I really wanted to like The Muppet Movie, because I admire Jason Segel as a writer and comic actor, and I really appreciate his heartfelt and un-satiric approach to the material and to The Muppets as a cultural institution. And I did enjoy the film, basically. But I must say that in the end it could have been better. As you watch the film you are charmed more by the Muppets themselves than by the actual material, much of which unfortunately falls a little flat. During the telethon itself, the movie started to drag in just the spot where it needed to take fight. It had its moments, I just wish it had more of them.

Still, compared to the mountains of depressing, tasteless and offensive trash that we are bombarded with in theaters, The Muppet Movie looks pretty good. It has a cute story, a good message, has fun cameos from a variety of great actors, and the Muppets themselves are adorable. I recommend it.