The Muppets
I have a new favorite film for the year.
This, however, is not necessarily indicative of how much you will love the film. See, I grew up on "The Muppet Show." When I was eleven I saw The Muppet Movie. I remember telling my parents on the ride home that I didn't want to see any more movies ever unless they were Muppet movies. Yes, I had seen Star Wars already. Yes, I was ELEVEN, not five or six.
(Yes, I reneged on that deal very shortly thereafter, but that's not the point.)
Sandra also grew up on the Muppets, and credits this single commonality for bringing the two of us together.
The Muppets is not like Muppet Treasure Island or The Muppet Christmas Carol. It's not Muppets retelling a story we know. It's a "we're getting the band back together" movie, and is more like that first film, The Muppet Movie, than anything which came afterward.
This film plays the nostalgia card, and the Muppets have a long enough line of credit with me that I'm fine with that. It helps that the card is played so effectively, and feels so true to the spirit of everything Jim Henson created.
Jason Segel and Amy Adams were perfect in this film. So was everybody else, really. All the concerns I had about the film were completely dispelled by the beginning of Act II, and I can't even remember what those concerns WERE at this point.
I've seen the film twice now. I loved it even more the second time, which is pretty unusual.