Rated PG for some mild rude humor.
Starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper
Directed by James Bobin
The Muppets are back and better than ever!
On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze The Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath The Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite The Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.
Do you remember the song? “It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time to meet The Muppets on The Muppet Show tonight.” If you are singing that song with a smile on your face, stop reading this right now and go see The Muppets!
For me this movie was all about nostalgia, from that classic song and all the old characters to the quick cameos by New Coke and Tab (If you don’t know what Tab is, Google it). I found myself smiling throughout the movie as I was reliving my childhood. For my kids it was a fun movie with a clever story. I loved hearing them laughing at some of those jokes I used to laugh at years ago.
The cast includes Chris Cooper who is so great as the villain (insert maniacal laugh here), Amy Adams is fun and Jason Segel is…ummm…well Jason is pure cheese. In every scene he is either smiling way too much or on the verge of tears. I mean I know he’s trying to be cheesy, but it was just a tad too much for me (honestly that’s the only reason this movie didn’t get the highest score.)
Then there are the cameos – check that – then there are the best cameos in a movie this year. Zach Galifianakis, Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris and my personal favorite…The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons. Classic!
Throw in a couple new songs and a whole lot of cheese and you have one enjoyable film.
One of the storylines revolved around the fact that The Muppets are no longer popular. And in a world that seems to be ruled by the Kardashians and the crew from The Jersey Shore, it was so refreshing to sit in a packed theater watching this movie…and I would do it again. The Muppets are popular and this movie is Theater Worthy.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
YES!
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: In this new Muppet adventure we meet a new Muppet named Walter. Not only does he get to meet his hero but Kermit invites him to join The Muppet Show. But Walter must discover his “gift” or talent that makes him special. Do you remember what his gift was?
Who would you say is the most important player on a football team? What about on a baseball team? Or in the band?
In reality, every position is important. The same is true in The Muppets and the same is true in the church. We all have one or more spiritual gifts – gifts given by the Holy Spirit.
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: Let’s read I Corinthians 12:1-31.
According to the passage, why does He give us these Spiritual Gifts?
We read that God is the same, but His gifts are different and vary from believer to believer.
What are some of the gifts He gives us?
Who are some people you know who have those gifts?
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: God designed the body of Christ to be very diverse – and everyone belongs.
Have you discovered or identified your gifts?
How do we find out what spiritual gifts we have?
There are many questionnaires and studies designed to do this. One simple way is to simply ask several people who know you well, “What am I good at?” If there is a consensus of opinion, that’s a good indication that God has gifted you in that area.
Just like Walter, once you discover your gift, you will discover that you have a very important role to play. So where do you think you can serve in your church or youth group?
