The Muppets (2011) review

(7/10)

A sweet treat for fans and newbies alike, but not the best Muppet film out there.

PLOT:Walter (Peter Linz) and his brother, Gary (Jason Segel) have always been there for each other through thick and thin and have always been devoted fans of the Muppets. One day, when Gary and his girfriend, Mary (Amy Adams) plan to go to Las Angeles on vacation for their 10-year anniversary, they invite Walter and go to the Muppet Studios. It's all broken down and abandoned nowadays and the Muppets have gone their separate ways. Walter sneaks into what used to be Kermit's office and finds an evil oil baron named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) who wants to tear down the studio to mine for oil. The only loophole in the contract binding the Muppets to their names and studios is that they would have to raise the $10 million available to save the studio. Now it's up to Walter and his friends to get the Muppets back together and save the studios. It's a very good modernized plot idea executed with the same Muppet charm as the other films have.

ACTING/VOICES:The acting is suprisingly pretty good. I thought it'd just be naive actors performing a simple job, but Segel and Adams both pulled off a charming performance. Cooper even did well, though not the best. The voices of the Muppets weren't too different either. Kermit was still Kermit, Miss Piggy was still Miss Piggy, Gonzo was still Gonzo, Beaker was still Beaker and so on. I have to give credit to those who voiced the Muppets for mimicking Jim Henson well enough. I would also like to mention the great performance of Jack Black as himself along with the various cameos of Sarah Silverman, Mickey Rooney, Alan Arkin, Ken Jeong, and Zach Galifinakis.



SCORE:The soundtrack is full of musical numbers and Muppet-worthy parodies of popular songs. The musical numbers were performed well, sung with strange harmony, and even written clever lyrics. The Muppets also parodied a few famous songs, such as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Forget You", and they did it cleverly in the way only the Muppets could.

OTHER CONTENT:This film breathes new life into the long-asleep characters known as the Muppets with charm, cleverness, and just overall fun for everyone. The only problems I have with this film is that I believe it's a little overrated and cheesy. I've seen a better Muppet film than this, so I just don't think it would qualify as the best Muppet movie ever. Also, the jokes and musical numbers can sometimes go a little overboard to the point of being considered cheesy. I mean, the Muppets are supposed to be silly and goofy, but there is such a thing as too much.



OVERALL,a good Muppet film with a charming, modernized plot, good acting, great voices, and plenty of camoes, well-done musical numbers, clever song parodies, and overall fun for everyone, but it isn't the best Muppet movie and it can get a little cheesy at times.