The Muppets (2011)

With the help of three fans, The Muppets must reunite to save their old theater from a greedy oil tycoon.

Director:

James Bobin

Writers:

Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller,

Stars:

Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Segel	...	Gary
Amy Adams	...	Mary
Chris Cooper	...	Tex Richman
Rashida Jones	...	CDE Executive
Steve Whitmire	...	Kermit / Beaker / Statler / Rizzo / Link Hogthrob / The Newsman (voice)
Eric Jacobson	...	Miss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam Eagle / Marvin Suggs (voice)
Dave Goelz	...	Gonzo / Dr. Bunsen Honeydew / Zoot / Beauregard / Waldorf / Kermit Moopet (voice)
Bill Barretta	...	Swedish Chef / Rowlf / Dr. Teeth / Pepe The Prawn / Bobo / Foozie Bear / Whatnot Farmer / Muppet Gary (voice)
David Rudman	...	Scooter / Janice / Miss Poogy / Wayne (voice)
Matt Vogel	...	Sgt. Floyd Pepper / Camilla / Sweetums / 80's Robot / Lew Zealand / Uncle Deadly / Rowlf Moopet / Crazy Harry (voice)
Peter Linz	...	Walter (voice)
Alan Arkin	...	Tour Guide
Bill Cobbs	...	Grandfather
Zach Galifianakis	...	Hobo Joe
Ken Jeong	...	'Punch Teacher' Host

Storyline

When 3 Muppet fans learn that Tex Richman wants to drill under the Muppet Theater for oil, Gary, Mary and Walter set out to find the Muppets who have been split up for years so that they can put on one last show and save the Muppet Theater. Kermit the Frog now lives in his own mansion depressed in Hollywood, The Great Gonzo is a high class plumber at Gonzo's Royal Flush, Fozzie Bear performs with a tribute band called The Moopets, Miss Piggy is the plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, and Animal is at a celebrity anger management rehab center in Santa Barbara.

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Plot Keywords:

the muppets | tribute band | oil tycoon | modem | evil laughter | 

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Taglines:

Muppet domination

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made

Filming Locations:

Old Westbury Gardens - 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$29,239,026 (USA) (18 November 2011)

Gross:

$88,625,922 (USA) (30 March 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During an interview with Terry Gross on her National Public Radio program "Fresh Air," Jason Segel said that during filming, he observed the choreographer, Michael Rooney, giving instructions to the classic movie star Mickey Rooney (who had a cameo in the movie) and calling him "Dad." Segel went up to Michael and reprimanded him, saying "you can't just call any old man 'Dad,'" and Michael told Segel, "no, he's my actual Dad."

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Goofs

During the "Me Party" scene, Mary (Amy Adams) sits at a table, tears a roll in half, and puts a fork through each piece before making them "dance" like legs. When she stands up a moment later, the silverware is seen lying on the table, without the pieces of roll.

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Quotes

[Waldorf finishes explaining the contract]
Statler: If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were reciting some sort of important plot point.
Waldorf: I hope so. Otherwise I would've bored half the audience half to death.
Statler: You mean half the audience is still alive?

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Crazy Credits

The credits feature the cameo celebrities singing "Mahna Mahna" with their Muppet co-stars.

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Connections

References Epic Mickey (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Man or Muppet"
Written by Bret McKenzie
Performed by Jason Segel, Peter Linz, Jim Parsons, and Bill Barretta

User Reviews

A loving take on the Muppets

There are very few of us twenty-somethings who grew up without the Muppets. Between Sesame Street, Muppet Show reruns, and videocassettes of the various Muppet movies, we saw these guys all the time. We even had one or two theatrical releases of our own during the '90s. (My personal favorite of those is The Muppet Christmas Carol, which is still annual holiday viewing.) In recent years, since the very underwhelming Muppets from Space, we've seen them pop up now and again, mostly in similarly underwhelming TV projects and in short (yet hilarious!) YouTube videos. I am quite happy to say that, in this newest movie, the Muppets are back in a big way!

The movie starts by introducing us to a new Muppet, Walter, and his strangely human brother Gary. Gary has planned a trip with his girlfriend, Mary, to Los Angeles, and he is taking Walter along to visit the home of his heroes, Muppet Studios. They find the studio to be in disrepair, and hear of an evil plot to destroy it. Can the Muppets, and everything we hold dear about them, be saved? To get my one complaint out of the way, I do feel that this movie was a bit rushed in places. I wanted more time with these awesome characters, and it did feel as if they were trying to get from one place to the next a bit too quickly.

That said, I spent nearly the entire movie with a smile on my face. These are the Muppets that I grew up with, doing what they are best at doing, with that gently edgy humor at which they have always excelled. While there are some moments that are very touching, it is mostly very funny, with lots of nods to The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie. While new little Muppet fans should enjoy this, it will be much more meaningful to those who have a history with Kermit and Co.

Clearly made with love for Jim Henson and his creations of fur and felt, The Muppets is the most delightful movie I've seen in theaters this year.