The Muppets

Impressions before seeing it
I'm not necessarily a Muppets fan, but I'm not not a Muppets fan. I mean I sort of grew up with them, like most people who were around in the 90's or earlier, but I wasn't completely absorbed in them. What interested me is that Jason Segel co-wrote it with the director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and I subsequently heard it described as one of the greatest pieces of fan fiction ever made. Plus, just look at that poster!

How was it?
This turned out to be one of the warmest, sunniest, most loving movies I've ever seen. It was very clearly made out of much love, respect, and awe for the Muppet characters, and frankly any movie that is made out of love and not just for money is a rare thing. Segel and Adams play such cheery, wholesome characters (but not annoyingly so) that it's hard not to get caught up in their enthusiasm even if some of the actual Muppet characters (especially Kermit) are radiating undertones of sadness. This movie had me smiling a lot, occasionally from the humour but mostly out of sheer charm.

The plot was nothing close to new, but what made it work was its clever metafictional references to the Muppets franchise. New puppet Walter may play Segel's brother in the movie, but as he idolizes and then becomes a part of the Muppets, it seems that he is actually Segel's on-screen persona, as his journey reflects Segel's crafting of the script from a fan's standpoint and then joining the characters that he, too, grew up loving in the filming of this movie. The story itself muses on the dwindling popularity of the Muppets after being out of the spotlight so long (which is not entirely true, although my understanding is that the last several movies were movies starring the Muppets rather than movies about the Muppets), and Walter - again, like Segel - is the one who brings the old gang back together to put on a variety show telethon to save the franchise. All of the behind-the-scenes preparation for the big show, and especially the build-up to a duet between Kermit and Miss Piggy, reminded me of A Mighty Wind, which is not bad because I love that movie as well, and I think they share a similar sentimentality for their respective subject matter. I did think a couple of the musical numbers felt...awkward, maybe, but my taste in music is sporadic anyway so what do I know? Two bonuses: first, there are a number of fun surprise cameos, all of whom can be seen again during the end credits chipping in to the famous "Manamana" song, and second, seeing the movie in theaters treats you to a Toy Story short before the movie.

Recommendation
This is a great one to bring kids to, because it's something the whole family can enjoy and not one of those eye-rollingly bad kids movies that only children could like. But if you have any positive feelings at all toward the Muppets, it's pretty much a must-see. You're not going to find better fan service than this, and I know this is a cliche line, but The Muppets is so satisfying that it may be "the feel-good movie of the year."