The Muppets (2011)
It’s easy to call old movies classic, but once in a while a modern movie comes along that’s practically perfect in every way. Whether you’ve been an ardent Muppet fan since their first days on television, you only watch them at Christmastime when they frolic with Michael Caine, or you’ve never seen them but the name seems vaguely familiar, you’ll love this movie. It’s exquisitely charming and manages to make even the most grown-up adult in the audience believe that the little critters are real and human. It introduces the beloved puppets to a new generation in a beautiful premise: in this movie, the Muppets are scattered across the world, estranged and lonely, believing their television audiences have all forgotten them.
Two brothers, one a man and one a Muppet, grow up inseparable and completely enjoying each other’s company. The human brother, Jason Segel, has a longtime sweetheart, Amy Adams, but because he’s so happy with his Muppet brother, voiced by Peter Linz, he doesn’t even think about proposing marriage. Instead, his idea of a romantic getaway is to bundle everyone into the car and take his brother on a tour of the Muppet Studios in Hollywood. Once there, they go on a quest to reunite the Muppets and bring them back to television.
The songs in The Muppets are so cute! You’d think nothing would be able to hold a candle to “The Rainbow Connection,” but these are really adorable. Amy Adams gets to have a “Me Party” when Jason stands her up for their date. The entire town joins in the first number as Jason and his Muppet brother skip through the streets and teach the audience, “Life’s a happy song when there’s someone by your side to sing along.” Chris Cooper, the melodramatic villain, gets to rap his way through a follow-the-bouncing-ball song. I can only imagine how much fun he had filming his scenes; he’s so drippingly silly and overdramatic, it’s hilarious!
As is the fare for Muppet flicks, you’ll see a host of cameos. A bored Alan Arkin leads the tour of the Muppet Studios, Rashida Jones is the harsh television executive who tells the Muppets they’re not relevant to kids today, and Emily Blunt is a rude secretary. You’ll see Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, Judd Hirsch, Sarah Silverman, James Carville, Kristen Schaal, Ken Jeong, Donald Glover, Selena Gomez, Rico Rodriguez, Jim Parsons, John Krasinski, Zach Galifianakis, and in the cutest cameo of all, Mickey Rooney. You’ll only see him for a few seconds, but those few seconds will warm your heart.
You’ve got to rent this movie, even if you were avoiding it during its release because you thought it would be too silly. It’s incredibly silly, but that’s part of the fun. Kermit the Frog refuses to start a Muppet reunion, and Amy Adams deadpans, “Wow, this is gonna be a really short movie.” The bad guys describe their evil plan, and one of them quips that it sounded like an important plot point and that audiences should pay attention. Little gags, involving the audience, make the film even more endearing. Once you’re a part of the jokes, you’re invested in the plot, and you’re guaranteed to like the rest of the movie! Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller have created a charming, clever, sweet script that manages to make audiences double over in laughter and also dab their eyes. Trust me; you’ve got to rent this movie.
More Mickey Rooney movies here!
Two brothers, one a man and one a Muppet, grow up inseparable and completely enjoying each other’s company. The human brother, Jason Segel, has a longtime sweetheart, Amy Adams, but because he’s so happy with his Muppet brother, voiced by Peter Linz, he doesn’t even think about proposing marriage. Instead, his idea of a romantic getaway is to bundle everyone into the car and take his brother on a tour of the Muppet Studios in Hollywood. Once there, they go on a quest to reunite the Muppets and bring them back to television.
The songs in The Muppets are so cute! You’d think nothing would be able to hold a candle to “The Rainbow Connection,” but these are really adorable. Amy Adams gets to have a “Me Party” when Jason stands her up for their date. The entire town joins in the first number as Jason and his Muppet brother skip through the streets and teach the audience, “Life’s a happy song when there’s someone by your side to sing along.” Chris Cooper, the melodramatic villain, gets to rap his way through a follow-the-bouncing-ball song. I can only imagine how much fun he had filming his scenes; he’s so drippingly silly and overdramatic, it’s hilarious!
As is the fare for Muppet flicks, you’ll see a host of cameos. A bored Alan Arkin leads the tour of the Muppet Studios, Rashida Jones is the harsh television executive who tells the Muppets they’re not relevant to kids today, and Emily Blunt is a rude secretary. You’ll see Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, Judd Hirsch, Sarah Silverman, James Carville, Kristen Schaal, Ken Jeong, Donald Glover, Selena Gomez, Rico Rodriguez, Jim Parsons, John Krasinski, Zach Galifianakis, and in the cutest cameo of all, Mickey Rooney. You’ll only see him for a few seconds, but those few seconds will warm your heart.
You’ve got to rent this movie, even if you were avoiding it during its release because you thought it would be too silly. It’s incredibly silly, but that’s part of the fun. Kermit the Frog refuses to start a Muppet reunion, and Amy Adams deadpans, “Wow, this is gonna be a really short movie.” The bad guys describe their evil plan, and one of them quips that it sounded like an important plot point and that audiences should pay attention. Little gags, involving the audience, make the film even more endearing. Once you’re a part of the jokes, you’re invested in the plot, and you’re guaranteed to like the rest of the movie! Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller have created a charming, clever, sweet script that manages to make audiences double over in laughter and also dab their eyes. Trust me; you’ve got to rent this movie.
More Mickey Rooney movies here!