Chirpy songs and knockabout humour abound ? but there's a real sense of sadness at the core of this Muppets reboot
There's something charmingly relentless about the Muppets' resilience. Animal doesn't need a reason to drum; Gonzo can't stop throwing himself at danger; Kermit ? the only one of Jim Henson's creations with any time for introspection ? never gives up on his troupe, no matter how bad their act gets. It doesn't matter if no one is watching, as long as the show goes on.
It's on this sense of boundless optimism (and with a lot of faith in nostalgia) that co-writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller peg this revamp of the franchise, which arrives 12 years after the Muppet's last cinematic outing. Their film comes right out and says it: The Muppets are nobodies now. The world's moved on, the group's disbanded. Kermit is hidden away in his Beverly Hills condo, Miss Piggy has wiggled into the editor's chair at Paris Vogue, hopeless stand-up Fozzie Bear works a Reno bar as part of a shoddy Muppets tribute act, the Moopets. Their old theatre is to be demolished by an evil oil baron (Chris Cooper) and no one ? least of all the Muppets themselves ? seems to care.
It's left to the fans ? represented here by a Muppet called Walter (Peter Linz) and his human brother Gary (Segel) ? to foil Richman's plan and save the Muppet legacy. Their plan: to hit the road and use their love of a TV show that was popular over 30 years ago to convince Kermit and co to reunite for a benefit gig to save the theatre.
The film is packed with chirpy songs (for which music supervisor Bret McKenzie ? of Flight of the Conchords fame ? has been Oscar-nominated) and knockabout humour, delivered with flair by Segal and his co-star Amy Adams (perhaps underused) as Gary's placid girlfriend. It's never cloying or too knowing. Cynicism and wariness are real world concerns that have no place among the foam and felt.
You might think that James Bobin's movie takes the Muppets' relevance for granted ? but underneath the enforced jollity there's a real sense of sadness. There are some fun cameos ? including brief turns from Emily Blunt as Piggy's secretary (a wink to her role in The Devil Wears Prada) and Kristen Schaal as Animal's anger management therapist. Even if there's no George Clooney or Matt Damon (both rumoured to be on board when the script was leaked in 2010) to give the unassuming troupe the sparkle they received from the likes of Julie Christie and Liza Minellli back in the day, it doesn't matter.
Jack Black turns out to be the film's biggest star name ? and it's entirely appropriate that he appears midway as Animal's sponsor, refusing the Muppets' offer to host their final show and only appears on stage when kidnapped and tied to a chair. The ropes go on, they play the music, light the lights, totally oblivious to his screams of protest. The Muppets boundless enthusiasm carries them stubbornly on, and if times have changed, they're refusing to acknowledge it. Life's a happy song, as the film's big musical number testifies. Sing it loud enough to drown out the doubters.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jan/26/the-muppets-film-review
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