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Mah-Na Mah-Na

Seeing as I go to the movies roughly once every two years, I'm not really qualified to offer movie reviews. I think the last film I saw in a movie theater was Paranormal Activity--the first one, more than two years ago. Last night, however, I saw The Muppets with a group of people from Broadway--children and adults. I didn't harbor expectations one way or the other. And honestly, if the tickets had not been free, I probably wouldn't have gone. That would have been a huge mistake.

The Muppets is a very clever reboot of the TV show from the late 70s. We get to find out what the various Muppets have been up to since the cast disbanded some 30 years ago. Through the newest Muppet, Walter, who was raised with a human family that includes leading man Jason Segel, we also see the Muppets through fresh eyes, as Walter is starstruck at meeting his childhood idols.

As usual, the Muppets are very self-aware, and there are several jokes that reference the fact that they are making a movie. I had forgotten how post-modern the Muppets are. There are also some clever jokes about the Muppets being a product of the 1970s and early 80s. Case in point, when Kermit is looking for a celebrity to host the show that he and the other Muppets are trying to put on, he attempts to call President Carter.

If you're old enough to remember the TV show, you will certainly have your fill of nostalgia watching this movie. But this is where the self-awareness of The Muppets is its strength. It's self-aware but never ironic. Sentimental but never treacly. Nostalgic, but not for its own sake but in service to the story. There were moments when I felt like I was in my living room on Sunday evening circa 1979. And then I'd look around the theater and see elementary school-aged kids who were probably being exposed to the Muppets for the first time and who were enjoying the movie no less than I was. That is the magic of the Muppets. What more is there to say but...Mah-Na Mah-Na?

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