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.