The Muppets Most Wanted

I remember seeing the Muppets when I was a child; I believe my first Muppet movie was The Muppets Take Manhattan. Soon after that I fell deeply in love with The Muppets Christmas Carol. Since then I have grown up and really forgotten about them. I didn't see the recent release of The Muppets from 2011 with Amy Adams and Jason Segel but in my mind thought it was for adults with children. After seeing all the press about the new muppet film, I thought that I would give it a try and see what all the fuss is about. I am so happy I did. It was the best 112 minutes I have spent in a while - laugh out loud funny.

The opening scene sets up the story that the Muppets are making a sequel - cue the first song and dance of the film. Kermit getting the news from the studio along with Fozzie Bear who is extremely excited and trying to pitch a whole bunch of ideas to Kermit along with Gonzo, and of course the beautiful Ms. Piggy insisting that she sing a least 5 solo songs a night. We are quickly introduced to Dominic played by Rickey Gervais and soon find out he is indeed a bad guy.

If you have seen any of the marketing for this film, you are quite aware that there is a bad Kermit, Constantine, who switches places with our true Kermit and tries to take over the world by using our wonderful and beloved muppets. As the Muppets embark on a world tour to promote their comeback, they visit some very interesting places where certain possessions can be “stolen” conveniently. They travel to Russia (where Constantine takes the place of Kermit), Madrid, and London. Our sweet Kermit is mistaken for Constantine and put into the Gulag in Germany.

The film does a great job switching back from the 3 central story lines: the first being Constantine and The Muppets on their world tour; secondly Kermit being held prisoner in the Gulag in Germany; and lastly the CIA and Interpool trying to figure out who is stealing priceless artifacts. Just as you are getting invested in one, it switches to another so you don't get bored and are continually entertained. With our Muppets being the main characters, there is a pretty good amount of human love as well.

Tina Fey plays Nadya, the Gulag warden that has a secret love for Kermit, Rickey Gervais (mentioned above) as Dominic, and Ty Burrell plays Jean Pierre, the Interpool agent assigned to find the thief. Additionally, there are a multitude of cameo appearances including Tony Bennett, Hugh Boneville , Zack Galaifnaki s, Salma Hayek , Tom Hiddleston, Ray Liotta
, Fran Langella, and Celine Dion, who plays Ms. Piggy's fairy godmother.

This is a great film, full of fun, laughter, music, and mostly pure entertainment, a great time for kids and adults alike. If you are like me and have forgotten about the Muppets, take this time to re-visit your childhood and be thoroughly entertained.

“ 2 Frogs, 1 Pig, epic Mayhem.”