The Muppets

Released: 2011
Comedy, Family
Director: James Bobin
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper
Running Time: 103 minutes
Rated: PG

The breakdown: The Muppets return to their old glory of the 80's television show to save their old studio from being demolished.

What happens when Jason Segel is allowed to write a movie for The Muppets and it gets produced?  This disappointing and depressing movie is released for The Muppets.  I don't want to write this review, but I have to.  : (

I've always loved The Muppets.  Back in the 80's I watched the television show and went to all the movies.  They were so funny, cute, and witty.  Unfortunately this was the worst Muppet film I have ever seen.
In the past, Frank Oz has always had something to do with the directing, and voice acting, for the Muppets, but he left this project because he was unhappy with the script.  So was I.  I don't blame him for abandoning the director's chair on this one.

So the plot....
A pair of brothers, one human, one muppet (don't ask) live together their whole lives, even into adulthood.  The muppet brother is a big fan of The Muppets and watches all the old videos.  When the human brother has his 10 year anniversary of dating the same woman, he decides to take them all on a trip to Los Angeles, but especially to see the old Muppets studio that is now closed (since I'm guessing it's supposed to be 2011 in this movie.)  Anyway, they all get to the studio and through a mishap, the muppet brother is trapped hiding in a room when a very rich oil tycoon comes in and starts discussing how he will buy up the old studio and demolish it for the oil underneath.  After they leave, the muppet tells his brother of what happened and they start a journey to find all the old Muppets to get them back together to find out what to do.  Kermit comes up with the idea of getting everyone back on tv in their old studio to tape a telethon to raise 10 million dollars to buy the studio and keep it safe.
The rest of the movie shows how they find each former tv cast member doing some sad things like owing a plumbing company, or doing a terrible gig in Reno with Muppet impersonators.

What's worse there's a lot of no talent idiot actors in the movie like Jack Black, and Sarah Silverman.

It wasn't a terrible movie, no, but by far, the worst Muppet related one ever.  The lack of Frank Oz's influence over the movie shows immediately, but Jason Segel (whoever he is) isn't a good writer for The Muppets, and isn't a very impressive actor either.

I only laughed a couple times due to a background sheep trying to eat things he shouldn't like blankets and papers.  Otherwise, not even a smile....and by the way, the humans singing?  Really bad.  The movie lacked a connection for me.  It also lacked a heart, laughs, romance, chemistry, oh I could go on.

If you like the Muppets, you might like this despite all of it's short comings.  But if you like Beaker, or Pepe like I do, they are sadly not in enough scenes.  Pepe only has one, and Beaker a few.

2 out of 5 for Beaker, Pepe, and a cute sheep that eats everything in the background in 2 scenes, otherwise, a sad film.