My Review of the 25th Anniversary of Phantom

Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary (2011)

Anybody who knows me knows that I absolutely adore musicals, both those of stage and screen. They are the only type of songs that I listen to and really like (with a few rare exceptions of popular music), and they dominate 95% of my MP3 player. One of my favourite musicals is The Phantom of the Opera, one of the most popular and iconic musicals of all time. When I heard it was celebrating its 25th anniversary on the West End, I was overjoyed, and my joy only increased with news of the cast. Since I have no means to travel to London to see it live, I waited several months for it to pop up online, and may I say, I was amazed. I finished watching this feeling how I felt after watching the 25th anniversary of Les Miserables and even though this is not a movie, I'd put it high on my list of the best of 2011. This was a perfect show, absolutely nothing wrong with it, plain and simple. I will say that this is going to be a different type of review, because a lot of it will be me fangirling and it is a review for a production, not a film. It will also be pretty much a play-by-play of the story discussing things such as the songs along the way, so a spoiler warning is in effect.

The story of The Phantom of the Opera (hereafter known as Phantom) is an iconic one, about a disfigured man living under a Paris opera house who happens to be madly in love with a young opera star. That summation is merely the cliff-note version, there is much more detail in the story itself. It starts out at an auction at the dilapidated Opera Populaire. An old man later identified as the Vicomte de Chagny purchases a music box that looks like a monkey (both he and the music box will come into play later). Upon the auctioning of the chandelier does the opera house transform back into its former glory as we flash back about twenty or thirty years in the past.

The Opera Populaire is in its heyday, and we see a rehearsal for the company's current opera. This is where we meet some of the secondary characters such as Carlotta (Kira Duffy), Piangi (Wynne Evans), Madame Giry (Liz Robertson), and Giry's daughter Meg (Daisy Maywood). Carlotta is the company's ageing leading soprano and has been for nineteen seasons prior to the events of the play. When one looks at Carlotta, one sees the women commonly associated with opera. You know, the large woman in the valkyrie helmet with a voice that shatters glass. Carlotta is also a class-A diva, and though she is generally adored by audiences, there seems to be a mysterious presence in the theatre that dislikes her, causing accidents any time she is on stage.

We are then introduced to the two new managers of the opera house, Andre and Firmin (Barry James and Gareth Snook). After a set piece nearly falls on Carlotta, she flies into a rage and runs out of the theatre, saying that she resigns. Since there is no understudy, the two managers worry that they will have to refund a full house. Luckily, a young chorus girl named Christine Daae (the phenomenal Sierra Boggess) rises to the occasion. Christine is our female lead and one of three of the main characters. She is a young soprano who has been receiving lessons from an invisible tutor since her father died. Christine performs in Carlotta's place and knocks it out of the park, receiving praise for her performance and she is marked as an up-and-coming opera star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCEutXAEODo&feature=related

(a link to a video recording of the mirror scene)


It is back in her dressing room where her tutor (whom she has dubbed the "Angel of Music", who she thinks her father has sent down from heaven to guide her) praises her from the shadows and she is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Raoul (also known as the old man from the opening). When Raoul departs after inviting Christine to dinner, she is entranced by her tutor (hereafter known as the Phantom) into the secret passage behind her mirror. This brings up something creepy having to do with the Phantom/Christine relationship. We don't know if Christine knows about the passage, but one would assume she doesn't. Which brings to mind the question of what he used that passage for before Christine goes through the mirror. One can assume that he's watched her undress at least once.

What follows is Christine being taken into the Phantom's lair via the musical's titular song, which contains one of the most memorable and well-known tunes of all time. The song is followed by the second most well-known song, which happens to be one of the sexiest songs ever sung. This song is entitled "Music of the Night", where the Phantom seduces Christine into a trance and later sleep. These two songs make excellent companion pieces, as they are both about seduction and they both explain the relationship between Christine and the Phantom. They are both simmering with sex appeal and in the hands of the right actor, they can be downright extraordinary (like in the hands of Ramin Karimloo, the actor in this production and my personal favourite of the men that I have heard sing the part of Phantom).

Christine in the Phantom's lair

Christine does return from the Phantom's lair, and the managers receive a series of notes from the Phantom regarding their next show. The Phantom demands money from the managers, and demands that box 5 in the theatre be kept empty for his own personal use. The original owner of the opera house was happy to comply, but these managers are resistant, setting up their status as the main idiots of the play. Chaos ensues when Raoul storms in with a note of his own, saying "Do not fear for Miss Daae, the angel of music has her under his wing. Make no attempt to see her again". Naturally, Raoul is furious and things only get worse when Carlotta storms in with a note of her own, threatening a great misfortune should she attempt to sing in Christine's place. The last note received states the Phantom's plan for the next show. Namely, that Christine will sing the lead role with Carlotta being relegated to the silent role of the pageboy.

SPOILERS PRESENT IN THESE PARAGRAPHS

They decide to ignore the Phantom's demands, but this proves to be fatal as a stagehand (who was previously making fun of him) is hanged and dropped onstage. Absolutely terrified, Christine retreats to the roof, being followed by Raoul. The song that follows is one of my favourite songs from the musical, entitled "All I Ask of You". This is Raoul's song to Christine, a declaration of love much like "Music of the Night", except whereas Music of the Night is supposed to be sultry and seductive, All I Ask of You is supposed to be sweet and comforting and it works on that level, making for an effective song. However, the Phantom overhears this and sings one of the most heartbreaking and yet epic things ever, declaring that they will curse the day they did not obey him.

After the intermission, we see that the Phantom has not bothered the opera house for several months, and there is a masked ball going on to celebrate that fact. We also learn that Raoul and Christine have become engaged in secret. There is plenty of fun going on at the party (including one of the play's most elaborate numbers, at least in terms of costuming), but the Phantom has to go and spoil it with his grand entrance explaining why he has been gone. The Phantom has been biding his time and has written an opera, in which Christine will play the lead. Instead of being idiotic and ignoring his demands, they decide to perform the opera but use it to trap the Phantom. Christine does not want any part in this plot but she is forced into it against their will.

"Masquerade", one of the play's key scenes at the very beginning of Act II

The performance of Don Juan Triumphant (the Phantom's opera) sets the stage (pun most definitely intended) for the play's lengthy climax. After making a passionate plea to Christine and giving her the ring that I noticed he was wearing earlier in the play, she unmasks him for the entire theatre to see. I'll get to the stage makeup later, but let's wrap up the plot. It all goes down in one final scene which is where, I admit it, I tear up. The ending is utterly heartbreaking, and the fact that the ending of this particular production is so heartbreaking really speaks to the talents of the three main actors.

In the ending, the Phantom presents Christine with an ultimatum. Either she marries the Phantom and thus saves Raoul's life (the Phantom has him hung by the neck, not enough to kill him but just enough to easily do so if Christine refuses), or refuses him and he kills Raoul, leaving her entirely alone in the world. This can be seen as the ultimate act of desperation and despair on the part of the Phantom, and the fact that he doesn't get the girl at the end (like Quasimodo in Hunchback) has elevated him to the status of a god amongst the fangirls.

STORY SPOILERS ARE PRETTY MUCH OVER

The Phantom is easily the most well-liked character from the musical, and it is not that hard to see why. He may be insane, but he is insane out of love for Christine because she is the only human connection he has forged, and that connection isn't even real. His simple motivations are that he wants to be normal and that he wants to be loved, and those are motivations that most people can relate to. He thinks he can get that with Christine, and when she begins to grow frightened of him and seeks comfort in the arms of Raoul, the feelings of betrayal and hurt that we see are very real. His attempts to win her love grow more and more desperate, culminating in his ultimatum in the final lair. All he wanted was to be loved like I said, and when Christine shows him one smidgeon of compassion, he is kind of willing to let her go, although it absolutely breaks his (and the audience's) heart. This is a classic stalker story, a genuinely well-meaning and loving stalker, but still a stalker, and that's why given the choice, I would choose Raoul (who gets an unfair amount of hatred from the fanbase because the Phantom gets so much love), although I adore them both.

Raoul may get unfairly branded "safe", and like I said, he gets a disproportionate amount of hatred from the Phantom's fangirls, but he is clearly the better choice. He will not try to kill Christine if she refuses him, he does not stalk her, and most importantly, he seems to be mentally stable, making for better husband material than the Phantom. We see the admirable lengths he will go to to protect Christine, and his proclamation of love for Christine may not be sultry and seductive like the Phantom, but it doesn't need to be. It is tender and sweet, which is what the relationship between him and Christine is supposed to be. It is the core love triangle that makes the play so interesting, and it is one of the few love triangles where you could see her end up with either, although whichever one you hope she will end up with is up to you.

Christine is the last of the main characters, the Archie in the Betty/Veronica love triangle. She is an interesting and sympathetic, albeit naive, heroine and although I prefer The Phantom and Raoul, there is no denying that she is the centre of the story. Her relationship with the Phantom is interesting. First she likens him to an angel, sent from heaven by her deceased father, but her opinion of him certainly worsens over the course of the film as he turns more....for lack of a better word....stalker-y. Despite this, she still loves him and pities him, as is evidenced by the kiss at the end, which motivates the Phantom enough to let her go and be happy with Raoul, despite it driving him into further despair . Which reminds me, the look on Raoul's face as he watches his fiancee passionately kiss another man rivals that of the Phantom's at the end of the first act. What makes her so interesting is her inability to resist the Phantom, the best and worst thing that ever happened to her, and her naivete (her fatal flaw, if you will).

Be warned, this next couple of the paragraphs will pretty much be solely dedicated to my fangirling, because I will be talking about the actors. First on the list is an actor by the name of Ramin Karimloo, who played the Phantom. He has played the character several times before. He was the youngest man to do so in fact. I also happen to have a massive teenage fangirl crush on him. I first saw him as Enjolras in the 25th anniversary of Les Miserables, and I have to say that he is equally sexy in both parts, although he is allowed to be his gorgeous self in Les Mis whereas he is supposed to be physically ugly in Phantom. He still exudes the sex appeal that is crucial to the character though, and he is my favourite incarnation of the Phantom to date. Now that I've finished talking about his looks, I suppose I should talk about the fact that he is an extremely talented actor as well.

Ramin Karimloo as his normal self. It would take a lot of stage makeup to ugly him up. Oh, and DAMN

One of the reasons why he is my favourite Phantom is the sheer power of his performance. One of the reasons I teared up at the ending was because his performance was so heartbreaking.Before I talk about his singing, I'd like to talk about the stage makeup for the character. As opposed to the mild acne condition that Gerard Butler had in the movie, the Phantom has a genuine disfigurement as shown by the creative stage makeup, which includes partially exposed cranium, a partially caved in left cheek, and a giant swollen lower lip. But with the mask (and even without), the handsome side of his face still shines through. Ramin is also a phenomenal singer no matter what he is in, and he has one of those voices that can be high and soothing and yet low and passionate. Both styles of singing work extremely well for both sides of the Phantom. Both voices are extremely pleasurable to listen to and even if you don't end up watching this, I still recommend looking him up. I was extremely excited when I found out the role he was playing after this was Jean Valjean, because after hearing him in so many different roles, it is evident that he can do anything. However, he will likely be remembered for being one of the best Phantoms, especially considering that this is the last time he will ever play the role.

Hadley Fraser in costume as Raoul. All I have to say is  DOUBLE DAMN

Moving on to the second man in this play that I have a massive teenage fangirl crush on. The actor who plays Raoul is an actor by the name of Hadley Fraser, and his talent equals that of Ramin. He has a more traditionally operatic voice as opposed to Ramin, and his voice suits the character brilliantly. He is also a tremendous actor, and he embodied the character of Raoul (all I have described in the prior paragraphs) amazingly. One thing that I noticed about his performance was that whenever he yelled in character, I could see shades of his equally brilliant performance as Inspector Javert (which he is currently playing opposite Ramin's Jean Valjean) shine through. I could not pick which voice I like better, because they both have entirely different voices. Ramin is a tenor and Hadley is a bass, and those two voices are like different flavours of ice cream. They are certainly different, but they are both equally likeable and equally pleasurable to listen to. I suggest looking him up as well, especially for his rendition of "All I Ask of You", as well as "Stars" and "Javert's Suicide" from Les Mis.

The last actress that I would like to talk about is Sierra Boggess as Christine. The only role I had known her from prior to this was her turn as Ariel in The Little Mermaid on Broadway. She was great as Ariel, but she is phenomenal as Christine. There is a fully functional video on youtube of her singing "Think of Me" (Christine's first song) and I suggest you look it up, because her rendition is the best I have ever heard. She is a phenomenal soprano, and has a very sweet voice while also quite operatic (not unlike Hadley, as I priorly mentioned). Special props are reserved for her acting during "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" (a song she sings at her father's grave) and "Music of the Night" (where she captures the hypnotized Christine perfectly). She is also great in the finale, and when she adds insult to injury to the Phantom by giving the ring back, you can tell that she is absolutely heartbroken in doing so. She is probably my favourite female actress on the West End at the moment, and she knocks it out of the park as Christine, making for a trio of fine performances.

Overall, The Phantom of the Opera is a brilliant musical and my favourite love story of all time, and the 25th anniversary production is absolutely brilliant. It features fine acting (including those I did not mention) especially from the three leads, and it also features the brilliant songs that have become so iconic over the years for a reason (my favourite being Music of the Night followed by All I Ask of You). I hope that Phantom sees another 25 glorious years on the stage, and I hope that I will be able to travel to London to see the 50th anniversary (if they don't celebrate an anniversary before that). Those who are fans of musicals will definitely like this, and even for those who are uninterested, I do recommend checking out the soundtrack. Overall, I love this production, and it is one that I want to own on DVD when it comes to Canada in March. Below are several links to what I suggested you look up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJMpy1C9Cnc&list=PL84E10852B772E28D&index=17&feature=plpp_video (Sierra Boggess-Think of Me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDafaMOz3U4&list=PL84E10852B772E28D&index=6&feature=plpp_video (Hadley Fraser-Stars, from Les Mis)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tbkCgZQwzw&feature=related
(Ramin Karimloo singing the most passionate version of Music of the Night that I have ever heard)

Singin' in the Rain Review

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

I have been told time and time again that I would absolutely adore this movie once I saw it, and low and behold, I certainly did. Singin' in the Rain is arguably the best movie-musical ever made and arguably the best movie made about the moviemaking business itself. This is as much a satire and fun parody of the early MGM musicals and the early days of film as it is a showcase for the awesomeness of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor, and it remains as one of the most entertaining movies ever made. I had so much fun watching this, and I am horrified that it took me so long to do so. I know that the songs are not original to the movie, but it doesn't stop them from being iconic, and it doesn't stop this film from being one of the best films of all time and one of my personal favourites. Boy, I really lucked out these last two times, I've seen new favourites that instill a sense of infectious happiness in me, and one that I'm probably still going to be humming the tunes for next week.

Singin' in the Rain is about Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), one half of the silent film duo by the name of Lockwood and Lamont. The other half of the duo is Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), who will serve as the film's de facto antagonist. Lina thinks that she and Don are actually in love, whereas Don knows that it is purely a publicity relationship, and he actually can't stand Lina (as made evident by one of the funniest scenes in the movie, which I will talk about later). Lockwood has worked hard to get where he is (much like Gene Kelly himself) and a news reporter asks him to tell them his story from the beginning. Lockwood proceeds to tell the audience about his rise to fame alongside his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor), dancing in pool halls for nickels (although he glosses over that particular elemnt of the story), rising to become a singer, dancer, and stuntman, and then becoming one of the biggest (if not the biggest) actor of the silent era.

Don and Cosmo leave the premiere and Don gets ambushed by screaming fangirls (much like screaming fangirls would have chased Elvis or Frank Sinatra at that time). In order to escape and get to the after-party, he climbs on top of a bus and jumps into the car of one Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), a self-professed "serious actress" who denounces silent film stars as not real actors. Lockwood makes it to the after-party, and who does he discover as the girl in the giant cake? Why it's Kathy, who is actually a showgirl to make ends meet. At that same party, the president of the studio (R.F. Simpson, played by Millard Mitchell) shows a demonstration of a new thing called a "talking picture", which Warner Brothers had recently released (a certain movie called The Jazz Singer, which I'm sure many of you have heard of). The studio is being pressured to make a talkie, but they have one problem: Lina has a thick and high-pitched Brooklyn accent which completely contradicts her silent film image as a graceful and demure leading lady.

In the wake of the new talkie being released, Don and Lina are both sent to diction coaches and while he excels, she does not and all seems hopeless, as the director can't even get her to talk into the microphone. The film is screened for advance audiences, and it is a disaster, the serious costume drama instead turning out as an unintentional comedy (audiences acting like what I imagine audiences would act like at a screening of The Room). Thinking he will be ruined when the film premieres six weeks later, Lockwood returns to his home dejected with Kathy and Cosmo. Kathy gets the idea to re-tool the movie by making it a musical, and Don and Cosmo quickly get behind that. However, there's still one problem, Lina can't act, can't sing, and can't dance (in Cosmo's words, a triple threat).

I won't give away too much more, but the climax of the film is at the premier of the film, and they do make fun of the fact that a lot of musical actresses had their singing voices dubbed over by other singers. This is an awesome movie through and through, and it has an interesting take on old Hollywood and the dawn of the talkie. After doing a bit of research, I found out that some of the characters are loosely based on old hollywood actors, and Lina Lamont is based on Norma Talmadge, a silent film actress who's career was ruined over the dawn of the talkie. For those who have seen the movie before, they will know that during the awful premiere of the first talkie, Don's character (in the movie-within-a-movie) repeatedly says "I love you", which sends the audiences into laughter. That is based on the talkie debut of John Gilbert, another silent star who bombed in the dawn of the talkie.

The best thing about this film besides the story is by far the music, as well as the dancing. As is fairly common knowledge, Gene Kelly was an extreme perfectionist, and he worked Debbie Reynolds to the point where her feet bled (because she had to mimic his every move in high-heeled shoes, and she was an untrained dancer). In fact, several decades after, Gene Kelly was so surprised that Debbie Reynolds had agreed to even speak to him after all those years because of how he had treated her. Needless to say, his perfectionism certainly paid off, because the dancing in this movie was absolutely amazing, especially from him and Donald O'Connor. I have so much respect for this movie, especially the "Fit as a Fiddle" "Moses Supposes" and of course, the classic "Singin' in the Rain" dances, the intricacy of the dance and the hours of hard work that went into this film certainly paid off, because I was amazed at every dance move.

The songs are amazing, and although most of them (sparing for Moses Supposes) had been performed prior to the movie, it is here where they have become most iconic. I had seen a lot of the songs out of context before, and I enjoyed them then, but seeing them in context makes them even more entertaining and extremely memorable. Besides the titular song, which is inarguably one of the most recognizable songs of all time, there is "Make 'Em Laugh", a showcase for the utter comedic talent of Donald O'Connor. Those two are probably my favourites, but there are tons of other great ones. There is "Moses Supposes", "All I Do Is Dream of You", and the fifteen-minute broadway melody/ballet dance sequence near the end of the film, which I'd like to talk about specifically.

This scene takes place in the last third, and it serves as kind of a tangent. Don is telling RF about the last scene left to film in the musical, which leads us into the Broadway Melody. It tells a basic story about a young dancer who goes to Broadway hoping to make it big as a star, but it tells the story with very little dialogue (in fact, outside the intro, only the words "gotta dance" are sang). Much like Lockwood himself, he works his way up to stardom and gets noticed in a club by a flapper woman (played by Cyd Charisse and her extremely long legs). However, she departs from the club with her (mafioso?) boyfriend. He sees her again at a big party, which appears to be in celebration of him, but she leaves again, leaving the character heartbroken. This goes on in a brief sorrowful epilogue until Donald O'Connor comes on as another young dancer hoping to make it big on broadway, and the fun and dancing resumes. I love this scene, it's a big lipped alligator moment (those who are familiar with the people at thatguywiththeglasses.com know what that means) in the best possible way. It has nothing to do with the plot, but that really doesn't matter because it's a chance just to sit back and enjoy the dancing. The only thing wrong with it was that I thought it was only a little bit too long. Otherwise, it is an excellent scene, brilliantly choreographed and wonderfully entertaining.


Moving on from that, another great thing about Singin' in the Rain is the acting. I said in the first paragraph of this review that this film is as much a showcase for the pure unadulterated awesomeness of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor, and I will stand by that as long as I live. Gene Kelly is one of the most well-known names in Hollywood, and this movie (alongside the much-acclaimed American in Paris) was a big part of that. The man exudes so much class and we can tell that he has worked hard to get where he is, perhaps giving reason to his alleged tyranny on set. He gives a fantastic performance in terms of acting, singing, and especially dancing. Every time that man smiles, you can feel thousands of hearts melting, he's just that magical. However, the movie would simply be great if it were not for Donald O'Connor. The man is a master of slapstick and provides some of the most hilarious moments in the play. He and Kelly work extremely well together (despite the fact that behind the scenes, O'Connor was the vessel for much of Kelly's anger at Debbie Reynolds).

The two of them carry the movie, but the film also has great performances from the likes of Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, and Millard Mitchell. Debbie Reynolds plays Kathy Selden, the main female protagonist and love interest of Don Lockwood. She's pretty good as an actress, and also a pretty good singer (although she was dubbed in some cases, in fact, Jean Hagen dubbed over her speaking voice in the last bit of the movie). Her dancing was also pretty good too, although I know how that came about now. Jean Hagen was straight up awesome as Lina Lamont, the film's villain. In fact, she got an Oscar nomination for her work, but lost to Gloria Graham for The Bad and The Beautiful. Her performance was one of the two Oscar nominations that this film got, and it was a well-deserved nomination. I also loved her voice, which was kind of like Fran Drescher before Fran Drescher, although Drescher's accent is a bit more severe. Although I wonder what happens to her character after the movie....

All in all, Singin' in the Rain is probably my favourite of the movie-musicals, and possibly the most popular and well-liked of all the musical movies, especially those that were produced by MGM. It satirizes them all the same, providing for an extremely funny and entertaining film. It is pretty much a perfect movie, with one one small problem in the Broadway Melody that I talked about, but otherwise I can't run out of good things to say about it. I don't care if musicals are not your thing, you need to see this movie, and those who like musicals who haven't seen it will love it. It is a brilliantly made movie and one of the best movies to ever come out of (or be about) Hollywood. This is the one thing I agree with the AFI about, as they placed this at #5 on their best movies list. It's well-acted, well-directed, well-sung, well-choreographed, and a whole lot of fun. And to close out, I will show you one of my favourite bits of dialogue in the movie.

Don Lockwood: [while filming a silent love scene] Why, you rattlesnake! You got that poor kid fired.

Lina Lamont: That's not all I'm gonna do if I ever get my hands on her.

Don Lockwood: I never heard of anything so low. Why did you do it?

Lina Lamont: Because you liked her. I could tell.

Don Lockwood: So that's it. Believe me, I don't like her half as much as I hate you, you reptile.

Lina Lamont: Sticks and stones may break my bones...

Don Lockwood: I'd like to break every bone in your body.

Lina Lamont: You and who else, you big lummox?

10/10



My Review of The Muppets (2011)

The Muppets (2011)

Nobody seemed to be very interested in the Muppets after their last movie (1999's Muppets in Space) was released. That's why Jason Segel had to fight tooth and nail to get his dream project up and running, and once he did, you could be damned sure he would do it right. Well, he did, and what resulted was the single best movie I have seen this year. Just thinking about this movie I have a giant ear-to-ear grin, and I just saw it and already I want to see it again. This is pretty much a flawless movie, in fact, it is flawless. That's right, I could not find a single thing wrong with this movie. It is unapologetically saccharine and sweet, and it had me weepy-eyed with joy while also busting my guts with laughter. It's also ably acted by both humans and Muppets, and it's just plain awesome.

The film centres around Walter, a puppet who lives in Smalltown, USA, with his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams). Walter and Gary are huge Muppets fans, and on a trip to the Muppet Studio, Walter overhears a plan by oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to tear down the theatre and drill for oil. In order to prevent this from happening, the Muppets have to get back together and hold a telethon to raise 10 million dollars, buying back the theatre and effectively bringing the gang back together. Walter, Gary, and Mary go to the house of Kermit, who now lives entirely off the grid in his mansion, longing for the good old days.

With the help of Kermit and his assistant/butler 80's Robot, they track down Fozzie (who now works

with a Muppet cover band in Reno), Gonzo (now the CEO of a plumbing empire), and the rest of the Muppets via montage. The only one who seems to have trouble coming around is Miss Piggy, who now works as a plus-size editor for Vogue Paris and doesn't want to rejoin the troupe because she and Kermit called it quits over his lack of commitment. However, the gang gets back together and starts to work on their comeback special, while a cynical TV executive (Rashida Jones) says she won't air the show unless they get a celebrity host. So they kidnap Jack Black and the show goes on, serving as the climax of the film.

There are several attempts at sabotaging the show by Richman, who will not only get the Muppet Theatre if they don't raise enough money, but he will get the Muppet name as well (as that is included the contract). I won't give away anything more, but one of the many things I like about this movie is that it has a relatively simple plot. Kids movies don't need labyrinthian plots to be good, and this is refreshingly straightforward. It's also not filled with pop culture references and crass humour like so many kids movies. There are a lot of fourth wall jokes though, and pretty much all of them are hilarious. In fact, pretty much the entire movie is hilarious, even when it's being tear-jerking.

I was happy to see all the Muppets back together performing their show, and if this film was used as a way to relaunch The Muppet Show, I would be extremely happy. In fact, the film takes advantage of the fact that there hasn't been a Muppet movie in over ten years and that a good chunk of the world has outwardly forgot them, using it for jokes and heart-wrenching moments at the same time. This film also inspired a wave of nostalgia to wash over me although I never really watched The Muppets as a kid (either the show or the movies), and I'm sure it will do that for longtime fans of the Muppets as well. Around the middle of the movie, Chris Cooper's character tells Kermit that he and his gang are relics, and they are relics, in the best possible way. They're soft and sweet in a cynical and hard world, and that's exactly what we need in times like this. This is what children's entertainment should be like, and this film should be held up as an example of how great kids movies are made.

However, the people that The Muppets is most likely to please are the longtime fans, those who saw the movies and/or the show growing up and wish to revel in a blast from the past. Longtime Muppet fans with children can also take them to this movie and introduce them to characters that every child should know because like I have said so many times, a lot of children's movies have pop culture references (this one has a few, but not too many) and crass humour and The Muppets does not resort to that. Instead, it delivers on the old charm and pure joy that the Muppets have delivered for so many people. Just because the movie is a blast from the past doesn't mean that it hasn't updated itself to become relevant again. There are a ton of celebrity cameos by everyone from Neil Patrick Harris to Sarah Silverman to Whoopi Goldberg (but my favourites being an uncredited role by Jack Black and a hilarious cameo from Jim Parsons of Big Bang Theory fame) and they reference some modern songs, but not to a degree of overkill.

Besides the cameos and the Muppets themselves, there are three main human performances that I'd like to talk about (four if you include a new muppet, which I will). First of all, there is Jason Segel as Gary. Jason Segel was the main driving force behind the movie and it was because of him that the movie even got made. He is now one of my favourite people in the world because of that, and he gives a decent performance as Gary. He doesn't overshadow the Muppets because he's not supposed to, but we do care about his character and we want to see him, his girlfriend and his brother be happy. Speaking of which, I loved the character of Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan and the guy who gets the Muppets back together. I'm not sure who voiced him, but they were great, and if they brought back the Muppet show, I would be very happy to see Walter in it. Amy Adams gives a great performance as Mary (which kind of reminded me of her performance in Enchanted), but most of the things that can be said about her can also be said about Jason Segel. However, I really liked her costumes in this movie and how they were almost reminiscent of the old 50's schoolteacher, only Amy Adams makes them work because she happens to be very attractive. Chris Cooper plays the villain, and every time he insulted Kermit and the gang I wanted to punch that bastard in the face, simply because I love the Muppets so much and it's just impossible to be mean to Kermit the Frog. It's like being mean to a really cute puppy, it just can't happen.

One thing I didn't know about this movie going into it was that it was a musical. I had heard that there were songs, but I didn't know that it was going to be a straight-up musical. The songs were written by Bret McKenzie (of Flight of the Conchords) and I must say he did an excellent job, especially with the film's main theme, entitled "Life's a Happy Song". If either version of the song (at the beginning or the end) does not get an Oscar, or even get nominated for one, I will be extremely unhappy. My other favourite song is "Man or Muppet", and they do play some of the classics too, like "Rainbow Connection" and "Mahna Mahna". The score was also excellent and I definitely smell Oscar for it (as well as the songs and maybe even the script).

This is just a fantastic movie, and I can't run out of great things to say about it. I offer one of my highest recommendations possible as my single favourite movie this year. This film had me weepy-eyed from the beginning and especially weepy-eyed at the end, and this is coming from someone who doesn't cry at movies. The three people who gave this negative reviews are clearly made out of stone, because even the most cold-hearted and cynical of people could very well give into the power of the Muppets. The film is extremely well-made, and it will please longtime fans of the Muppets most of all, and seeing as how a good many of them are of child-having age, this is a movie that can be shown to kids who aren't familiar with the Muppets. All the characters are back, and better than ever in a nostalgic romp that is reminiscient of a simpler time. All that's left for me to say is that Jason Segel is a very good man and he will be forever associated with The Muppets as one of the men (and the driving force behind the many men) that brought them back.

Thank you man, just thank you.

10/10