The Muppets

Don't call it a comeback. The Muppets never went away.

Jason Segel stars as Gary - a lovable guy from Smalltown, USA who has been dating Mary (Amy Adams) for ten years (I guess Beyonce isn't played on the radio in Smalltown). To celebrate, they are taking a trip to Hollywood, where they hope to see the old Muppets studio and theater. Because he loves The Muppets more than anyone else on the planet, Mary and Gary agree to bring along Gary's brother, Walter (who is a muppet).

While touring the dilapidated, abandoned studio, Walter learns an evil, subtly named businessman, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), is taking the land and bulldozing the studio because billions of dollars in oil lie underneath. The only way he can be stopped is if The Muppets come up with $10 million to buy out the contract.

Even though they have gone their separate ways, can Kermit and the gang reunite to put on a show to save the Muppet studio?

Will Miss Piggy agree to come back from France?

As a lover of The Muppets, I was worried (OK, I was darn right scared to death) they would get ruined by studio executives trying to "modernize" them and make them "hip" for a new generation. Luckily, co-writer and star Jason Segel realized you shouldn't mess with a formula that works. Obviously, every kid on the planet likes a frog who sings about rainbows, and that's what you get in The Muppets.

Segel and co-writer Nicholas Stoller give us The Muppets the way we always loved them and want to continue to do so. It's a respectful, admiring, love letter to Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and the entire Muppet team as they show the same characteristics, sense of humor and ultra meta self-awareness we can love today as much as we loved back in the 70's and 80's. They don't need to change, so Segel and Stoller fill the movie with all sorts of references to the great moments in Muppet history, while also giving the new generation of kids lots of goofiness to enjoy.

Then, director James Bobin makes the script come to life like a classic Muppets adventure adding some visual flair to the great written lines. I wish they spent more time showing us what has become of each major muppet as Kermit goes around the world to track them all down, but the stories we do see are entertaining and feel just like this is what would have happened. Plus, he brings out the story's themes of friendship, reminiscing about the good old days and teamwork in a poignant way that doesn't feel forced or thrust upon us. We feel it. I dare you not to shed one, lonely tear dripping down your manly unshaven cheek when Kermit sings The Rainbow Connection.

Sure, I was worried when I heard they came up with a new muppet, but, as I remembered during The Muppets, Rudolph wasn't one of Santa's original reindeer, and that worked out OK.

The Muppets is rated PG for some mild rude humor