What is this tomfoolery, you might ask?

Nothing but this.

Epic.

 

"Wow, that was an expensive looking explosion. I can't believe we had that in the budget."

I saw this trailer earlier today when I went to see the new Pirates movie and could not stop laughing.

 

This... this looks awesome.

Oh God, when Kermit popped out, I fucking died. :awesome

 

At first I thought this was a joke troll. And then the announcer's voice hitched on kermit, and suddenly all was great in the world.
I can't stop smiling, I want to see this.

 

That's the best trap I've ever fallen into, that's for sure. So going to see this.

 

I literally said "lol wut" out loud, and immediately clapped a hand over my mouth. Thank God I live alone...

This shall be awesome.

 

And continuing to prove the existence of such benevolence, I bring you this.

Yes, this is real and awesome.

 

I died.

 

From the link in the first post:

So much for that 'benevolent god' theory.

 

Never fear, I have found another version of the first link here.

In fact, I'll do one better and just link this.

 

So, necropost. I don't give a rat's ass, because it came out, and I want to review it.

Short Version: this movie is heartwarming and hilarious, and definitely something you want to see. Help this beat the newest Twilight film ANYWAY YOU CAN.

Long Version...

There is absolutely no shame in loving the Muppets, even at my age. It's like enjoying a Pixar movie - you know there are going to be saccharine, 'kiddy' moments, and you know the musical numbers are going to be silly and a little embarrassing at points, and you know there's going to be a happy ending.

But in the end, you really don't care. Why? Because these kinds of films are something special, something that transcends age and remains something universal, something that everyone can enjoy. The best family movies fall into this category - and make no mistake, The Muppets is the best family movie you're ever going to see this year, period.

Let me begin with a bit of background for those who might not remember or care all too much about this series (you know who you are). The Muppets as a franchise were created in the late seventies by Jim Henson and company, and were distinctive primarily for their smart writing and self-parody. Every Muppet is aware he's a Muppet, and they revel in it. They practically invented the term 'lampshade-hanging', and that was always part of their charm. They were always going to be optimistic and cheery and a little too sweet for the room, but that was part of their gimmick. And they built legendary - legendary - reputations off of that gimmick.

And make no mistake, this was indeed legendary. It may seem hard to believe for all of you jaded folk who don't remember or care about the Muppets (once again, you know exactly who you are), but there was a time (the late seventies/early eighties) when the biggest gig in Hollywood was to be the guest host of the Muppet Show. Their films, when adjusted for inflation, remain some of the highest grossing children's films ever made. Not only were they an institution, they were a group that specialized in writing humour that was accessible to all audiences, and with a good heart along with it.

But now... well, things are different. The movie begins in that idealistic saccharine environment, and just when it begins seriously grating on your nerves (and it kind of does, that first song, going to be honest here), it goes away with the background dancers collapsing with exhaustion. You see, that's the kind of canny self-parody the Muppets excelled in, and it's a good thing to see the writers kept that vaudeville-style in mind when putting this together.

Basically, I'm not going to spoil this movie or any of the cameos (because there are a lot of great ones that you won't see coming and are uproariously funny), but suffice to say it follows the adventures of Jason Segel (who also co-wrote this film), Amy Adams, and Walter (the world's greatest Muppet fan) as they travel to the abandoned Muppet studios. It turns out the contract for the land has been taken by a Evil oil tycoon (although he reads the Economist, so he can't be that evil - note the capital 'E' as well, and it's played that way too) who wants to bulldoze the place and drill for oil. So they have to find Kermit, get the team together, and raise ten million dollars to save the studio and the Muppets name itself.

Yes, the plot is that silly. And yes, every character knows it. And yes, it's all played for laughs, and it's epic. I was concerned Jason Segel wasn't going to do justice to the Henson family's legendary brand of humour, but it turns out I was wrong in the best possible way. And while we're talking about production, there's a ton of things this movie does right in the best possible ways. The colours are bright and cheery (and you don't know how happy this makes me, considering that primary colours seem to be a lost cause these days), the direction is clean and puts everything on display, and the script is very tight, a great spin on the classic Muppet formula in the modern era. As for the music...

Well, this is actually kind of funny for me, because Muppet movies rise and fall on their songs, and let me make this very clear: there are some incredible songs in this musical. However, there's a few songs that just don't work quite as well as you wish they would. Don't get me wrong, the songs are well-written, but the songs don't quite work all the way. And that, I think, ties back to the human characters, and Amy Adams in particular. Jason Segel has thrown everything and anything he's got into this film, and it shows, but Amy Adams just doesn't seem as invested to me. She has one song, midway through the movie, that didn't work at all for me.

But also to be fair, it didn't break this movie for me, and the songs that worked FAR outweighed the ones that didn't, both on the songwriting, instrumental, and humour. And make no mistake: this is the funniest movie you'll see this year. This is funnier than Horrible Bosses, and better yet, this is the kind of humour everyone can enjoy. It's universal, it can be seen and understood by anyone. There's the sillier moments for the kids, and there's the funnier, snarky humour for the adults - in other words, the best type of family movie. And it's a real credit to the script that none of the jokes actually fell that flat to me, which is saying a lot.

But really, as funny and great as this movie is, that's not the real reason why I love this film, because not only is it funny as all hell, it's also got a lot of that heartwarming innocent charm you need to pull off a Muppet movie - because let's face it, if you're going to try and introduce a new group of kids to the Muppets, you need to make them care.

It's here where The Muppets, as a film, really begins to intrigue me and push a lot of good buttons for me, as there is a lot - believe me, a lot - of commentary made about the cynicism and jadedness of modern culture, and how the Muppets come from a more innocent time. There are several scenes where the Muppets' old-fashioned brand of silly humour is outright mocked by everyone, where their relevancy, even to kids, is highly questioned (on a side note, if you're a fan of Community, you're going to LOVE this movie, just saying). The big question is raised: does modern society care, or more importantly, is it even capable of caring?

And yeah, of course the answer is a resounding 'YES', but there's a significant tract of this movie where it really seems like the world HAS left the Muppets behind, which really adds a lot of dramatic weight to the film. You're seeing a group of children's characters, forgotten by their old friends, trying to pull themselves together and realize they indeed might be alone, and might not make it in the modern world. It's probably best illustrated in this film by a number delivered by Kermit early in the film that's incredibly moving, particularly as a fan of the series. It's reminiscent of the best parts of Toy Story 3, if you get what I'm saying.

It also really helps that the Muppets feel like genuine underdogs in this flick compared to, well, everyone. Even despite the cartoonishly Evil villain, it's clear that the real enemy of the Muppets has been time. The Muppets haven't died, but they've been forgotten, losing their relevance in this jaded, cynical world where we all live. It lends a genuine sadness and desperation to the Muppets that you don't get with most heroic characters in, well, ANYTHING.

But let me make this absolutely clear: despite all the sad stuff (and believe me, there are some really sad moments in this movie that tugged my flinty heartstrings), this is an uproariously funny and heartwarming film. Yeah, it does get cheesy and saccharine and more than a little silly at points, but that was always part of the point with the Muppets, and the self-awareness makes it all better. I'm going to make the Community comparison here again, because it really fits: both are highly self-aware shows that rely on some of that self-awareness to bring real laughs and real heart to the characters. They both know they're the underdogs, but they don't care, because they're still going to try their damnedest to make you laugh and love the world the world they're in. Now, granted, Community is looking for a world that's cynical and completely fucking insane, and the Muppets are looking for a world that is idealistic and innocent (albeit pretty damned insane), but I don't think the two are mutually exclusive, at least not for me.

So yeah, SEE THIS MOVIE. It's probably one of the best comedies you will see this year, and it's got real heart in it, something you really don't see often today. I don't care if you think the Muppets are childish or silly or stupid: they know they are, and they don't give a flying chicken about it. They're going to put on a show, do it their way, and nobody's going to stop them, success or failure.

You really don't get those kinds of balls anywhere else.

 

Well after a review like that I suppose it might be worth the price of admission. Damn, you'd think you had a stake in it or something.

 

I guess I'm gonna go see a Muppet movie this weekend. Not something I ever thought I would say...

 

I'm going next weekend, once school has died down. Glad to see it doesn't suck.

 

T3t I'm sure you'll see this thread soon enough so,

WE ARE FUCKING GOING TO THIS MOVIE