Fish and Cherries Productions

Muppets Most Wanted is by no means a bad film, but it has its share of serious flaws. Apart from parts of the plot feeling very contrived and the Muppets feeling out of focus for the first half of their own movie, the tone is really dark for a Muppet movies, the parts where they move via strings or special effects dip into the uncanny valley, and quite a few of the jokes towards the Interpol officer feel very mean-spirited. However, quite a few of the positive notes are really good. The songs stand out, especially the Interrogation Song, the fourth wall jokes are spot on, there were some really clever moments in the humor and the writing, and the stuff where the Muppets play an important role is pretty engaging. On the whole, though, I feel a little let down, especially since the previous movie was so good and uplifting. It’s worth a watch, but I’d give it a matinee or a rental.

Okay, so after sitting on this piece for a little bit, my opinion on the movie has softened quite a bit. This is mainly because the good parts of the movie have stayed with me and stand out in my memory really vividly. I still think it’s a bit dark for a Muppet movie, but the good stuff was still good fun.

The Muppets is a movie that’s very odd for me to talk about, since I really liked it and yet still found it incredibly cheesy. And that was probably the whole point. Also, Chris Cooper raps. There exists a page on TV Tropes called Sweet Dreams Fuel for works that will put people in a good mood and make them feel great inside, which describes this movie perfectly. The sets and costumes are bright, colorful, and inviting, the entire cast plays well off of each other, and the villain, played by Chris Cooper, is cheesy and over the top while still being effectual. And he raps. There’s two ways to look at this movie. The first is as the anti-Ted; both have a human and a stuffed being living together in a state of arrested development that perturbs the human’s lady love, but not only is it a lot less raunchy and cynical than Ted, but in this case, it’s more of the stuffed guy’s journey that acts as the pivotal point for their relationship to work. Another is as a meta commentary of the Muppet phenomenon as a whole; in the modern day of the movie (as well as real life), the Muppets have fallen out of favor in the public eye and they have to put on a performance to try and win back the crowd and see if they can get enough money to keep their name alive. Taken out of context, that could easily describe the stakes of the movie itself. In which Chris Cooper raps. Apart from that, I don’t know what else to say. It’s the Muppets. It’s got songs, it’s got really witty humor, it’s got celebrity guests like you wouldn’t believe, it’s got everything that put the Muppets on the map in the first place. And it’s got Chris Cooper rapping. So after all is said and done, especially after the reprise of The Rainbow Connection brought actual tears to my eyes (something very few movies have achieved), I can’t give anything but a glowing recommendation.

Seriously, though, why did Chris Cooper rap? And why did I not know that I needed that in my life until now?