The Muppets - What Did I Think?

'The Muppets' was a funny, adorable movie with a lot of the heart of the old Muppet movies and the comedy of the present, but there were a few misfires and missed opportunities that keep it from going on the classics shelf at my apartment.

It embraced nostalgia largely for nostalgia's sake, without cloaking it in irony or trying to justify it. One of the most interesting things about having videos from the 60s, 70s, and 80s available to us with the click of the mouse (or the track pad for those on laptops, or the flick of a finger for those on tablets) is that we can appreciate and enjoy the TV shows and films of our childhood as they really were, instead of just through the lens of memory. We can analyze and appreciate them as kids and as adults. For those who loved the Muppets, now we can understand them on a whole new level. So it fully makes sense to go back and grab the Muppets and say, "Theses guys were great! Let's do this again!" without questioning, "Wait, what Muppets do you remember? I think you might get this wrong..." I know that people make fun of my generation for our love of nostalgia, but I think it's mainly because those in previous generations couldn't look back, couldn't reanalyze and reassess. We can, and we really have a great time doing it. This movie is definite proof of that. (Of course, I'm definitely NOT saying we should be remaking everything we loved as kids - I don't think anyone my age agrees with the big studio's decisions to make a rubik's cube or Candyland movie)

I thought the songs were fun and charming. They combined the Muppet optimism with the "Flight of the Concords  sensibility well. I thought the story was overly simple, but in generally fun. The characters, of course, were the best part. Just having the 'old gang' back together was really enough for me. That and the dance numbers. I'm a sucker for dance numbers!

I missed the serious weirdness that the Muppets have, though. There wasn't a lot of strange things in this movie. There were a ton of clever jokes and innocent humor (traveling by map was excellent), but part of what made the Muppets so great and revolutionary, in terms of comedy, was that they weren't afraid to push the boundaries of what's funny and what's just plain old strange - especially in regards to how to bend and play with the rules of puppetry itself (Walter, the new "muppet" was a white dude. Really? Seriously? At least make him blue or green with red spots or give him a mullet or something! And all he does is whistle!? Seriously!?!). Now, knowing Disney, they probably wanted to launch a franchise of Muppet movies and plan on having many more down the line. In order to do this, this first movie would have to hook all the mainstream viewers. Maybe that means that future movies would have the flexibility to go strange, but who knows?

I think the direction was strong for the most part, but there were a few quibbles I had. After the delightful opening montage of home videos, the jump to song - and more importantly song directed to camera - felt jarring. I was like, "Why are you looking at me?" I also felt like the dance numbers could have been bigger and more complex.  Plus, the classic "throw away props in the middle of song" jokes never had any punchlines - they disappeared and came back. That's not how you write a joke! The luggage flies away mysteriously - cut to it hitting someone in the head or falling down a manhole or riding on an escalator and then you watch it make its way back to the singers (who had been unaware of its disappearance the whole time) just before the song ends. It's like they went from set up to post-punchline without any joke. Very strange.

The only thing I really didn't like at all, though, besides Walter's design (if he's adopted, he doesn't need to look like a human! And yes, I realize "Man or Muppet" suggested he had to look vaguely human, but he could have at least been non-white), was Miss Piggy's and Amy Adam's stories. They were both "My guy doesn't love me, and I'm sad about it." Why would Miss Piggy give up her job at Vogue in PARIS to go live with Kermit? He doesn't even have a job! He could easily go and live with her, especially since she'd be the primary breadwinner. Frankly, she probably had $10 million in the bank in the first place. And Amy Adams barely had a character at all! Her one solo was so charming, but in the end she just mopes around for her boyfriend. She deserves better. Also, Kermit was such a mope the whole time. I didn't really know why Piggy went back to him. Even in his final speech, he kept admitting defeat. That's not Kermit!

Segel and his writing partner clearly need to learn a thing or two about writing female characters. That being said, I'm fantastic at writing female characters, so if you'd like some pointers, guys, give me a call (please!)!

So overall, I really did enjoy the movie. I thought it was a lot of fun. But it's the Muppets for goodness sake. I had high expectations. I also had high expectations for all of the talent involved. For the most part, they were met, but there were a few crucial missteps that make me want to shoot a Muppet movie of my own. Disney, call me!