Mahna Mahna

Until today, I have not had much blog ammo (I am sure I will in the next couple of weeks).  However, I just saw The Muppets.  I was incredibly excited as I am a complete Muppet freak....and I don't care who knows it.  I own at least three stuffed Kermits and attempted to steal a very large one from a former boyfriend.  I also have a Kermit costume for my baby, the entire Muppet Show on DVD, more than five Muppet Books, and an oil painting of Kermit and Jim Henson.  How is that for letting my freak flag fly?!?

My first introduction to the Muppets was the Muppet Show, which is pretty much Saturday Night Live with characters created by Jim Henson.  This is probably why I (and critics) enjoyed The Muppets more than some people (namely my two brothers who are more familiar with Muppets from Space).  The Muppets is essentially an homage to The Muppet Show.  I thought things like Skeeter as the stage manager and the random goat eating things backstage were awesome because I remember that from childhood.  The classic Muppet cameos were all over the place and Jim Henson's message of love was there. However, there were a few things that I thought were not up to Muppet standards...

It didn't feel as "smart" as past Muppet movies.  One of the key elements of the Muppets is their subtle humor.  As Jim Henson said, "If you keep it more abstract, it's almost more pure. It's a cooler thing."  Muppet movies are supposed to be funny (not just to kids).  For example, in The Great Muppet Caper, Fozzie and Kermit are identical twins....obviously.

 
In Muppets from Space, Rizzo has a poster in his room of the "Mice Girls".

Another key Muppet element is believable relationships between people and Muppets (even if the acting is corny).  There didn't seem to be anything real about Jason Segel and Amy Adams...it was more parody than anything.  Half of what makes Muppets funny is that a lot of the time, the people around them don't see them as different at all.  I 100% believe that Charles Grodin has a thing for Miss Piggy.  You can see the passion in his eyes in the picture below.

I also think that the Muppet "newcomers" were not showcased enough.  I understand that the focus was The Muppet Show, but Rizzo the Rat and Pepe the Prawn are hilarious and should have been misbehaving in the background throughout the movie.

In conclusion, it was worth seeing.  I hope that this movie does bring the Muppets back into the mainstream.  Maybe this movie will lead to even better Muppet movies that stay truer to Jim Henson's humor and outlook on life.  Either way, I feel lucky for having discovered the magic of Jim Henson and the Muppets.