It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, because everyone’s favorite puppets are back with Muppets Most Wanted, a delightful comedic caper. The trouble starts when a mysterious tour manager, inauspiciously named Dominic Badguy, proposes to take Kermit and the gang on a world tour. But Badguy is not really in show business; he’s actually a henchman for Constantine, the world’s most dangerous frog, who just escaped from a Russian gulag and who happens to look exactly like Kermit. The dastardly duo wants to use the Muppet tour as a cover-up for their scheme to steal the crown jewels of England, so Constantine clandestinely switches places with Kermit and sends the beloved bandleader to a Siberian jail cell. Constantine’s impression of Kermit is not very convincing, but the other Muppets are so thrilled their director is finally letting them do whatever they want that they don’t notice the switch until it’s almost too late.
Catchy musical numbers and clever jokes make this movie thoroughly entertaining. The human acting complements the ever-amusing Muppets, with hilarious leading performances by Tiny Fey, Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell and cameos by celebrities ranging from Usher to Tony Bennett. Muppet fans will appreciate a few inside jokes, but newcomers quickly will get caught up in the zany antics, too.
Should You See It? Yes! —R.K
Viewed at Chase Park Plaza Cinemas