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The Muppets | Metro Parent Movie Review
In The Muppets, Kermie and friends return for their first film in more than a decade.
If you're happy and you know it ... then you probably just walked out of the super-sweet The Muppets, blithely entertained by its irresistible cheeriness.
The new (finally here!) installment – a nostalgic throwback for those who remember the magic of The Muppets Movie, and a fantastic first for the kids – is an infectious, heartwarming and life-affirming flick for the family. It does exactly what you'd want this time of year: spread holiday cheer. With silly and relevant humor, flashy musical numbers (that first one, to "Life's a Happy Song," is joy on steroids) and a charming storyline involving new Muppet Walter – the world's most beloved puppets make a triumphant and most welcome return.
In this comeback within a comeback, Walter, who’s never quite fit in, loves the Muppets like your kids like Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift. He has the watch and the T-shirt, and now he's taking the next step in fandom, with his brother Gary (Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams in ultra adorable Enchanted mode) in tow: A trip to the old Muppet Theater in L.A., now an unkempt establishment that nobody cares about except an oil tycoon who wants to profit off the property and destroy it for good. Walter, of course, can't let that happen. The plan: Get the ol' gang back together and show people that the Muppets still matter.
Since 1999's Muppets from Space, the popular puppets have been MIA on the big screen, and in Disney's reboot we catch up with all the characters: Kermit the Frog's living lavishly, but missing the good ol' days with his puppet pals; Little Miss Piggy is a diva magazine editor in Paris (and The Devil Wears Prada's Emily Blunt, in one of many star cameos, makes an appearance as her hoity-toity assistant a la Meryl Streep). Once our favorite felt friends reunite, they bust butt to renovate the theater and hold a one-night telethon, reminding folks why we loved them in the first place.
It'll charm you and the kids with its gosh-darn cute story of what really matters in life and the enduring power of friendship. With Muppets’ wise cracks and hat-tips to family faves like Pee-wee Herman, the family flick is the best reboot of heyday kids' movies, easily eclipsing The Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunks. And it's definitely one of the happiest movies you'll see all year. For that, go ahead: Clap your hands.
Rated PG for mild rude humor. 98 minutes.
Flashback to one our favorite frog's finer moments ...
