Good, Clean, Wholesome fun.

A few days ago, while my mom and wife recovered from their 11PM-6:45AM Black Friday shopping experience, I packed the girls in the car, and took them to see The Muppet's Movie.  On an Arm Twisting Scale(1-10) this bit of Fatherly Heroics only rates about a 0.8, since I was more than 50% leaning towards seeing the newest Muppet Movie all by myself. 

Being a child of the Mid to Late 70's and early 80's, the Muppets are right in my wheel house.  I remember many an evening spent watching The Muppet Show(and yes, my mom and dad used to watch along with me.)  It never failed to entertain...to this day, I can kill LONG periods of time watching Pigs in Space and The Swedish Chef on youtube.  One of my favorite Christmas movies, Emmet Otters Jug-Band Christmas, is a Muppets spin off.

My Muppets 'street cred' firmly established, allow me to put every one's mind at ease...this movie is pretty good.  More important than it being good...it FEELS like the Muppets.

The plot isn't very important...we follow two brothers, one of the felt, and the other normal, Walter and Gary, both of whom are pretty big muppet fans.  Gary is going to Hollywood with his girlfriend of 10 years, Mary, and brings Walter along so they can tour Muppet Studio.

Big disappointment, and...what the heck...Walter finds out an evil guy is going to tear down the studio to put in an oil well in Hollywood(What zoning?).  They then go visit Kermit, to get all the gang together, so they can have a telethon, and raise 10 Million dollars to save the theater?

Any Questions?

In addition to Gary and Mary, there are really only about 3 or 4 other named human characters in movie...and most of them are cameo's.  Jack Black has a pretty big role, as Animal's 'Sponsor' and then as an involuntary host of the Telethon.  You also have Alan Arkin, Zach Galifi-whatsis, Sarah Silverman, Whoopi Goldberg, Micky Rooney, Judd Hirsch, Neil PATRICK HARRIS, Dave Grohl, and Selena Gomez, who gets to deliver one of the better lines in the movie.

Amy Adams, as the female lead is...well...sigh.  She's amazing.  With the 'dated' feel the movie is going for, she gets to spend the movie in cute little June Cleaver-type outfits, an advantage she doesn't need in her pursuit of being the worlds Most Adorable Woman. 

I'm not saying she can't do flat out sexy also, but in this movie, she is 100% Wholesome Take Her Home to Mom CUTE.  Dig it.

So yeah...there are a few cute songs in the show, and not nearly enough Swedish Chef...but there is some Beaker, and plenty of ANIMAL!!!!! 

If you have kids of your own, or just liked the muppets Back in The Day, I give it 18 out of 20...