Film Review: ‘The Muppets’ is Hilarious, Joyful Entertainment

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CHICAGO – The Muppets stand on such a pedestal for an entire generation that there was an understandable amount of trepidation when it was announced that Jason Segel and Disney were moving forward with a reboot. How could it possibly live up to our expectations? Would they turn Kermit, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy into commercial commodities like “The Smurfs” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks”? How could the guy from “How I Met Your Mother” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” possibly carry the torch passed by Jim Henson? Segel not only does the legacy of Henson’s creation proud with “The Muppets,” he’s delivered one of the best family films of the last decade and arguably the funniest film of 2011.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Smart, uplifting, nostalgic, and, most of all, joyful in every way, “The Muppets” is pure entertainment that crosses generations. Kids will see a movie with wacky puppets singing and dancing. Adults will see something that taps into a feeling that they may not have even realized they were missing. The Muppets are about so many things missing from today’s family entertainment – creativity, community, imagination, and personal expression. Leave your cynicism at the door. There’s no place for it here.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “The Muppets” in our reviews section.

Before I get too far, perhaps I should make something clear – “The Muppets” is just DAMN funny. Like laughing-hard-enough-you-miss-the-next-joke-funny. Here’s where I would usually list a few examples, but honestly there’s a solid laugh every other minute in this film, and, when you’re not laughing, you’re just smiling at the overall glee of the production. Everything about “The Muppets” screams happiness…as it should. One can tell that everyone involved made the film with such reverence for its characters and pure joy at being able to bring them back to life.

And that’s what the movie is about on a plot level as well. Bringing The Muppets back to life. Segel stars as Gary, the human lead of the piece, brother to one of the more controversial elements of the film, a new puppet named Walter. Now, Walter is NOT a Muppet. In the world of the film, The Muppets exist as a popular entity. They made movies, had a TV show, and were rich & famous. And Walter was their biggest fan. He dreamed of just meeting The Muppets, much less being one.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “The Muppets” review.

The Muppets
Photo credit: Disney