song about “being alone” performed by Amy Adams in a diner is cringingly bad and I did not care for the name of the evil oil baron being Tex Richman (Cooper). Isn’t the stereotype of the rich asshole from Texas played out by now? I am from Texas and I have never been rich nor an oil baron. More thought could have been put into Chris Cooper’s character, including not calling him “Tex.”
It is obvious that all involved in “The Muppets” share a love for the subjects of the film. I watched Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and the first three Muppet movies frequently as a child. I understand the feelings of nostalgia on display in the film. Unless Jason Segal or someone from Disney tells me otherwise, though, I maintain that “The Muppets” is a grand homage and thank you letter to Jim Henson for his creations and not the beginning of a new set of films. I would be more than happy to be wrong about this though. As long as any future Muppet movies are as good as this one, I kind of hope there will be more.