Review #329: 'The Muppets' (2011)

I have previously written about the Muppet 'franchise' when discussing the last great Muppet movie (The Great Muppet Caper (1981)). I had stated the brilliance of the late Jim Henson who began this visual plethora of beautiful characters. At a later stage I will be writing something more personal and fundamentally reflexive of his career, but at this point I will simply comment on this particular film that attempts to combine the love of a new audience with the more ferrel likes of it's original fans.

Since 1984's The Muppets Take Manhattan, the film career of the Muppet's has taken a very slow decline. OK, so the Christmas Carol adaptation was genuinely brilliant (adequately emphasised by repeat Christmas broadcasting), but subsequent films have been incredibly questionable. So after about 12 years in obscurity, the Muppets seem to make a comeback? Well, possibly. It was an absolute joy when I discovered that Nicholas Stoller and Bret McKenzie (of Flight of the Conchords fame) were advertised as being involved. This film, it would seem, would be a film fundamentally aimed at the people that were originally influenced by the band of felt characters.

The story of an oil tycoon, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), who wants to overtake the Muppet studios, due to an apparent oil flow under said ground, is a very obvious choice of story arc in the cannon of Muppet movies. This was unfortunately an apparently contentious issue with the always level-headed Fox News (sic). (As a side-line they stated that this film was communist in it's ideological stance - cause it didn't show an evil Obama administration - check the webosphere if you think I'm making this shit up!)

The story of the rebranding of the Muppets is fundamental to the full concept of this film. We see motifs taken from the more interesting films of the cannon. Muppet movies are always self-reflexive, and almost always comment on the fact that what is happening is in fact film making! The crux of this particular film hinges on Walter. He is essentially a Muppet, but has been brought up as the brother of Jason Segal's Gary. Walter, essentially represents the generation that this film represents. What the Muppet franchise holds, is something that was not represented through the 1990's (certainly after the death of Jim Henson).

Every element of this film is entirely made for the audience that firstly succumbed to the wonder back in 1976 (as well as previously through Sesame Street). All good Muppet movies are self-reflexive. They are able to transport the viewer to place that transcends their adult life, bringing them back to a place of absolute comfort. Not only does the presence of a character like Animal bring you back to a child-like state, but it also rekindles your concept of values.

With all The Muppets propensity to good, the fact that the film seems to have a cross-over of independent and mainstream ideas makes the film far more interesting than the usual "kiddie" fodder. I'm guessing that only time will tell if the non-computerised Muppets will endure any further beyond their felt restrictions. For my money, I would rather watch 460 minutes of Kermit, rather than 230 minutes of some computer generated frog-monster!


Directed by: James Bobin
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Marc Ivamy