The Muppets are back, and now they’re Oscar-winning Muppets!
The successful reboot of the dormant puppet franchise of Jim Henson is a joyous walk down memory lane for Generation X kids like me who grew up on Kermit, Missy Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the gang. Now, they can bring their own moppets to see “The Muppets,” and the cinematic circle of life is complete.
The film even picked up an Academy Award for Best Song (though I am compelled to point out it only had one competitor, in one of the weakest contests in Oscar history).
Jason Segal and Amy Adams are the human stars, though they’re mostly just hanging around to set up the Muppets and their antics. Segal also cowrote the screenplay. The running gag is the Muppets are washed up and forgotten, until their old theater in Los Angeles is scheduled to be demolished by an evil oil tycoon (Chris Cooper), who thinks there’s black gold underneath it.
Director James Bobin goes for a blend of high and low humor – pratfalls and silliness for the kiddies, and wry puns and breaking of the fourth wall for their parents. It’s a good mix, and it’s good to see the old gang again.
Movie: B
