It's as unlikely as an erotic thriller spawning a "Smurfs" movie, but it was a raunchy sex comedy called "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" that sparked the rebirth of "The Muppets."
It was in that film that star Jason Segel's character, a musician, professed his love for puppetry and had been writing a musical version of "Dracula"... using puppets. A scene where he plays one of the numbers from that song revealed a wonderful, layered song from the point of view of the granddaddy of all vampires, and the later scene where he actually realizes his dream is a fantastic sequence.
It was just after "Sarah Marshall" that the grumblings of Segel's real-life interest in the Muppets surfaced, leading to rumors that he wanted to relaunch the franchise. And so he did, with this self-aware, kinda-existing-in-the-real-world musical, but somehow the specter of Dracula clouds the film.
"The Muppets," ironically, are second bananas in their own movie, which centers around brothers Gary (Segel) and Walter (voice of Peter Linz), the latter of whom strongly resembles a Muppet. No one really notices, or says anything, but he somehow feels different.
Walter also clings to his brother (not just because of static, mind you), to the secret chagrin of Mary (Amy Adams), Gary's longtime girlfriend (working on their 10-year anniversary, though they're not married; again, Gary can't leave Walter). She wants a little alone time with Gary, who doesn't seem to understand his relationship with his little brother isn't good for her.
So when Gary suggests to Mary that they take Walter on their Hollywood getaway, she's less than thrilled. Walter is excited to take a tour of Muppet Studios, where "The Muppet Show" was filmed years ago, but today is rundown and deserted with holes in the roof and birds in the rafters.
There, they meet an evil oil tycoon (as if there's any other kind), played marvelously by Chris Cooper, who is buying the studio with promises of renovating it for the Muppets, but he's really planning to level it and drill for oil. Yes, in Hollywood.
Gary and Walter discover his nefarious plot and run down Kermit the Frog to get the band back together in hopes of an 11th-hour rescue of the historic building. But they find a frog beaten down by life and the breakup of his troupe of comedic puppets, who is reluctant to find his old buddies for one more run.
There's precious little in the way of real development in the characters, who have gone their separate ways; Fozzie leads aMuppet tribute band called "The Moopets," Gonzo is a manufacturing magnate, and Miss Piggy, whose romance with Kermit fizzled years ago, is a fashion designer in Paris.
Gary and Walter lead Kermit around the world to put the band back together with plans for relaunching "The Muppet Show" or at least holding a telethon to raise $10 million to buy back the studio.
Oh, and did I mention it was a musical? There are several numbers; Segel gets the lion's share, including the film's best, where Gary and Walter each wonder lyrically if they're Muppets or men ("If I'm a Muppet, I'm a manly Muppet," they croon. "If I'm a man, I'm a Muppet of a man" ). It's a fantastic number that approaches the greatness of Segel's Dracula number from "Marshall."
Unfortunately, the other numbers don't fare so well, with respected movie stars acting silly, from Adams belting out a diner ditty to Cooper breaking into the first rap number I've ever seen in a musical. It's all very irreverent and fun but also comes off as awkward at times.
And the Muppet subplots, especially that with Kermit and Piggy, aren't always as interesting as they could be, and it's borderline cliche at this point as reunion tours go. It just doesn't feel as compelling as it could.
Some of them also have working, visible CGI legs for the first time. It's not overdone, but it is kind of distracting and creates an odd vibe.
And it relies too much on its self-awareness (especially Fozzie, who again points out several times that we're in a movie), which is a little too precious for its own good, and a slew of celebrity cameos. We would have been better served with them focusing on what they did well for all of those old tricks. It feels like they're doing it out of habit, borne more of expectation than joy.
But still, "The Muppets" is a nice little bit of nostalgia, a fun trip down memory lane with some fun gags, a couple of legitimately witty jokes and a nice sense of humor. But it mostly just made me feel nostalgic for "Muppet Babies," for my money the greatest cartoon series of all time (and shouldn't this finally spark a DVD release of that series?)
But there is still something missing. I wish I could put my finger on it.