The Muppet Movie and The Muppets

The Muppet Show had been on the air four years when The Muppet Movie came out in 1979. It was followed by several movies about the Muppets (The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan) and several with the Muppets as literary characters (The Muppet Christmas Carol) not to mention three trillion television spin-offs (can anyone say, The Muppet Babies?).

KATE SAYS I admit I was nervous to see The Muppets (2011). I consider The Muppet Movie to be one of the most delightful movies on record with a perfect combination of memorable songs, an Americana plot, hilarious cameos, and raw feeling. Although the movie often breaks the fourth wall (as when Dr. Teeth et al. find Kermit and Fozzie in the desert by reading the script), it remains absolutely true to its own objectives.

But after The Muppet Movie, the Muppets got self-conscious. Although I enjoyed the second movie (mostly because of Charles Grodin: "Thieves aren't breathing down your neck!"), I disliked Muppets Take Manhattan after which I kind of gave up on the Muppets until The Muppet Christmas Carol. It seemed like every new rendition became more self-conscious and more cutisfied: kind of like Law & Order spin-offs: still okay, but not as gritty and heartfelt as the real thing.

So I was somewhat uneasy when I sat down to watch The Muppets.

I'll say this--it is still more self-conscious than I would have liked. However, it never pretends that it isn't exactly what it is: a tribute not just to the original Muppet Show but to the generation that was influenced and molded by that show. And at least three of the jokes/cameos sent me rolling to the floor:

(1) The 80's robot, especially when it starts up its modem, causing everyone in the car to wince. This is definitely a generational thing: I hate to say it, but I don't think even my (college) students would get that joke.

(2) The "Are you a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?" line, especially the way Kermit pauses, then says, "Um, yes!"

(3) Jim Parsons. I won't say any more; I don't want to ruin it for anyone else! But I've never been so delighted.

I also happen to adore Chris Cooper who does a great job as the (fiction) guest celebrity. And I get a kick out of Jack Black who not only does a good job as the (real if reluctant) guest celebrity but captures the attitude/approach of many of the original guest celebrities on the show. I got a kick of Neil Patrick Harris's line ("Why am I not hosting this?"), the "evil English accent" line (kudos!) and this, possibly my favorite exchange (the WHOLE exchange):

Miss Piggy: Kermit. Jack Black has graciously agreed to do the telethon.
Kermit: That's amazing. Where is he?
Miss Piggy: In the truck.
Kermit the Frog: What? You kidnapped Jack Black? That's illegal!
Fozzie Bear: What's more illegal, Kermit: briefly inconveniencing Jack Black, or destroying the Muppets?
Kermit the Frog: Kidnapping Jack Black, Fozzie!
Miss Piggy: Kermit. Listen. Whatever I may think of you right now, these guys are counting on you. You inspired them.
Kermit the Frog: What, to kidnap people?
Miss Piggy: To work together.
Kermit the Frog: To kidnap people!?
Lew Zealand: Mr. the Frog, we all agreed, a celebrity is not a people.

I love Kermit's response to "you inspired them to work together": "To kidnap people?!" (And I love how kind Kermit is in both versions--with his little touch of acerbity.)

Extra kudos: like the first movie, the 2011 movie has a heart-felt theme which works on more than one level. It's a tad more slathered on than the theme of the first movie, but still within the same ball-park emotion and concept-wise. And I have to give credit to Jason Segal for playing his role (mostly) straight-faced although I think Walter wins here for never smirking (seriously!). 

All said and done, though, I still prefer the first. I love the music for one thing. I totally sang along during the movie. And few things in life are as touching to me as Gonzo's solo (see below). For another, I find I prefer those musicals that seem effortless--as if the actors and director just went out one day and created a film off the top of their heads. When Sweetums cried, "Hey, wait for me. C'mon guys, I want to go to Hollywood!" I was instantly reminded of a Rocky Horror exchange: Magenta's statement, "But I thought you liked them. They liked you" and Riff Raff's response, "They never liked me!"--all these lines come out of nowhere, yet totally fit their films.

The Muppets deserve a tribute, and The Muppets is a good movie; still, I mostly prefer them when they just were who they were without much self-reflection.

MIKE SAYS The Muppets helped define my childhood in more ways than I can ever fully express.  Sesame Street helped me love to learn, The Muppet Show helped me love to laugh, and The Muppet movies helped me love musicals.  The original Muppet movie was on throughout my childhood, and rarely a road trip went by without a stirring and glaringly off-key sing along of "Moving Right Along."

I don't find it odd at all that the Indie movie boom came along just about when those kids who first saw the Muppet movies in theaters became adults.  After all, if the Muppets can band together to make a movie, why not us?

The original movie stands up over the years, and my son loves it as much as I do.  The music is fantastic, the jokes are sharp, and the world of the Muppets is rich and warm.  To say that the new movie replaces the original movie in any way would just be blasphemy.  And, well, Untrue.

The Muppets is a wonderful and fitting tribute to the original, and to the age of the Muppets in general.  The number "Pictures in My Head" sums up the entire movie for me.  While I adore the entire soundtrack, this song in particular beckons to the memories and tells them that even though the time is passed, it's okay to relive them.  When I first saw the film in the theater, I was anxious, excited, and trying to prepare for a disaster.  Instead, when the Muppet paintings came alive during Kermit's song, I burst into tears. Because, as impossible as the thought was, I did want the Muppets to come back, and when they did, it was glorious.

There's a lot of great things about the new movie.  As I said, the music is absolutely wonderful, as is the message.  And despite some early controversy, I liked that the Muppets were able to stay funny without being compromised.  The Song "Man or a Muppet" is, I feel, the anthem of the Muppets generation.

But in the end, the movie is just what it feels like, a Tribute.  Maybe a return as well, but the truth is that any films that follow will never really reach the pinnacle of the original.  It's entirely possible that this is because of nostalgia, but I'd prefer to think it's because it was just a darn good film.