Whether they were sailing the seven seas with the infamous Captain Long John Silver or trying to save Christmas for the evil-spirited Ebenezer Scrooge, the Muppets never ceased to make me burst into laughter through out my childhood. So when Jason Siegel announced that he would write the newest addition to the Muppet’s collection, I assumed that he would follow the recipe that made so many great Muppet films. I found out very quickly how far off my assumption was.
“The Muppets” follows two brothers, Walter (voice of Peter Linz) and Gary (Jason Siegel), who grew up in Smalltown, USA and have been inseparable since birth despite the fact that Walter is a Muppet. When Walter realizes that he is not the same as his human brother, he finds interest in The Muppet Show. As time passes, Walter becomes extremely connected with the show and its cast because of its ability to make him feel accepted. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled and Walter was left only with his brother and his Muppets memorabilia. However, he received an opportunity of a lifetime when Gary invites Walter to accompany him and his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), to Los Angeles to celebrate Gary and Mary’s ten-year anniversary. While in LA, the trio toured the old set of The Muppet Show. While on the tour, Walter decides to go off on his own and explore the old office of Kermit the Frog. There Walter discovers a horrible plot, set by the wealthy oil-barren Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), to destroy the entire Muppets set and drill for oil. Once Walter informs Gary and Mary of what he learned, they embark on a quest to reunite the entire cast and put on one last show to save the Muppet Theater.
While this may seem like the typical cookie-cutter layout for a quality Muppets movie, Siegel’s dry and satirical humor makes the film unnerving to watch. The musical scenes were over-the-top and unnecessary at some points, such as Amy Adams’ “Me Party” and Chris Cooper’s horrendous rap. As soon as the movie would seem to get interesting, a cheesy song would enter and ruin the importance of the plotline. Also, it seemed as if Siegel attempted to mask the weak humor of the movie by throwing in as many celebrities as he could. Jack Black, Zach Galifianakis, Whoopi Goldberg, David Grohl, Neil Patrick Harris, and even Selena Gomez made brief cameo appearances and were not able to add anything relevant to the storyline of the movie.
Despite these flaws in the production of the movie, there were some positive aspects. The reunion of the cast of a forgotten staple on pop-culture was uplifting, especially for the older generations who grew up with a special place in their hearts for the Muppets. The addition of Walter to the Muppet cast was interesting to watch as well, disregarding his awful satire. It is difficult to bring in a new character into a group that has had the same foundation members for decades, but Walter has his own qualities that separate him from the rest.
If you can stand to sit through a bland musical and what seems to be an endless amount of corny satire to see your favorite Muppet characters, then I encourage you to see this film.  However, it may just be a much safer bet to stay at home and watch “Muppet Treasure Island.”
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mfreter@mavs.coloradomesa.edu