The Muppets

I had never seen any Muppet TV show before stepping into the theater on Thursday night. I didn't even know much about the Muppets except from what I had seen in a show at Disney World. So, with no past memories of beloved characters and TV episodes I stepped into that theater to see if "The Muppets" would succeed in appealing to the next generation and what was the result? Boy I wish I could have watched the show. "The Muppets" was a sweet surprise that could not have caught me more off guard.

Meet Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams), two very happy people who are about to take a trip to Los Angeles to celebrate their ten year anniversary...of dating. The only problem is that Gary's younger Muppet brother Walter is tagging along so that he can have his lifelong dream of visiting the Muppet studio come true. Unfortunately the three come to the studio to see it in shambles and to make matters worse, Walter overhears the plans of the evil oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to demolish the studio in order to drill for oil. Gary, Mary, and Walter desperately seek out Kermit the Frog to tell him the news and after some convincing, Kermit decides to get the old gang back together in order to raise the $10 million required to purchase back the studio. The journey will be filled with laughs, shenanigans, and a few musical numbers, but in the end it may fall in the hands of Walter to give the Muppets the spark they need to succeed.

One of the many surprises that I found in "The Muppets" was that it turned out to be a musical. If I would have paid more attention to the commercials I may have realized this but never-the-less it was a very pleasant addition to an already great film. Each musical number was a splendid mix of laughter and pure happiness. The addictive original tunes, as well as some classic Muppet songs such as "Rainbow Connection" were each unique and well placed although nothing could have caught me more off guard than when Academy Award winner Chris Copper started to rap. It was a grand, mind-blowing moment that demonstrates just how creative and great "The Muppets" is.

But what makes "The Muppets" truly great is that, in a society's pop culture that has been corrupted by crass humor and Jersey Shore, the Muppets have retained their innocence. There's no language or adult content in the film yet it succeeds in being hilarious to both children and parents alike, a feat that many comedies cannot seem to do anymore.

In just 90 minutes I fell in love with the Muppets. I fell in love with their humor, music, and heart. Perhaps the best thing about "The Muppets" is that the film is so happy. From start to finish it warmed my heart with the joy each character brought to the screen and the wonderful messages it teaches. Add that to a great cast with an unimaginable amount of cameos and you have one of the year's best films. I give it four stars out of four.

"The Muppets" has a running time of one hour and forty two minutes and is rated PG for some mild rude humor.

Tower Heist

Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy...two comedians with built up reputations and, for the most part, a good record of successful films. However, over the last decade, Stiller's reputation has stayed strong but Murphy's has arguably sank. So, when I first saw trailer's for "Tower Heist," I was a little skeptical knowing that Murphy had not been in the best films over the past several years. Do the two actors hold this action/comedy together?

Josh Kovacs (Stiller) has a pretty great life...he's the manager of a high luxury apartment complex and has a strong (business) relationship with the apartments most wealthy customer, Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda). Kovacs' neighbor isn't as lucky. Slide (Murphy) has no job, no life, and is soon carried off by the police department for unknown reasons. But the two very different men will soon cross paths because soon a scandal is exposed revealing that Arthur Shaw is being accused of a Ponzi scheme. If Shaw is proven guilty, all of the workers including Kovacs will loose all of their money which they gave to Shaw to have him invest. Angry at Shaw's deception, Kovacs decides to rob the most secured building in New York and since he has no idea how, he bails Slide out of prison to get him to help. Now the two, along with a few other co-workers will have to put on the most elaborate heist in order to get revenge on the richest man in the New York.

Two words...Eddie Murphy. The man is absolutely hilarious. I can't remember the last live action film where he succeeded in being the great comedian that he can be. All of his lines were comedy gold and though Stiller may be the main character, this is Murphy's film. Granted, Stiller is great at his iconic deadpan comedy and the supporting actors each contribute laughs throughout the film. Overall, the cast has great chemistry in times of both laughter and seriousness.

The Robin Hood esque story line doesn't really bring anything new to the table. A group of guys seek to rob an insanely rich guy for the benefit of the needy whom the "evil" rich man has taken from. The popular story arc along with the many other films in the Heist genre make "Tower Heist" pretty predictable but there was still enough fun and craziness to keep me interested and entertained.

Yeah I may have been able to call the movie scene by scene, but it didn't matter to me. I love movies like "Ocean's 11" and "The Italian Job." Movies like that and like "Tower Heist" are entertaining and creative. Throw in a great cast and the return of Eddie Murphy to quality comedy and you've got a great movie. I give it three stars out of four.

"Tower Heist" has a running time of 104 minutes and is rated PG-13 for language and sexual content.