Cinematic Smackdown: The Muppets

The Muppets - 2.5/5
(dir. James Bobin)

I never really thought about the muppets until a couple years ago. It's not that I liked them or disliked them, I just never really gave them a thought past about age six. But then, on a whim, my fiancee and I decided to watch The Muppet Movie one day. What a pleasant surprise! This wasn't simply about nostalgia, or giving a pass to something we knew was bad simply because we were kids when it came out - this was actually a good movie! A really good movie. Charming, funny, well made, intelligent, kid-friendly, wonderfully amusing and catchy songs - everything a great family film should be. The Muppets, unfortunately, does not capture that same spirit. It provides some amusing moments, even some inspired bits of whimsical lunacy, but the film lacks cohesiveness (it feels more like a series of bits than a true narrative) and focuses too much on drama over joy.

You can't fault the film for being ambitious, though. When a "kids' movie" decides to tackle a subject no less than cynicism itself, you know it's at least going to try something unique. In this regard, The Muppets does provide a fairly nice respite from overly childish fare. There are running questions (and musical numbers, naturally) about the state of entertainment (specifically cynicism v. optimism), self-identity, relationships, and the value of laughter in an essentially cruel world. The film does have the guts to go to some fairly dark territory - for a Muppets movie, at least - but it unfortunately does not have the gravitas nor the follow-through to make any profound or powerful statement. More often the material undercuts the tone for a cheap laugh, rather than leave the audience feeling uncomfortable.

The film is shot in a fairly pedestrian manner, occasionally springing to life in the midst of a musical number, but for the most part fails to develop a cohesive style, vision, or direction. Director James Bobin does not impress. The story follows obviously adopted brothers Walter and Gary - one male, one muppet. Gary is in love with the sweet but simple Mary, and their marriage is such a foregone conclusion that even Gary forgets he needs to do the little things, like propose. Their story is serviceable. Walter is the more interesting character, ever trying to find his place. He's spent (apparently) three decades living and playing with Gary in some capacity, and once Gary and Mary decide it's time to get out of Smalltown, Walter joins them for a journey across the country and through his relational identity.

The muppets themselves provide some great bits, but unfortunately they are mostly underutilized or misused. I know this might sound silly, but too often the muppets simply are not true to their established characters. One of the central points of the film is that the muppets have been around for decades, bringing laughter to generations, but they have been left behind by pop culture. The characters have remained remarkably consistent over that time span, yet here some of the them are having a bit of an identity crisis. Kermit, for instance, is completely out of sorts, moping around the whole time, proclaiming defeat at every turn. Fozzie continues with the lame jokes, but moves into flatulent humor, which does not fit his shtick at all. These are little things, but if the purpose behind The Muppets is to introduce the characters to a new generation, then the characters should at least be portrayed as they always have.

The human element largely doesn't work. Jason Segal is not a great dancer, and he doesn't quite look "right" for the archetypal male lead he's trying satirize, but he seems enthusiastic at least. Amy Adams likewise does an admirable job with the vocal performance, but feels a bit miscast... or at least underwritten. But then, to be fair, the film basically grinds to a halt whenever live actors are on screen. I realize Segal and Adams are written as naive, innocent youths of a bygone era, but they should at least have some personality, especially when their whole job throughout the film is to act opposite felt characters with an abundance of personality. Rounding out the human cast is the terribly misused Chris Cooper. He's typecast again as the smarmy, creepy villain, but he never manages to be threatening, or even amusing; he is stuck in the role of tired plot device. And the solo song he's given is without a doubt the low point of the film, maybe even of his career - it's that bad. Not a single person - adult, child, or muppet - laughed after or during his song.

The other songs, thankfully, remain strong, including a brilliant rendition of Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You." The opener is nice, pleasant. Some songs are more pedestrian, one is downright awful (the aforementioned Chris Cooper number), and a few are redundant but nice enough in and of themselves. "Am I a Man, or a Muppet?" for instance belabors the point the whole narrative tries to make, but on its own it's pretty amusing.

After all that has passed, you would think I hated the movie. That's not the case. For all its faults, I still remain a fan, though I'd rank this among their lesser works. The movie does have laughs in ready supply; I do not mean to imply the film isn't funny, only that it lacks the charm and intelligence of other Muppet movies. I would have liked to see a movie which fits nicely into the muppet filmography. I feel like The Muppets, while amusing in some ways and disappointing in others, will ultimately feel out of place and outdated compared to the other titles.