A perfect blend of music, comedy and nostalgia, the Muppets hits the sweet spot in delivering a movie that will deliver for adults and children alike.

Written by Jason Segel and Nick Stoller, the Muppets is everything awesome about the Muppets in a fresh package. Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) has always felt like the odd man out in his family because for some reason never addressed in the film, he is a Muppet. Ever supportive, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) introduces him to the Muppet Show and life makes a lot more sense. Walter becomes obsessed and when Gary and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) head to LA for their anniversary, Walter goes along to take a tour of Muppet studios. On the janky tour led by Alan Arkin, Walter overhears a shady deal going down between hecklers Statler and Waldorf and Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) in which Tex plans to buy the property and bulldoze it to get to the oil underneath it. The only thing that could foil his plan is if the Muppets were to come up with $10 million by a particular date which is rapidly approaching. Sadly, the Muppets have long since separated and faded out of pubic memory. It is up to Walter, Gary and Mary to hunt down Kermit and convince him that the theater is worth saving by getting the gang back together for an emergency telethon.

I have loved the Muppets since I was a little kid. It was a show that my Mom and I watched together without fail because there was something for both of us in there and that made it a little more special. I have generally loved the movies as well even when it was the gang taking on classics in literature like a Christmas Carol or Treasure Island. I am a big sucker for all things Muppet, particularly when we are talking about things involving Gonzo. From watching this new Muppet movie it is very apparent that Segel and Stoller feel the same way about the Muppets as I do as the film is dripping with love and affection as well as a real understanding of what makes the Muppets special.

As much as I like Segel and Stoller, and I like them a lot, I was concerned about the tone of the film and worried that maybe they would have a hard time tapping in to the essential Muppetness that a film like this would need. There was no worry necessary because they do a masterful job of handling the story, humor and songs.

Given the amount of story not directly involving the Muppets there was a touch of danger that the film would lose focus but that story is integrated so well that the danger is skirted entirely. There is a certain level a of fan-fiction feel here as Segel’s character is pretty clearly a Gary Sue, or character representing the fan-fiction writer who plays a pivotal role in the plot involving the established characters but given the self-referential humor here which regularly acknowledges that this is a movie and directly references the spontaneous musical numbers and such I think this is perfectly fine and most likely intentional. I don’t think he is named Gary by accident.

The highest praise I can really level here is just how right this movie feels. The characters behave as they should and the humor hits all the right notes. Aside from it being very funny, this feel really accentuates the nostalgia for those in the audience who have grown up with the Muppets or have been long time fans. It is a fair point to make that a lot of my enjoyment of the film is predicated on that sense of nostalgia but it is nostalgia for something real and full of quality. This film preserves that and as such stands on its own once nostalgia fades away. If you are a kid who has never seen the Muppets before, the genuine laughs and outrageous silliness is going to win you over.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Muppet movie without a bunch of celebrity cameos and this one has them in spades. I don’t want to list them because they make for a pleasant surprise but there are several and they are all (well except maybe one) welcome treats that I enjoyed enormously. Aside from the cameos, the human cast is exceptional. Segel looks like he is having the time of his life and Adams pulls off her tentative capitulation well without bringing the character into shrew-harpy territory. Chris Cooper is a standout as the villain who for whatever reason cannot laugh and is forced to simply say ‘maniacal laugh.’ Honestly, even if you have no soul and thus hate the Muppets (and by extension goodness, freedom and all things holy and sacred) Cooper’s rap in the middle of the film is worth the full price of admission.

Conclusion [10 out of 10]

Yeah I went there. Look, you may think I give out too many 10s or that it is silly to give it to a movie like the Muppets but honestly, with the exception of the criminal under use of Rizzo the Rat, there is nothing wrong with this movie. It made me enormously happy and brought back great memories of spending time with my Mom and years worth of joy. Aside from that it was very funny and hits all the right notes perfectly. I wouldn’t change anything about this movie at all and I loved every second of it. If you are a Muppet fan of any stripe this must be seen and seen as soon as possible.