Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Film: Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
Stars: Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey...though of course the real stars of this series are always Kermit, Piggy, and the gang
Director: James Bobin
Oscar History: The Muppets have a surprisingly robust history with Oscar, scoring five nominations with 57% of their films gaining the Oscar-nominated title.  Still, considering this film is pretty much forgotten just a few months later I have solid doubts that it can score a random Best Song nomination despite having the largest original song catalog this year outside of Begin Again.
Snap Judgment Ranking: 2/5 stars

It's impossible not to have a soft-spot for the Muppets.  Growing up, my brother and I would revel in this show-we were ecstatic whenever it randomly ended up on Channel 13 for some reason.  I mean-what wasn't to love?  A backstage look at one of the world's most famous variety acts, with an inevitably famous guest star (frequently one we had to ask our parents who they were, since most of the shows were reruns from the 1970's, but still this is how I discovered people like Rita Moreno and Shirley Bassey for the first time).  Plus, we had grown up on Muppet Babies, and this was a perfect anecdote to that fun but only-for-kids show.  As a result of this, I was thrilled three years ago when Jason Segal decided it was time for a new generation of moviegoers to "play the music and light the lights."  With the inevitable success of the 2011 film, it was only a matter of time before yet another outing with Kermit, Piggy, and the gang, and though I missed it when it was in theaters, Netflix decided it was time for me to catch up with this rag-tag band of puppets this past weekend.

(Spoilers Ahead) The film, like most Muppet movies, involves a series of misadventures for our gang as a result of a comically-cast villain (in this case Ricky Gervais as the aptly named Nick Badguy) that ultimately results in them putting on a show to save the day.  The film follows Kermit as the Muppets, newly reunited (the film literally takes off right after the past film, even with stand-ins for Segal and Amy Adams where you only see the back of their heads) decide what to do next.  Enter Nick Badguy, who says they should go on a world tour, but continually undermines Kermit with the entire troupe, and we soon learn why-Nick is working with Constantine, the world's most dangerous frog, who pulls a switcheroo on Kermit, taking over as the show's host and sending Kermit to a gulag where he is imprisoned by a tough-but-smitten-with-him Nadya (Fey).  In true Muppet fashion, no one seems to notice Kermit's new Russian accent and weird aversion to what is actually going on with his beloved gang (except for Animal, oddly enough) and Constantine and Nick, through a series of bizarre Da Vinci Code-esque capers, eventually manage to steal the Crown Jewels in hopes of pinning the crime on the Muppets (though Kermit flies in to save the day).

The film didn't get the greatest reviews initially, at least not compared to its immediate predecessor, and while I wait until after I write this review before I read those reviews (no influencing!), it's hard not to agree with that largely due to the film's over-reliance on the chief villains.  The past film may have been a fluke in this regard, as Jason Segal's character and the newest Muppet Walter were the main characters, but they were entirely working in service to the Muppets reformation, and Segal seemed so at home in this universe you wouldn't be entirely blamed for assuming he's just the world's tallest muppet (give or take Sweetums).  This film takes Kermit (who is really the straight man that needs to interact with the rest of the Muppets to make his comedy work) and places him into a world all on his own, and Constantine/Nick take up far too much of the film's time.  The movie cast the three principle human cast members well (Fey, Gervais, and Ty Burrell as a detective working with Sam Eagle to solve the crimes all are exactly the actors I would have called upon for a Muppet movie), but with the exception of Burrell, probably gave them to much screen-time at the expense of more ridiculousness involving the actual Muppets.

Still, the Muppets rarely leave us without something worthwhile, and the best part of these movies is watching the random celebrity guest spots and the way they find themselves into the Muppet universe, as well as the joyous love of original musical numbers.  The celebrity cameos do not disappoint-in particular I liked the geographically-considered guest stars in each country (Christoph Waltz, Salma Hayek, and Saoirse Ronan, congratulations on speaking the correct language and/or accent), Celine Dion as Miss Piggy's fairy godmother (of course) and Tom Hiddleston as the Great Escapo (tap-dancing and looking adorable with his ginger hair).  Honestly you'd have a good time watching this movie with a friend playing a veritable Where's Waldo with the dozens of celebrities who show up at a moment's notice.

The musical numbers don't stand out in the same way as The Muppets a few years ago, and there's certainly no "Rainbow Connection" lurking in this particular score.  The funniest numbers in the movie are "We're Doing a Sequel" and "I'll Get You What You Want," but if you're thinking there may be another Oscar-nomination in store for this picture, think again-"Sequel" is too wink-y and reliant on the film for its humor (it won't stand alone as a recording) and "I'll Get You What You Want" is sung by the otherwise comically-challenged Constantine.  Still, it's refreshing to see an original musical come out of Hollywood (two, in fact, this year, with Begin Again also brimming with its own tunes), so they get some credit for that.

Those are my thoughts on this fluffy but ultimately throwaway film-what are yours?  Do you have a favorite Muppet or Muppet movie?  Which celebrity cameo did you enjoy the most?  Share your thoughts in the comments!