For a few misguided minutes over the holiday weekend I almost considered watching Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 in hopes of getting a glimpse of this half breed vampire baby that has been the talk of my office for months. In a moment of clarity I opted for The Muppets instead. Monday Morning Water Cooler Spoiler: No demon baby yet and Breaking Dawn sucks even by Twihard standards. Is that a blow to Team Edward or Team Tay Tay? We may never know. Jason Segal and Nicholas Stoller’s Muppets reboot feels new yet nostalgic. Its full of sarcasm and self awareness (a nod to the original films) for the grownups, kids will appreciate the slapstick and silliness and both will love the way the Muppets throw their heads back and sway à la Stevie Wonder when singing. My only complaint: It could have used more Muppet showcasing scenes, and with that more Muppet songs. Some choice scenes in The Muppets Take Manhattan feature them solving problems in The Port Authority, riding bikes through Central Park or a personal favorite: Rizzo and crew greasing up the diner grill using butter pats as skates. It’s movie magic when you see the Muppets from the waist down and I missed that a little. Though as non-Muppets Segal and Amy Adams were perfect. Also notable, a Muppet power ballad written by Bret McKenzie (One half of Flight of the Conchords) that will have you laughing like a hyena and lingers far after you leave the theater. It’s not exactly Henson’s Muppet Movie but Jason Segal, I tip my Fozzie Bear sized fedora to you.
