The Muppets

The Muppets’ first big-screen adventure in over a decade, The Muppets follows Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and the rest of the gang as they attempt to save their beloved theater from destruction – with their efforts assisted by a trio of Muppet superfans (Jason Segel’s Gary, Amy Adams’ Mary, and a new Muppet named Walter). Filmmaker James Bobin, working from a script by Segel and Nicholas Stoller, has infused The Muppets with a briskly-paced and unabashedly old-fashioned feel that proves impossible to resist, with the movie’s delightfully upbeat atmosphere perpetuated by its affable performances, toe-tapping musical numbers, and overall emphasis on straight-faced silliness. Segal and Stoller’s almost slavish adherence to the Muppets’ sketch-comedy origins does, however, result in a narrative that’s often noticeably uneven, with the film’s lack of momentum especially problematic during the slightly overlong and decidedly rocky midsection. (It’s ultimately the charisma of the human and felt-based stars that sustains the viewer’s interest through The Muppets‘ more overtly underwhelming stretches, with Chris Cooper’s engrossing, frequently hilarious turn as the movie’s moustache-twirling villain certainly standing as a highlight.) Such concerns become moot once the entertainingly frenetic climax rolls around, and there is, in the final analysis, little doubt that the film stands as an appropriate comeback for (and introduction to) Jim Henson’s iconic creation.

*** out of ****