About.com Rating

Bottom line:The Muppets brings the Muppets gang back to the big screen in a movie that is musical, clever and good clean fun for the whole family.
MPAA Rating: PG, for some mild rude humor
Genre: Family comedy
Guide age recommendation: 4+
Runtime: 98 minutes
Starring: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and Walter
Release Date: November 23, 2011
Release Date:

The Muppets - Overview

Gary (Jason Segel) and his brother Walter (a Muppet) do everything together.

So when Gary and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) go on a trip to celebrate their 10th year of being together, of course Gary invites Walter to go along. Walter is ecstatic to go on the trip, because he will get to visit the place he wants to go more than anywhere else in the world -- Muppet Studios. Walter is the world's biggest Muppets fan, and their love of the Muppets is something he and Gary have shared over the years.

Once Gary, Mary and Walter arrive at Muppets Studios in Los Angeles, however, they find a dilapidated lot that has not been used in years. Then, Walter overhears oil baron Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) discussing his plans to tear down the studios in order to drill for oil. A horrified Walter explains the situation to Gary and Mary, and the three set off to find Kermit and convince him to spearhead a Muppets comeback.

Once Kermit is convinced, the group must track down all the Muppets living their various lives all over and convince each one to rejoin the gang for a reunion show to raise the money needed to save the studios.

Miss Piggy, working in Paris as a plus-sized fashion editor for Vogue, is the hardest to convince. But finally, all the Muppets are together again. Now they just have to successfully pitch their ideas, clean up the old studio, and put on a show worthy of raising the $10 million needed to save the theater.

The Muppets - Guide Review for Parents

If like me, you have fond memories of watching the Muppets as a kid, it's fun to introduce the characters to your kids with an all new theatrical release. In the new movie, the Muppets are the same as they have always been, but of course the humor and music is updated a little while retaining a vintage and nostalgic feel. The Muppets succeeds for audiences of all ages, with clever but clean humor, fun music, and numerous well-placed cameo appearances that will get kids excited and make parents laugh.

While The Muppets isn't an edge-of-your-seat type of film for adults, the movie is still appealing because of the humor and nostalgia. I don't want to cite too many examples in a review, because part of the fun is not knowing beforehand which cameos will appear and what parodies will jump out unexpectedly. For kids, while they may not get all of the subtle comedy and cultural references, they will be entertained by the vibrant characters, physical humor and music.

The movie contains some mild rude humor, like Fozzie's "fart shoes." A few mild rude words are used, like "idiot" and "weirdo." The movie also contains some mild slapstick violence and a couple of explosions. It wouldn't be a Muppets movie if Miss Piggy didn't take a swing at someone, after all. For more details on content, please see the overview below.

The Muppets - Content Overview

*May contain spoilers.

• Violence (Medium): The violence in the movie is slapstick and played for laughs, however a couple of scenes depict characters trying to hurt each other. Miss Piggy takes a swing at a mean Muppet in one scene, and Tex Richman does a couple of low down things like cutting the power to the Muppets Theater. Other scenes played for laughs include Walter getting buzzed by an electric fence, and Gonzo blowing up his plumbing enterprise with a self-destruct button. notable, the Muppets kidnap Jack Black and tie him up, forcing him to host their show.
• Scary Scenes (Low): The movie really doesn't have any scary scenes, but some young children my be slightly unsettled by the meanness of Tex and his associates or by the gritty rock--n-roll wannabees the Moopets, one of which has a knife.
• Sex/Nudity (Low): A couple of Muppets are shown kissing.
• Drugs and Alcohol (Low) A couple of scenes show people with wine, but not drinking.
• Language (Low): A couple of rude words are used, like "idiot" and "weirdo."
• Disrespectful/Imitative Behavior (Medium): Tex Richman lies and schemes to get his way so he can destroy the Muppets' studio. Miss Piggy is her usual bossy, steamrolling and vain self. Some characters lose their cool at an anger management meeting. Fozzie has "fart shoes" that consist of whoopee cushions tied to the bottom of his feet.

• Sad/Unsettling Scenes (Low): Kermit is sad when he remembers his friends and how they've all lost touch. Mary is sad that Gary is spending all of their anniversary trip helping the Muppets and doesn't plan a special anniversary dinner.
• Movie Topics Kids Might Have Questions About: Muppets, oil drilling, greed, loyalty, business deals, contracts, raising money

The Muppets - On Blu-ray and DVD

The Muppets movie is available on Blu-ray in a standard combo pack and the Wocka Wocka value pack which also includes the soundtrack. Including the soundtrack is a genius idea that I wish was available with every movie. The songs are all there in the movie. We've already paid for them, right? So with this movie, you can just download a copy of the soundtrack and listen any time you want.

Of course, if you are a fan of the Muppets, this Blu-ray is an absolute must own. The title is chalk full of bonus features, and most importantly, includes promotional parodies and spoofs that made The Muppets movie so fun before it even hit theaters. With all of the bonus features, numerous deleted scenes, and extremely extended blooper real, there is plenty of Muppet fodder that seems to go on and on.

What we thought was the most clever, is the "Disney Intermission." If you pause the movie, the intermission sign comes down, and the Muppets do various entertaining things until playback is resumed. This comes in handy for families like us who frequently have to pause for popcorn refills, kids going potty and that kind of thing.

Disclosure: The studio provided a free screening of this movie for review purposes. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.