The Muppets
Directed By:
James Bobin
Written By: Jason
Segel and Nicholas Stoller, based on the characters created by Jim Henson
Starring: Jason
Segel, Amy Adams, Rashida Jones, Chris Cooper, and the Muppets
Director of Photography: Don Burgess, Editor: James Thomas,
Production Designer: Steve Saklad, Original Music: Christopher Beck, Original
Songs: Bret McKenzie
Rated: PG for
Muppet related humor.
Gonzo.
When I was a kid, my hero was Gonzo the Great. I was weird, and a bit crazy,
and identified with the big, blue-nosed lunatic that always dreamed of become a
great daredevil, though always failing. How could you not love such a dreamer?
Heck,
how can anyone not love the Muppets? The fantastic puppet creations by Jim
Henson started with their SNL-like sketch show in the early 1970s, going on the
inspire countless movies (three considered canon, the rest with their moments
of comic genius but most forgettable). Since Mr. Henson’s death in 1990, many
thought the Muppets have become the great comics of a past generation, relics
of a forgotten era. But one only needs to pull up Youtube videos of Fozzie’s
stand-up, Animal’s drumming, or Honeydew’s lab for proof that their comedy is
timeless.
In
an age where our comedy has become much more cynical, could the Muppets find a
place? That’s the hope of the latest film, simply titled The Muppets. The film is the brainchild of Forgetting Sarah Marshall duo Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, who
you may remember ended that film with a puppet musical of Dracula. It’s obvious
from the first moments of their latest film that Mr. Segel (who stars along
with the delightful Amy Adams) and Mr. Stoller are Muppet devotees, and their
great nostalgia shows along every frame of this film. In fact, few films are
more nostalgia whoring than The Muppets,
which means fans of those guys will go bonkers for this latest iteration, which
I sure as hell did.
