THE CRITIC: “Muppets Most Wanted” Review
Who doesn’t love the Muppets? The lovable combination of Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo and all the rest have been delighting audiences for decades and were revived on the big screen back in 20122 by mega fans and funny men Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller in Disney’s “The Muppets.” The movie was directed by “Flight of the Conchords” alum James Bobin and became a critical and financial success, even taking home an Oscar for music supervisor and fellow “Flight of the Conchords” alum Bret McKenzie‘s song “Man or Muppet.”
As a fan of the Muppets for all of my life, I could not have loved “Muppets Most Wanted,” opening this Friday, any more. Silly, fun and clever, it’s a return to the brand of Muppet humor that I grew up with, my favorite Muppet movie being “The Great Muppet Caper.” And while I love Jason Segel, I much prefer the human/ Muppet interaction in this installment of the franchise. Ricky Gervais is hilarious playing “Number Two” to evil Kermit imposter Constantine, the World’s Number One Criminal. The pair’s duet “I’m Number One” is a true, old school movie musical show stopper with Gervais and Constantine singing, dancing, and having a ball.
I also can’t say enough good things about Ty Burrell. Since I’m not a fan of “Modern Family,” I’m not the most familiar with his work, but Burrell steals every scene he is in as French Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon. Tina Fey, Danny Trejo, Ray Liotta and Jemaine Clement round out the human cast and, in true Muppet fashion, there are additional cameos to boot.
I had the pleasure of screening the film sitting next to a seven year old girl and she was having almost as much fun as I was. The thing that is so much fun about “MMW” is that they’re not afraid to be get silly without being stupid. All in all, it’s just a really good time.
“Muppets Most Wanted” opens in theaters everywhere this Friday!
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