Movie Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
158 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by David Fincher
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer

Grade:  A

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Was there really any doubt that David Fincher wouldn’t do right by the best-selling novel? From his credentials, Fincher has been pounding out some of the best thrillers in the past fifteen years (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac), and even some of the best dramas in recent memory (Benjamin Button, The Social Network). Of late, he’s found a harmony between critics and the mainstream film, collecting several Oscar nominations from movies that tally impressive worldwide grosses. So like I said again, was there any doubt Fincher wouldn’t do it again?

Fincher returns to form where most people know him best, the edge-of-your-seat thriller that is equally violent as it is engaging. Adapted by screenwriter Steve Zaillian, the 158 minute run-time of the film doesn’t drag, which makes the experience of watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that much more draining. For those who have read the books or have seen the Swedish movie version, the Fincher version isn’t a carbon copy or a remake. It’s simply an adaptation and the team of Fincher and Zaillian has produced something very special.

The story is complex with a number of characters that will spin your head silly if you don’t pay attention. Mikael has lost a libel case in court and has his entire career in a downfall, so to retreat from his situation he begins an investigation for Henrik Vanger. Henrik wants Mikael to use his reporting expertise to discover new information about the disappearance of his great-niece 40 years ago. Mikael accepts the job without acknowledging Henrik’s warning about his family.

Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander shows off some very impressive hacking skills as she teams up with Mikael to research the Vanger family. Played by Rooney Mara, she gives a brilliant performance as the troubled and disturbed goth chick with a mysterious past, but still embodies a character you want to root for. If her slender stature or soft-spoken routine gives off an idea that she’s weak, then you’re dead wrong. Mara embodies the violence and rage that is always screaming to break out. Trust me, you don’t want to be around when the beast wakes up.

There is a very dark tone throughout the length of the film, shown by the murkiness of the island and plenty of low-lit rooms. Fincher always had an eye for setting the mood throughout a film, such as the constant pouring in Se7en. Even though there is quite a significant political back-story involving the health of the independent magazine company and unleashing the truth about the corrupt Hans-Erik Wennerstrom, the real power of the film lies in the murder mystery and how Mikael and Lisbeth work together to solve the mystery.

While Mikael is the main character, there is no question that Mara’s Lisbeth steals the show. Aside from her physical transformation, she does a great job showing very small doses of true emotion, but hiding it enough to make you doubt what she really cares about and why. This is certainly the coming out party for Rooney Mara who is a fantastic, young actress.

Fincher has received much success recently from mainstream dramas but the fate of the rest of the trilogy lies in the reception of this film. He certainly didn’t shy away from stretching the boundaries of its R-rating by including a very graphic rape scene. I personally would love for Fincher to continue the series because from just this film, he has started one hell of a movie trilogy.

Movie Review: Young Adult

Young Adult (2011)
94 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Jason Reitman
Starring: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson

Grade: B-

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Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody team up again for the first time since their Academy Award-winning collaboration, Juno. This time, there is no cute cover of a love song at the end of the film to leave you smiling and humming on your way out of the theater. The feeling you’re left with after Young Adult is quite the opposite.

At the heart (or lack thereof) of the film is Mavis Gary (Theron), a 37-year-old ghost-writer of a once-popular youth adult fiction series who returns to her small hometown of Mercury, Minnesota to win over her high school boyfriend, Buddy Slade (Wilson) who is happily married with a baby. Mavis needs no convincing that what she wants is by the hand of fate and quickly mistakens Buddy’s kindness as a sign that he needs to be rescued from his loveless prison of a marriage.

The movie could’ve seriously been deficient in character depth if it wasn’t for Matt Freehauf (Oswalt), a “loser” who went to school with Mavis. She only remembers him when she sees his walking cane and realized he was the “hate-crime guy.” Matt offers the much-needed sympathy and common sense throughout a film with such a stubborn and damaged protagonist. The interactions between Theron and Oswalt are the highlights of the movie.

At the surface, Young Adult displays a walking train-wreck of a woman with a drinking problem who realizes that her current situation is far from what she dreamed about when growing up. Mavis’ immaturity is compared to the genre of fiction novels she writes, as it appeals to teenagers. But what we really have here is a woman who bathes in her own misery because she doesn’t know how to achieve true happiness. She understands happiness through other people’s reactions, such as getting married or having a baby, but she doesn’t completely get it since she’s never experienced it. So she walks down memory lane desperately searching for the answer to cure her depression, only to discover the answer isn’t in the past.

Young Adult was rarely funny and I was disappointed by this, unless the climactic embarrassing scene was meant to induce more than a nervous chuckle. However, what the film lacked as an enjoyable dramedy it made up by being a bold character-study. Still in the end, Cody has written better women leads before and even though the film’s greatest strength lies within Mavis’ weakness, it doesn’t capture the wit and sharpness of Juno.

The Golden Globes Nominations

Below are the movie categories for the Golden Globes and what it means to the race leading up to The Academy Awards. Even though I don’t like to acknowledge the Golden Globes too much, it does make a slight impact on which movies and actors are on the right path for an Oscar nomination.

 

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA
“War Horse”
“The Ides of March”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“Hugo”
“The Descendants”

Starting with the big award of the night, all of these films except for The Ides of March are expected to receive Best Picture nods. The nod to The Ides of March helps as it was also one of the top ten movies selected by the National Board of Review. But it’s still a long-shot to be nominated for Best Picture.

 

BEST PICTURE, COMEDY
“The Artist”
“50/50″
“Bridesmaids”
“My Week With Marilyn”
“Midnight in Paris”

I don’t think I’ll ever understand why this is a category, aside from allowing films like The Hangover to have its glory. Also, because The Artist is in this category it takes away from any drama that will be The Artist vs. The Descendants, as this is what the race is shaping up to be. We must remember that these are the Golden Globes and anything can happen. What I’m saying is I wouldn’t be surprised if Bridesmaids takes this category over The Artist and even Midnight in Paris. Hey, it can happen.

 

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “J.Edgar”
Ryan Gosling, “The Ides of March”
Michael Fassbender, “Shame”

The Globes really liked The Ides of March, as they rewarded Ryan Gosling with a Best Leading Actor nod. Clooney, Pitt, and DiCaprio are practically locks for Best Actor nominations for the Oscars, so expect one of them to walk away with this award. Fassbender is still in the running to receive an Oscar nomination, but still behind the race.

 

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”

There’s no surprise that Davis and Streep were among the nominees here. Swinton has definitely been receiving praise for her performance in We Need to Talk About Kevin and Mara is picking up some momentum with this nod even though the film has been shut out by most critics circles.

 

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Brendan Gleeson, “The Guard”
Owen Wilson, “Midnight in Paris”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “50/50″
Ryan Gosling, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”

The Comedy movie categories are so underwhelming that it’s insulting that The Artist has been places in here. But this is how the Globes are able to invite dozens of stars to litter their ceremony for their ratings-hungry show.

 

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jodie Foster, “Carnage”
Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”
Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”
Kate Winslet, “Carnage”

The most interesting aspect about this year’s comedy category of movies is Bridesmaids. Clearly one of the best comedies of the year, does it have what it takes to seriously be considered an Oscar contender? With actresses that are breaking out into stardom like Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, can they receive acting nominations?

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Albert Brooks, “Drive”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Viggo Mortensen, “A Dangerous Method”

This is where the Globes make a mark on the Oscar race. With ten nominees for Lead Actor and Actress, there are only five supporting actors and actresses nominated. Here, it seems that Brooks has regained some steam after being snubbed by the SAG. But the race looks to be favoring Plummer in a big way, with Branagh not too far behind.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

The Help is a big contender with Spencer and Chastain leading the way in this category. Bejo and Woodley also remain very strong in this race and you can’t forget about Melissa McCarthy, who was snubbed by the Globes.

 

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
George Clooney, “The Ides of March”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”

Once again, the Globes really went for The Ides of March. Giving Clooney a Best Directing nod was a surprise as it is unlikely he’ll get that kind of response from The Academy. I’m also very surprised that Spielberg wasn’t nominated for War Horse here. Does it really hurt his chances? Not really. The DGA is the best sign to where everyone stands in the race, not the Globes.

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What does all of this mean? Not much. Remember, the Golden Globes are not voted in by The Academy. It’s a group of approximately 100 members that make up the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that vote the winners. When you compare the prestige of The Golden Globes to The Academy Awards, it’s a landslide. But I will admit that the Globes do make up for some enjoyable programming.

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
133 minutes
Rated PG-13
Directed by Brad Bird
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton

Grade: A-

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By this time, you’ve probably seen a Mission: Impossible film, or maybe you’ve seen them all. There really isn’t anything new to the way the film plays out or the espionage style with gizmos and gadgets that could be sold to Batman. But what intrigued me the most about the fourth installment of the franchise was the director, Brad Bird. This is his live-action debut after directing some of my favorite animated features: Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and The Iron Giant.

Bird did an exceptional job with Ghost Protocol by putting all of his weight on the acceleration pedal and never letting up. I must note that I viewed the film in IMAX and even though there was only a reported 27 minutes filmed specifically for IMAX, it made the whole experience better. There’s nothing like the rumbling of an aftershock vibrating your seat.

Anyway, Tom Cruise is back as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. After being broken out of a Moscow prison by Agent Carter and Dunn, he has to enter the Kremlin to extract files to reveal the identity of Cobalt, a man threatening to nuke America. When the plan fails, the Kremlin is destroyed and the idea of terrorism is high with Agent Hunt helmed as the leader. The IMF is disavowed but they still continue with their mission to track down Cobalt and disrupt his plan to launch a nuclear attack.

There is one scene that really took my breath away while watching Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and seeing it in IMAX only made me inch closer to the edge of my seat. The scene involves Tom Cruise dangling from the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, with just a pair of electrified adhesive gloves to climb several stories. The camera shot of how high up the building really goes gave me a serious case of vertigo, as I’m already scared of heights. I was simply flabbergasted throughout the whole suspenseful scene. Please Mr. Bird, how did you shoot this and did Cruise really do this stunt himself?

Aside from that jaw-dropping scene, the film had plenty of other high-pace, energetic moments from the chase scene through a sandstorm and the multiple-level fight scene inside a large car garage that changes platforms constantly. At the center of the entire movie is a very strong performance by Tom Cruise, displaying his intensity and professionalism from beginning to end. Simon Pegg provided much comedic relief while Jeremy Renner actually had a few humorous lines as well. And Paula Patton combined sexiness with a kick-ass attitude to compliment the team.

Overall, the pacing of the film is relentless and that’s a good thing. With a running time of 133 minutes, it never drags. And just like the Bond franchise, there seems to be plenty more missions for Ethan Hunt to take, though I would be content if this were the last because I love it when franchises save the best for last.

Oscar Watch: SAG nominations announced

The 18th annual Screen Actors Guild awards will take place on TNT and TBS on January 29, 2012 at 8 p.m. Here are the nominees:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

“The Artist”
“Bridesmaids”
“The Descendants”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “J. Edgar”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton,“We Need To Talk About Kevin”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Armie Hammer, “J. Edgar”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginnners”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

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First and foremost, my initial reactions for the SAG nominations were sort of plain. The nominations for The Artist, The Descendants, and The Help were obvious, but I was quite surprised by Midnight in Paris and Bridesmaids to receive noms. I was expecting to see Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, or even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in for the running instead of Bridesmaids (not that I mind because I loved Bridesmaids).

For those who are just shrugging their shoulders and thinking, “Who cares? What does all this matter in the long run?” Let’s take a look at the past few years and see how they match up with the Academy’s Best Picture:

Last year, 2011, The King’s Speech won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast and ended up winning Best Picture. Also, Black Swan, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, and The Social Network were nominated for the SAG and all were nominated for Best Picture.

In 2010, Inglourious Basterds won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast and was also nominated for Best Picture. The other SAG nominees were An Education, The Hurt Locker, Nine, and Precious. The Hurt Locker won Best Picture and Nine was not a Best Picture nominee.

In 2009, Slumdog Millionaire won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast and also won Best Picture at the Oscars. Other SAG nominees included The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, and Milk. Only Doubt wasn’t also a Best Picture nominee.

In 2008, No Country for Old Men won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast and also won Best Picture at the Oscars. Other SAG nominees were 3:10 to Yuma, American Gangster, Hairspray, and Into the Wild. NONE were nominated for Best Picture.

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So what can we conclude? Out of the past 4 years, the movie that won SAG’s Outstanding Performance by a Cast won Best Picture THREE times. Why is that? Because the SAG makes up the largest guild of the entire Academy who votes for the Oscars. Winning the SAG award is being recognized by your peers and puts you at an advantage going into the Oscars. You most likely already have the majority of the votes by the largest guild in The Academy, it’s like you can practically see the finish line.

Anyway, all of this really enforces is that this year’s Best Picture seems to be coming down to a race between two movies: The Artist vs. The Descendants. It’s still early, but that’s really what it’s shaping up to be (unless War Horse can make a ridiculous push as the dark horse, no pun intended).

Review: Bag of Bones on A&E (2011)

Grade: C+

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On Sunday, December 11, A&E premiered their two-part television event of Stephen King’s “Bag of Bones” starring Pierce Brosnan. While it was a success in terms of being the most-watched program on cable with 3.4 million viewers (beating out the finale of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire), they killed all of the anticipation with a dull, 2-hour first part. Quite frankly, I wasn’t even sure what the story was as the clock struck 11 p.m. on Sunday night.

The movie started quickly right out of the gates, with the death of author Mike Noonan’s wife. Mike mourns his beloved wife and decides to spend some time away in a small town in western Maine where they shared a summer house. Here, Mike’s wife spent a lot of time and was friendly with most of the townspeople, which creates a suspicion of an affair that she might’ve had. He becomes acquainted with Mattie and her daughter, Kyra and joins a custody battle between her and her father-in-law, Max Devore.

Throughout, Mike is receiving signals from his wife and having nightmares of a blues singer, Sarah Tidwell. There is a significant amount of drowning in his dreams, but he’s unable to figure anything out. This is where the film tries to stir up some scares, but what ends up happening is a number of predictable tickles that are more laughable than frightening.

The first part of “Bag of Bones” was a lot of filler and not enough essence, but the fact that I devoted two hours of my life watching half of this movie guaranteed that I would return to watch the second half, which premiered on Monday, December 12 at 9 p.m.

In the second part, the pace certainly picked up from the lackluster product of the first two hours. Mike is told about the Dark Score Lake and is slowly making progress in determining what his wife was up to when she spent time here. After the death of Max Devore, the chaos surrounding Mattie seems to have settled and there is an attraction between the two. But when the truth about the Dark Score Lake, Sarag Tidwell, and how even Mike is connected, that’s when the film finally picks up.

The conclusion was a bit too neat for a horror film, but I must say the second part salvaged some of the disappointing first part. Pierce Brosnan was solid throughout the movie, but the main flaw was the screenplay, which contained plenty of laughable dialogue and not enough heart to pull this film through the thin adaptation of a 500+ page novel. I guess I can’t blame A&E entirely since my expectations were low, but I could’ve done without watching this television event.

Movie Review: Arthur Christmas (2011)

Arthur Christmas (2011)
97 minutes
Rated – PG
Directed by Sarah Smith

Grade: B+

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As the holiday season is in full swing, Arthur Christmas pumps out the laughs, joy, and heart like in every family-friendly Christmas classic. This film will most certainly be a delight for both children and adults and I think it has the lasting power to potentially last as a holiday favorite for years to come.

Arthur is a kind but goofy, young man who works in the mail room at the North Pole. He’s the younger son of the current Santa. All expectations are that Santa will retire after this Christmas to make way for the technology-savvy, military-minded older brother of Arthur, Steve, but his anticipation is crushed when Santa declares he’s keeping his title for at least one more year. This creates a division inside the family.

The night takes a turn when their 100% delivery status to every child in the world winds up being untrue: there is one gift left behind and that means one child won’t have a gift on Christmas day. Santa and Steve are content with having an almost-perfect Christmas Eve, but Arthur believes this crisis must be resolved before Christmas morning. He, Grand-Santa, and Bryony (a gift-wrapping elf) embark on their journey to deliver the bicycle to the little girl, Gwen.

Let me just point out that the opening sequence of the hi-tech elves diving from the S-1 to drop the gifts underneath everyone’s Christmas tree was greatly entertaining and exhilarating. While the use of 3-D isn’t necessary to enjoy Arthur Christmas, it does enhance the many action scenes quite a bit.

Practically every Christmas film is about restoring the faith of the holiday and of Santa, and Arthur Christmas is no exception. But there is such a refreshing factor within this animated feature that I couldn’t help myself embracing the child inside of me. The film was full of cleverness, comedy, and holiday spirit, which makes it the perfect family Christmas movie of the year.

Movie Review: Hugo (2011)

Hugo (2011)
127 minutes
Rated – PG
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Chloe Grace Moretz

Grade:  A-

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The word “magical” is the most important word that comes to mind when describing Martin Scorsese’s latest tale. Despite popular belief, Hugo is not a film that children will enjoy. It is a fantastic triumph in capturing imagination from a mature audience through the eyes of a young boy in search for answers. I’m not used to saying this at all but I must admit that the 3-D technology is fabulous in Hugo. If you do intend to see it, do yourself a favor and throw on those plastic glasses and go for the ride.

Based on a book from Brian Selznick, the story is set in early 1930s Paris where the young, orphaned Hugo (Butterfield) lives and works in a train station. He keeps maintaining the clocks so no one will suspect his drunken uncle to be missing and throw him in an orphanage. Hugo’s greatest passion is to fix a broken automaton that his passed father saved from the museum and hoped to repair. It is believed that the automaton can write and Hugo suspects it has a message from his father.

A piece to the mystery surrounding the automaton lies within Papa Georges (Kingsley), a toy shop owner who falls victim of Hugo’s thieving lifestyle. But when Hugo befriends his goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), the two children embark on their adventure.

Hugo is a very ambitious film from legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. It’s his first on the new medium, but don’t let the children-heavy, imaginative story fool you. This is a very deep and thoughtful film about the magic of films and how it affects those who share a deep love for it. Hugo is poetic and plays on several levels. It can be a brief history on the origin and breakthrough of movies, and it can serve as Scorsese expressing his own passion for films and how he’s breaking new ground with the 3-D technology. And let me just say where many have tried and failed with dark and blurry images, he hit a homerun on his first at-bat.

As for the leads, Butterfield didn’t give a spectacular performance, while Kingsley and Moretz were strong but nothing special. The real performance is Scorcese at the throne, reminding all of us that he is still the king of cinema. Hugo will make you recall the first movie you watched and the way it made you feel. Were you surprised that such emotion and joy could be captured on a reel being projected onto a screen? Did you instantly fall in love with the magic of movies? Did you create an imaginary bond with your favorite filmmakers throughout the years? I certainly have, and Hugo simply reminded me.

Movie Review: The Descendants (2011)

The Descendants (2011)
115 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Alexander Payne
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley

Grade: A

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There is a deep satisfaction that I felt after watching The Descendants, Alexander Payne’s first film in years since the incredible Sideways. I laughed, I most certainly teared up (if I was watching the film solo, I definitely would’ve weeped quite a bit), and I became invested in the plot along with every character from the movie. This is the most complete film of the year by the way it works perfectly with the theme of imperfection.

George Clooney stars at Matt King, father of two, husband to a wife in a coma from a boating accident, lawyer, and the sole trustee of 25,000 acres of prime land on the island of Kaua’i. There is a huge monetary benefit to the entire family if the land is sold, but King has bigger fish to fry. This includes telling his rebellious, teen daughter Alexandra (Woodley) and younger daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) that their mother isn’t going to wake up from her coma. As if that wasn’t hard enough to begin with, Alexandra brings another plot point to her dad’s attention: that her mom was having an affair with another man before her accident.

This film is layered with doses of reality and consists of characters that you can relate to. One thing is for sure, you certainly feel for Matt King and really root for the hero of the film during his darkest hours. Whether he finds himself frustrated with his daughters, under attack from his step-father, or spitting out words of anguish towards his comatose wife, Matt King is the center of the film and takes every inch given to him in stride. Payne has always had an excellent eye for detail in what drives characters to and from each other and his attention to detail in The Descendants doesn’t disappoint.

George Clooney really shows off his acting chops as the struggling father and Shailene Woodley surprises as his oldest daughter. The two make up for many compelling interactions and conversations throughout the film that results in some of the most touching moments of the year. Even in a movie with such serious and tragic themes, there are plenty of smiles and humor along their journey, especially Alexandra’s surfer-dude friend, Sid.

There was a point in the film when I thought that there was just too much being piled up against Matt King, but after I thought about it, this is exactly the sort of thing that happens in everyday life. Life throws you a curveball, and then another, and before you know it you’re underneath an avalanche about to cave in. The single thing that helps the most during these situations are the people who surround you, your friends and family.

Also, Matt King isn’t a bad guy, but he’s merely human, just like everyone else in the film. We all make mistakes, but what really defines you is how you deal with the mistakes. King has to prepare himself for a world without his wife, and at the same time mend his relationship with his distant daughters, deal with his demanding cousins and gain closure from his wife’s affair. In the end, Matt King deserves the title of “hero.”

Movie Review: The Muppets (2011)

The Muppets (2011)
98 minutes
Rated – PG
Directed by James Bobin
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermit the Frog

Grade:  B

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As a 26-year-old, I might not have grown up with The Muppets like my parents did, but they showed no mercy by smothering me with every single one of their movies and practically ever Muppet Show episode. To say the least, I’m a fan of The Muppets in a great way, though not as big of a fan as Walter was in the film. Anyway, thanks to my parents, I feel that I was able to enjoy the nostalgia factor in The Muppets, along with the silly dance-routines, songs and jokes. For that very reason, The Muppets is definitely a treat for the adults as much as it is for kids.

The plot is simple and almost irrelevant. The Muppet Studio is about to be torn down by Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to get the oil underneath. Ravid Muppet fan, and Muppet-like himself, Walter travels with his brother Gary (Segel) and his girlfriend Mary (Adams) attempt to reunite the Muppet gang together for one last show/marathon to raise the $10 million they need to keep the Studio.

Co-written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, they were able to capture the bubbly and goofy nature of The Muppets along with the sly adult remarks throughout the film. The musical numbers were also impressive, either forcing your foot to tap along to the incredibly catchy beat or pulling at your heart-strings with a power-ballad. But like every Muppet movie, the human roles were limited and the real stars are the furry puppets, full of personality and heart.

While this is certainly a Muppet film for the current generation (just observe all of the cameos throughout), there is a big part that is directed towards the adults in the crowd who will recall their childhood memories of watching The Muppet Show. This is done with plenty of old Muppet Show footage, classic skits, and recycling old songs such as the show-stopper “Rainbow Connection.”

Overall, The Muppets is one of the more crowd-pleasing films in recent memory. Whether you grew up with the colorful, dancing and singing Muppets or this is the first time you’re witnessing the magic that they present, you will surely walk away from the theater with a smile on your face and admittedly be a fan of the Muppets.