THE MUPPETS have always had a sweetly subversive humor about them. They were never mean spirited, but when they were at their best, the jokes were sharp with a rollicking sense of the absurd and a keen sense of characterization. Jason Segal, co-writer and co-star of the latest Muppets vehicle, has homed in on exactly what gave the television show a cult following while also bringing the cleverly crafted bits of felt, feathers, and ping-pong ball eyes into the 21st century. Hes also added some new members to the repertory company, and a new star in Walter, the Muppet brother of a human sibling who hasnt quite found his place in the world.
The human sibling is Gary (Segal) and the two of them lead an idyllic existence in Smalltown, USA, a charming burg where the townsfolk gamely and spontaneously burst into song and production numbers. While Jerry has grown up and spent 10 years dating Mary (Amy Adams), Walter has remained only a yard tall, but his discovery of the Muppets and their show at a critical point in his emotional development has kept him on an even keel despite being different. Naturally, he gets the chance to meet his heroes during a trip to Hollywood with Gary and Mary. Naturally, he has the chance to save his heroes and their defunct studio from the evil machinations of Mr. Richman (Chris Cooper). Naturally hes along for the ride when Kermit rounds up the old gang and then convinces a skeptical television executive (Rashida Jones) that the Muppets are still a viable act.
For all the pratfalls and jokes about fart-shoes, there is also a sly contrast between the sunny optimism of the main characters and their often dreary situations, making it irresistibly upbeat without ever being saccharine. The writing is clever, with giddy self-reference, time-honored tropes, and a bevy of dancing chickens who beat out a completely credible tattoo. Meanwhile, Segal and Adams decked out in a series of stylized 50s suburban gear with personas to match, throw themselves into their roles without a trace of irony, which is wise because the Muppets have such a startling reality about them, should the humans involved be foolish enough to react to them as anything but real, would be to diminish their own credibility, not to mention reality. That startling reality finds no better exposition than in Walter, whose voice work by Peter Linz, and precisely nuanced puppeteering by a crack team, make for a fully developed character capable of broad humor and delicate wistfulness. The scenes between the brothers as they sort out the changes in their relationship have a genuine feeling to them that belies the fact that one of them is talking to a hand. The rocky reunion between Kermit and Miss Piggy, now a plus-size fashion editor, has its own bittersweet moments, too, though more comedy would have been welcome here.
THE MUPPETS is full of piquant cameos, great songs, better dancing, and even a gloating rap from Cooper, complete with on-call, potato-chip nibbling showgirls. Its just off-kilter enough to keep the material fresh for longtime fans while also appealing to a whole new crop of them.
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