Film Review: Muppets Still Know How to Entertain in ‘Muppets Most Wanted’

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CHICAGO – There is a comfort, like a favorite drink in a childhood mug, about Jim Henson’s legendary Muppets and their standard of entertainment and humor. It’s brilliant that Walt Disney Studios continues to understand what makes them work, producing their latest, “Muppets Most Wanted.”

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

After the successful reboot of three years ago, The Muppets gather together again with naturally an opening number that delightfully skewers the “sequel” – and rightly jokes it’s actually the seventh film. Using the old mistaken identity gag – Kermit the Frog is exchanged for a Russian evil frog – The Muppets go on another fun-filled romp with the usual celebrity cameos. The joy of the film is that the main human stars – Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Ty Burrell (of “Modern Family”) – communicate through their characters that they are lucky as hell to be famous enough to co-star with The Muppets. This is a breezy and funny night at the movies, which gratefully has become The Muppets trademark.

After the events of the last movie, Kermit the Frog (voice of Steve Whitmire) is willing to keep The Muppet gang together for another run of shows. Enter Dominic Badguy (“Bad-gee, it’s French”), portrayed by Ricky Gervais, who volunteers to be the crew’s tour manager. He is actually working undercover for Constantine the Frog, the number one criminal in the world and a twin lookalike for Kermit.

Constantine busts out of a Russian prison in Siberia, and Dominic manages to get Kermit arrested and thrown into that jail as Constantine. The warden is a Muppet obsessed captor named Nadya (Tina Fey), so her aim is to keep the real frog. Meanwhile The Muppet gang keeps touring Europe, and the theaters always end up near places that Constantine and Dominic can rob. Suspicions are aroused by Inspector Jean Pierre Napoleon (Ty Burrell) and a confused Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson).

“Muppets Most Wanted” opens everywhere on March 21st. Featuring the voices of Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson and Matt Vogel, and human talents of Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Ty Burrell, Jemaine Clement, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Céline Dion, Zach Galifianakis, Salma Hayek, Christoph Waltz, Josh Groban and Ray Liotta. Written by James Bobin and Nicholas Stoller. Directed by James Bobin. Rated “PG

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Muppets Most Wanted”

Ricky Gervais
Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) and The Muppets in ‘Muppets Most Wanted’
Photo credit: Walt Disney Pictures

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Muppets Most Wanted”

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