All Things Felty

It's not that my life has been dull for the past two months (Fair Day, my birthday, on-going sewing adventures, etc.),  I have just been too distracted to actually sit down and write. Now, I cannot let the incredible experience of The Muppets, Jason Segel's revival of a beloved institution, pass by without commenting on it.

To say I love all things Jim Henson is such an understatement that I'm not sure there is a word that adequately describes my passion. Therefore, I always approach a new Muppet project with a skeptical eye. (Actually, I'm more disappointed that Disney fought so hard to acquire the Muppets and then essentially did nothing with them.) Enter Jason Segel and his own adoration for the Muppets. I have been anticipating this movie for at least a year when I first heard buzz that it was in the works.

The beauty behind the film is that the Muppets have fallen into obscurity and need to get back together. We get to see what happened to all our beloved faves once the world began to spin in technological circles. CGI has invaded our brains and many children no longer appreciate the skill and wonder in making a puppet ride a bicycle. How would this adventure fare?

We arrived in plenty of time for our midnight showing which was sold out:)! We got the best seats in the house and settled in for good ole fashioned chuckles. I was not disappointed! Segel knew exactly how to bring the Muppets back in a big way. 

The jokes were perfect! My favorite scene involved Jack Black, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Beaker, and an axe. That was followed closely by a cameo from Jim Parsons, a chicken rendition of C-Lo Green's "F*** You," and traveling by map.  It seemed simple enough in concept, but so much more sophisticated when I thought about all the past Muppet humor that brought out the "ha-has." For instance, the Muppets stopping Charles Grodin from nabbing the infamous Baseball Diamond and a ball game breaking out (The Great Muppet Caper). Hilarious! Or Fozzie declaring, "I don't know how to thank you guys" and Kermit responding "I don't know why to thank you guys" after the Electric Mayhem "camouflages" a Studebaker to protect the travelers from Doc Hopper (The Muppet Movie).

There were also moments when The Muppets made mention of the fact they were making a movie (Fozzie commenting on the cost of the explosion of Gonzo's plumbing business) that matched a scene from The Great Muppet Caper where Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg) begins a long rant about her worthless brother Nicky and when asked why she does this says, "It's plot exposition. It has to go somewhere." Genius! Even the villain, Tex Richman, was on par with Doc Hopper when it came to his nasty-not-niceness. It was like Segel took all that was brilliant and good about the Muppets and gave those of us continuing to praise the vision of Henson an early Christmas present! (I am currently putting together a Thank You/fan letter to Segel.)

Some of my friends argued that they took their kids and were not impressed. First problem: THE MUPPETS WERE NEVER MEANT FOR CHILDREN. Henson, at one point, was even dismayed that so many people only associated him with Sesame Street which hindered his more complex comedic side he tried to showcase during the first season of SNL and throughout The Muppet Show. He fully intended to create a variety show with his Muppets that focused on humor for adults. That's more proof of the master creator Henson was because the older I get, the funnier the Muppets are. Sure my two-year-old loves Sesame Street and Kermit's banjo playing, but he won't truly appreciate the ingenuity behind the jokes until he is old. However, I believe you must train them when they are young. Otherwise, you live a very bleak, Muppetless existence, and that's just sad.