The Muppets seemed to be the perfect candidate with which to
study narrative structure. After all, a beloved children’s
franchise famous for also entertaining adults was more than likely to
contain a Hollywood-style composition. It didn’t fail to deliver.
It has most of what makes a good screenplay: conflict, clarity of
plot, and a storybook climax. However, it lacks one very important
thing, split into three subcategories: resolution against a
believable, scary antagonist with clear motivations. This missing
piece was its undoing, destroying the rest of the film and
trivializing the conflict.
The story of The Muppets begins with a lighthearted montage
highlighting the relationship between two brothers: one a puppet
character named Walter who dreams of becoming a Muppet someday, the
other a human named Gary played by Jason Segel. It establishes their
appreciation of each other, and sets up one of the main conflicts:
Walter’s growing dissatisfaction with his differences. Over the
next few chunks of movie, we learn that they are setting out on a
trip to visit Los Angeles for Gary and his girlfriend Mary’s
ten-year anniversary, Walter in tow. The young puppet is thrilled to
have the chance to visit the Muppet Studios where all the episodes of
The Muppet Show were recorded decades ago.
Unfortunately, when they arrive they find the studio shut down,
derelict, covered in dust, and strung with spiderwebs. Only a single,
disgruntled tour guide remains, who takes them unenthusiastically to
Kermit the Frog’s former office. We learn that the Muppets have
been out of style for years, and after drifting apart, they were
forgotten.
Walter wanders off and happens to overhear a convenient conversation
between three suited figures, one of which is Tex Richman. He and his
cronies discuss a plan to take over the Muppet Studios due to a small
article within the “standard Rich and Famous” contract Kermit
signed years ago. It states that Tex Richman has the rights to the
property by a certain date, if the Muppets are unable to come up with
ten million dollars. This is the point where we learn that Tex is the
“bad guy”. Walter learns of the dastardly villain’s plot to
level the studios and drill for oil (which is strange, considering
the studios are located in the middle of the city…). Walter, of
course, then sets out on a journey to reunite the Muppets so they can
put on one last show, raise the money, and buy their studio back.
This seems like a relatively reasonable set up for the film that
follows, seeing as most audiences would be accepting of such a simple
plot. However, Tex Richman fails to live up to the image the film
makers want him to have. He is never scary, seldom intimidating, and
last of all, he has no reason to be doing what he is doing.
For a short time after the character is first introduced, Tex appears
to be nice, pretending to be converting the Muppet Studios into a
Muppet museum. Walter soon finds the real reason for the takeover by
listening in secretly, at which point Tex tells his henchmen to
perform a “maniacal laugh”. They do so, to the audience’s
confusion. Much later in the movie, we discover that the reason for
this is because of Tex Richman’s own inability to laugh, maniacally
or otherwise. It’s an interesting quirk to give a villain, but the
late reveal defeats the effectiveness, essentially robbing the
audience of something to identify the antagonist with for the
majority of the movie.
The only real encounter the Muppets have face to face with Tex is
well before the climax, in the billionaire’s office, where a
ridiculously embarrassing hip hop number takes place featuring the
villain himself, rapping about how he does anything and everything he
wants, because he is rich. Kermit sits bemused, while the audience
covers their faces in shame. Any smidgen of intimidation previously
present is very suddenly gone.
Even the climax of the film is lackluster (though it does have one of
the only instances of much appreciated nostalgia). Tex attempts to
shut down the power to the studio while the Muppets are filming a
telethon meant to save them and raise ten million dollars. He rams
his car into a power pole, severs a main power line, and eventually
tries to cut live wires on top of the building with nothing but bolt
cutters (never mind how deadly it would be if he succeeded). Through
all of this, there is no contact with the heroes of the story.
Eventually one of his own “turned-leaf” henchmen takes the bolt
cutters from him, and essentially knocks him out by accident. The
entire sequence only serves to make Tex look childish, incompetent,
and utterly un-threatening.
One of the main downfalls of the entire plot was the lack of
motivation Tex Richman had for doing what he does. By openly
acknowledging the fact that even the film makers don’t know why he
is such a bad guy, the audience is given nothing with which to
reconcile the events taking place. We are told that Tex is bad
because that is his nature, which only works for faceless Evil
Overlords in their towers, not men in business suits. To essentially
tell the audience, “Laugh with us, ‘cause Tex being a bad
dude just ‘because’ is a joke,” doesn’t work.
Mainly because it has been done before (and better) in The Great
Muppet Caper, when Kermit asks Steve Martin’s character, “Why
are you doing this?” to which the villain replies charmingly,
“Because I’m a villain!”.
Also, the city of Los Angeles would definitely not allow oil
drilling efforts to take place directly on top of the oil deposit.
The red tape, zoning issues, and most of all, the local public’s
involvement in the inevitable protests would be impossible to
surmount. At very least, Tex would have to introduce an angled system
to allow a long drill and line to access the oil from outside city
limits, thus leaving the Muppet Studio untouched. This would be his
only option, and hardly feasible. Thus the entire conflict of
the story is fundamentally flawed in a large, very noticeable way.
All of the above aside, the conflict fails to resolve properly. Tex
is not defeated or even shown up by the Muppets and friends (they
fail to get the ten million dollars by the time limit). There are
several resolutions across the board, from Walter’s inclusion into
the ranks of the Muppets, Kermit’s reconcile with Miss Piggy,
Gary’s proposal to Mary, to the resurgence of the Muppet’s
relevance in modern media. However, they do nothing to overcome Tex’s
“evil”, there is no comeuppance, and there is no resolution to
his involvement. Almost as an afterthought, the film maker’s have
Gonzo hit the (somehow) defeated villain with a bowling ball on
accident, loosening a laugh from him for the first time, after which
Tex decides to give the Muppets back their studio. It’s shoddy
writing, and a huge let down, trivializing the efforts of all the
characters involved.
Many people might say that all of these facts are pointless when
applied to a kid’s movie. That a movie like The Muppets isn’t
intended to wrap one’s mind in layers of mystery and plot. It’s
meant to enjoyed, simply and quickly. Well, it came close to
accomplishing that goal. But since the Muppets are famous for
entertaining all age groups with different levels of humor and
quality writing, it’s an excuse that doesn’t hold up. With just a
little tweaking of the antagonist in three key areas, it could have
ended as a much better film. Hopefully future Muppet movies take a
cue from their older predecessors and focus on a good story first,
and gimmicky characters last.
