For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - The Muppets
The Impression:
I’m a bad film person: I’ve never seen a Muppets
movie. I was too young for the films or the show and as I
got older I just never went back. It’s the kind of shameful
lack of film knowledge that draws out exasperated gasps from
people who think of me as a "film nerd." "You’ve never seen
a Muppets movie? Ever?" Nope, I have not. But guess
what I’m excited by this one. Does that help me out?
The Reality:
The Muppets is a big, broad, silly movie and I loved
nearly every minute of it. If you’re surprised by the fact
that a movie made in the early '10s is big and broad and
actually enjoyable, then don’t forget that you’re watching a
movie about stuffed puppets trying to get the band back
together. It’s a beautifully meta-world Muppet-fanatics
Jason Segal and Nicholas Stoller have cooked, one where a
young Muppet kid just wants to bring his idols back to the
stage in time to save their beautiful studio from the
Richman Oil wrecking ball. Bret McKenzie (he of the Flying
Concords) puts together a handful of songs that seem
wrenched out of a make-believe kid-friendly version of The
Flight of the Concords, where sex is never discussed but
Fozzie Bear cracks a pretty shitty joke. For those of you
who loved the Muppets, I can only believe this will
sate some empty void, and for those of you, especially you
lucky kids being exposed for the first time, I truly believe
this will open up a new world for you. The film is funny and
sweet and I felt a genuine nostalgia for a group of puppets
I’d never even enjoyed before. My only nagging distraction
was the presence of Jason Segal and Amy Adams as human
characters that lead us in to the world of the Muppets.
Segal is a borderline bad actor and though he exhibited
sheer joy well, his comedic moments often times fell flat.
Understandably a new film for a new audience requires some
sort of entry point, but I could’ve done with out the human
presence. And whomever thought it a good idea to have Chris
Cooper rapping, shame on you.
The Lesson:
The Muppets still have it.
- Noah Sanders
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