Muppets Most Wanted

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Christoph Waltz (cameo), Ray Liotta, Salma Hayek (cameo), Danny Trejo, Toby Jones (cameo), Chloe Grace Moretz (cameo), Tom Hiddleston (cameo), Stanley Tucci (cameo), Jermaine Clement, Sean Combs (cameo), Lady Gaga (cameo), Usher (cameo), Frank Langella (cameo), Zach Galifianakis (cameo), Josh Grobin (cameo), Saoirse Ronan (cameo), James McAvoy (cameo)
Directed by: James Bobin
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Kermit is framed for stealing jewelry and is replaced by an imposter.

Review:

Tim: Jason Segel did the world a solid by bringing Kermit and the gang back for 2011's solid entry, The Muppets. Without Segel, even with director James Bobin coming back, a crucial ingredient has been lost. This movie represents a vast drop in quality. Whereas The Muppets felt fresh and exciting while creating a sense of nostalgia for Muppets movies of old, Muppets Most Wanted squandered any of that goodwill with a half-baked, lackluster effort. I was horribly disappointed in this movie, and now I kind of think the Muppets need another extended break. I can't believe how quickly the highs of the Muppet renaissance were lost. This isn't a very good movie at all.

What's so frustrating is that so much of what made the last movie so fun was lost here. There's a number of decisions that were just head-scratching. The idea of replacing Kermit with an evil double is kind of humorous, but the execution was terrible. Constantine was annoying, unmemorable, and unfunny. So, the film decides to take Kermit, the most likeable characters among the Muppets and have him replaced with a character that is significantly less interesting. That makes no sense. Kermit isn't completely absent (thank God), as he is sent to a Gulag, where he meets Tina Fey and helps them put on a show. Honestly, that whole thing felt completely off. The tone was wrong, the scenes dragged on and on, and Tina Fey was embarrassing to watch on screen. The script was in need of major rewrites, because so much was wrong with it. What this means is that the story isn't very engaging, exciting, or interesting. I was beyond bored at various parts in the movie. It was a very frustrating film to watch.

The celebrity cameos are another Muppets staple, but it felt so overdone here. I wish there were fewer cameos, and more of a focus on making them meaningful. It was frustrating and detracted from the overall story. It felt like so much focus was put on famous cameos, when the time and energy needed to be spent on making the story better. The writers lost sight of what was important. I won't talk about every cast member, because so many of them are basically pointless. I like the idea of Ricky Gervais as the villain and I thought he did a mostly good job. Ty Burrell wasn't especially funny. I really don't like and/or get him. Tina Fey was bad, as I mentioned. She wasn't funny in the least. Christoph Waltz gave a pointless cameo, as did Salma Hayek, Chloe Grace Moretz (maybe the worst one), and a number of other famous faces. The first time I watched the movie, I totally missed James McAvoy (I was bored!). So seriously, why even bother? Ray Liotta had a little more to do. Stanley Tucci had one small scene, but he made the most of it in one of the funniest cameos. Honestly, there's a dozen other cameos I should mention, but none of them were that interesting.

Kids will still probably like the movie, but any discerning viewer will likely be disappointed. The Muppets can be so magical when done right. Unfortunately, Muppets Most Wanted is all over the map, patently unfunny, and a big waste of time. I feel bad for Jason Segel-- he worked so hard to bring the Muppets back, and one film without him, and I'm ready to put them back on the shelf.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets