Muppets Most Wanted

I grew up loving the muppets- both the TV series and the movies- and so I thought the latest caper, Muppets Most Wanted, would be satisfying.  I was wrong.

The latest muppet installment is set immediately after the last Muppet movie (from 2011, starring Amy Adams and Jason Segel).  Kermit and crew are approached by Dominic Badguy, who offers them a world tour on the heels of their recent success.  Kermit's reluctant, but the band encourages him, and they set off to Berlin for their first overseas gig.  Little do they know that Dominic is using them- first to spring Kermit lookalike Constantine (the most dangerous frog in the world) from a Russian gulag (headed by Nadya, harsh Russian leader) by switching places with Kermit, and then to use their performances as diversions to concurrent burglaries in nearby buildings.  Eventually, Sam the Eagle and French inspector Jean Pierre Napoleon catch on, and thwart Constantine's overall obejctive to steal the crown jewels.

It's hard to pinpoint why, but this movie misses the mark.  It's okay, but not overly entertaining.  The cameos are fun (as always), and I found the American/European cultural mockery between Sam and Jean Pierre amusing, but after that, this film just didn't do it for me.  As an aside, I also realized just how much the muppets really are intended for adults.  My daughter sat bored and stoney-faced through the entire movie, understandably missing most of the cultural references and not being as amused by the ridiculous events as I had hoped.  Overall, though it pains me to say it, look elsewhere.

Rating: C