Title: The Muppets Director: James Bobin Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Genre(s): Comedy Rated:       (For some mild rude humor)

CONSUMER ADVICE

Parents, there is nothing objectional in this film . Recommended for all ages.

It may not be easy being green, but I suspect a lot of it will be raked in for “The Muppets,” which is a hilarious revival of the fifty year old franchise that hasn't made any serious money in years. Thankfully, the characters in this movie know that. Even Kermit wonders “if we put on a show, would anybody care…or did we break something we can't repair.” That may be an unusally deep analogy to get from a glorified sock, but I guess some of the charms of the Muppets have always been that they don't seem to realize they aren't living things. They feel real though, which is more than I can say for the pretty boys and girls from “Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” (which will – sadly – outgross this movie $50 million to $10 million).

The story: The old Muppet Theater (which resembles the historic El Capitan Theater) is in ruins and in danger of being bought by a rich businessman (Chris Cooper), who wants to drill under the theater for oil. When the Muppets ask for the theater back, he tells them no in rap form (it's amazing the kind of work you can get after you win an Oscar these days). So now the Muppets have to put on a show to raise $10 million dollars to save the theater. But…oh yeah, they aren't popular anymore. Selena Gomez makes remarks “I don't know who you are but my agent told me to be here” and the cute kid from “Modern Family” thinks Kermit is a Ninja Turtle.

Thankfully they've got encouragement from Walter, who is the biggest fan of the Muppets. He's in Los Angeles with his brother Gary (Jason Segal) and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), who have been in a relationship for ten years but apparently haven't discussed marriage yet. I could go on about all this, but I'm not sure it really matters. The screenplay for “The Muppets” works in the story department, but it excels in the humor, which comes rapid and fast but is smart and innocent. In short, this is the sort of family film I wish we'd see more of: A harmless film that is funny for both children and adults.

Several years ago Disney bought the Muppets for $30 million dollars and then didn't seem to know what to do with them once they had them. They've made some soap commcericials and showed up on various talk shows, but kids just looked at these characters as if they were a joke. I think “The Muppets” will be these characters saving grace. It puts the Muppets legacy into proper perspective while making a fun movie that I hope will be a huge hit for families. This may be the first time I witness a huge revival of a franchise because that franchise admits to being past its “use by” date. But then, success is usually the best form of revenge, and “The Muppets” proves that nicely.

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