The 2011 Muppets reboot managed to re-establish the rainbow connection for millions of longtime fans, while simultaneously introducing a whole new generation to Jim Henson's beloved sketch-comedy puppets. 2014's
Muppets Most Wanted finds the gang back on top and touring the world, only to become embroiled in an international crime caper that involves a chippy Russian prison guard played by Tina Fey, a tenacious Interpol agent played by Modern Family dad Ty Burrell, and a Kermit doppelganger/super-criminal and his slimy number two, the latter of whom is brought to life by Ricky Gervais. As one would expect, musical hijinks ensue, beginning with the likeable, Vaudevillian opening number, which finds Kermit and Fozzie singing "We're doing a sequel/That's what we do in Hollywood/And everybody knows the sequel's never quite as good," while Miss Piggy opines "The studio considers us a viable franchise," and Rowlf declares "We can't do any worse that Godfather 3". Any good
Muppets soundtrack worth its salt is heavily peppered with good-natured yucks, snippets of dialogue, and oddball guest spots, and
Most Wanted is no exception to the rule, offering up a bevy of inside jokes, nods to musical cues from past films, and clever walk-ons from the likes of
Tony Bennett and
Lady Gaga ("We're Doing a Sequel"),
Josh Groban ("The Big House"), and the inimitable
Celine Dion, who goes nose to nose with Miss Piggy on the rapturous torch ballad "Something So Right." That said, this is a
Muppets production from start to finish, so it's the plushies themselves who really stand out, and while it may lack some of the sweetness that made 2011's comeback such a surprise, sentimental experience for some, it retains all of its goofy charm, and then some. ~ James Christopher Monger