The Thumbcast Blog

The Muppets - about to have their collars felt...

It’s easy to say the Muppets are of their time. But what time is that? The 70s TV show that managed to entertain and subvert at the same time? The 80s big screen outings? The 90s revival of Muppets Tonight and Christmas Carol? It all largely depends on what age you are.

The one sure thing among that, though, is the iconic Muppet Show. There’s not many TV programmes that can combine vaudeville, felt and Chris Langham and still have a place in the collective hearts of so many people.

The new film, written by and starring Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s Jason Segel, manages to successfully straddle the line between ages, recalling the glory of those early Muppet stories and the capers of the cinema stories, while still bringing a new slant on the idea of the characters.

This isn’t a kids film, despite the U certificate. There’s enough slapstick and silliness in it to keep all but the most junior of cinema goers entertained, certainly, but the film is aimed squarely at the 20 and 30 something parents who grew up with the Muppets on the small and big screen.

And it’s a film about relationships. Gary and Mary have been going out for 10 years, but he can’t ask her to marry him because he still lives with, and is tied to, his brother Walter. Kermit and Piggy’s relationship broke up because the Frog was afraid to commit to her. The Muppets themselves have failed to find happiness separately because they need to exist as a collective – a family – in order to work.

They are the epitome of the line in Spaced about the family of the 21st century being made up of friends, not relatives. Saving the Muppet Theatre, under threat from an evil businessman, is merely a McGuffin to bring them all together – not just in terms of plot, but also for the characters themselves.

There’s also another layer beneath this, though – the lure of nostalgia and fandom.

We live in a time when formats and franchises are brought back on seemingly a whim to fill a hole in the cinema or TV schedules – some famous, some more obscure (anyone remember the Mod Squad remake). In many cases these are driven by the cynical needs of television or film executives, but sometimes – Doctor Who being a good example – the power of nostalgia and the constant awareness of the brand as a pop culture icon means those responsible for an aged format’s return are fans of the original.

And thus such a restoration is played out within The Muppets itself – the return of the original gang as a film in its own right is matched in very knowing terms within the script, wherein the plot is driven by Walter’s own love of the Muppets and his almost obsessive desire to celebrate and restore them to their rightful place in pop culture – restoring the dilapidated and aged Muppet Theatre to its former glory.

In this respect then Segel, himself an avid fan of the Muppets with a tendency to bring a healthy dose of autobiography to his scripts, is basically the real-world Walter.

Right, Kermode wank hat back on the peg. What about the movie itself?

The Muppets is a wonderful film. Funny, charming, clever on about a dozen other levels, and performed with a real sense of people-giving-a-toss. There’s nothing cynical about bringing back the Muppets – either in the context of the film, or in the wider world. They’ve always been a brilliantly realised creation, even in their weakest big screen outings, and Segel does justice to them in a story that gives the key characters their moment while making sure the rest of the gang aren’t just a wash of felt in the background.

The playful sense of meta surrounding the film never overstays its welcome, with characters acknowledging they’re in a movie – Rowlf even expressing his unhappiness at being left out of a montage sequence – without it ever becoming intrusive. There’s no nods and winks to the cameras, just an appreciation that this is a world where the lead characters are made of felt and everyone’s prone to burst into song and dance – or in Chris Cooper’s case, a fantastic rap number supported by dancing girls.

The music, by the way, is up there with the best Muppets productions. They were overseen by Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords, and there’s certainly a slightly Conchords feel about their orchestration and the writing. That’s not a criticism by any stretch of the imagination – quite the opposite, in fact, and the Oscar nominated Muppet or a Man is outstanding, secret cameo and all.

I read a review of the Muppets which complained there weren’t enough big name celebrities in it. Given that the producers felt they could afford to cut cameos from the likes of Ricky Gervais (barely visible in a song and dance number) and Ben Stiller, I’d suggest the reviewer was watching with their eyes shut. It’s not that the cameos aren’t there – they are – but they’re a generational thing. As such the likes of Mickey Rooney can share a reel with Donald Glover and Ken Jeong from Community without it being an issue.

The Muppets was never really about using celebrities anyway, it was about using celebrities CORRECTLY. It’s entirely in keeping with the meta nature of the film that you don’t want them mugging to camera or making a big deal of Sarah Silverman popping up for one line.

It’s hard to fault the Muppets, to be honest. There’s the odd bit that doesn’t quite work, a couple of the voices aren’t quite right at times, and Amy Adams doesn’t nearly have enough to do even despite getting two songs to herself. But then along comes a barbers shop quartet performing Smells Like Teen Spirit, or a nailed-on recreation of the original Muppet Show opening sequence, or Animal… well, being Animal, really. And then you forget where you are and revert to being a seven year old with a big daft grin on your face.

And 80s Robot deserves his own spin-off.  Seriously.  You’ll know what I mean when you see it.

Oh, one final thing. When you go to see it – and let’s face it, you will be going to see it – make sure you get there in time for the Toy Story short beforehand. A brilliantly funny little story about a cheeky Drive Thru toy version of Buzz usurping the original, who ends up in a therapy group for abandoned burger restaurant toys.

Segal and co apparently turned to Pixar for some writing polish on the Muppets script, and given how closely both films cover the same themes and ground, it seems only fitting that Toy Story provide the hors d’oeuvres to the main Muppet course.