Big Screen Peter: The Muppets

The Muppets hold a dear spot in many hearts. They are earnest little creatures, their songs often evoke a feeling of possibility.

This underlying feeling of hopefulness, though born of another era, is what really drives the latest Muppet movie starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams.

The movie is unabashed. Consistently removing the fourth wall, the movie courts its audience by speaking to its intent. It pokes fun of the expectations for such kid-friendly movies. The Muppets movie, in many ways, sets up as a self-conscious plug for societal holes. With self-conscious positivity, it wants the audience to believe in something more, something beyond the status quo. It’s a whimsical cry for utopian unison.

And it’s difficult to be negative in the face of such beautiful positivity. What’s not to like about playful banter, cute dance numbers, and heartfelt lyrics? Is disparaging such spirit anything but misanthropy?

To the first? There’s always something. To the second?  Borderline misanthropy at the least.

The movie begins by introducing the audience to the characters of Walter and Gary, two brothers growing up in Smallville, USA — population 102. The world they inhabit is a fantasy, a caricature of 1950s perfection. Gary is played by Jason Segel. And he’s quite appropriate for the role. He has the innocent charisma necessary to star opposite a bunch of puppets. Walter on the other hand, is a puppet. While Gary grows, Walter is stuck at a height of 3 foot. Never really fitting in, he becomes entranced by the Muppets.

Both characters are set up as proxies for the guilelessness of youth. And, in an intriguing twist, The Muppets themselves — out of the spotlight and down on their luck — represent the cynicism of experience. Reality is always lurking in life, especially when the lights go down on the show.

Like most Muppet features, the premises behind the action are tenuous at best. This feature, directed by James Bobin, is no different. In fact, having spent most of his career previous to this as a writer and director for “Da Ali G Show” and “The Flight of the Conchords,” such inanities are probably a strong suit.

There is the 10-year anniversary ploy that gets Walter, Gary, and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) to L.A. in the first place. And then there is the amazingly maniacal Chris Cooper, an evil oil baron named Tex Richman that’s intent on tearing down the Muppets studio and theater. Why? Because he wants to drill for oil. Right in the middle of Los Angeles (that noise you hear is Zach Morris calling on his giant phone because he wants his Saved By the Bell plot device back).

Muppets movies aren’t about what’s believable. Their whole existence is based on the premise that they live intwined with the human world. Instead, the heart of the Muppets, has always been about escapist joy. All emotions are refracted through song and dance. Failures aren’t ever really failures, just roadblocks toward that utopia on the horizon.

This movie is no different. It’s self-deprecating and warm, representing the possibilities held by the human spirit. The Muppets, at their best, become better than their sum parts, making audiences believe in that vision through whimsical humor. This movie, though not perfect, achieves that plane.

• The Muppets is playing at the Carmike 14 and the Malco Cinema 16 in Fort Smith, and the Malco Van Buren Cinema. Link here for time and ticket info.

The Muppets is for fans of feel good flicks and/or nostalgia trips. Wallace & Gromit, Elf, A Christmas Story, Father of the Bride, Happy Feet.

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