Review: The Muppets

[Editor's note] Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not easily impressed. Whether it's food, fellas, or films-- I tend to expect more than most. Call it a penchant for snobbery or an affinity for the finer things in life. Either way I just happen to know what I like. This being my modus operandi, you can imagine how trepidatiously I approach revamps of established franchises of my childhood.

Enter The Muppets, by way of Jason Segel.

Admittedly, when I first heard Mr. Segel was going to spearhead the Muppet return (see Norma Desmond's policy on comebacks), I was a little apprehensive. When I heard that they were creating a new Muppet just for the film, I was scared. And when I heard it was going to have musical numbers, I cringed at the thought of Jason Segel singing. But then I heard that Amy Adams was going to co-star and all was put right in the world. Having seen The Muppets on Thanksgiving night I can confidently say that Segel and Adams did well by the 'ol Muppet gang. Really, really well.

The Muppets channeled all the charm, personality, and fun of the Muppet Show. It was campy and silly and a little bit cheesy but all in good Muppet taste. Something I'm sure Waldorf and Statler didn't like one bit. But I thought it had heart and a pitch-perfect nostalgic vibe. It had fabulous musical numbers, great throw-back montages, and a few little gems thrown in for the Muppet aficionados (i.e. the Standard Rich and Famous contract of the first Muppet movie).

And yet, this film felt fresh and relevant. That is perhaps where Segel and company succeeded the most brilliantly. They didn't pander to the die-hards or go overboard (see: the catastrophe that was the Muppets Wizard of Oz). They built something new and exciting on a foundation of tradition. It had an old world flare with a modern-day spin. To that end, The Muppets gives you the best of the Muppets. Fozzie was funny, Gonzo the Great was weird, Piggy was fierce, and Kermit was the moral compass by which we all navigated the formative years of our childhoods.

Simply put, this was a Muppet movie done for Muppet fans by a Muppet fan. My hat's off to Jason Segel.