Grade: A+

By the end of The Muppets, I realized just how much my cheeks hurt from smiling almost straight through the 103-minute movie.  With the perfect combination of the old school Muppets charm brought to us by Jim Henson HeHjAkand a fresh, modern storyline, The Muppets bridges the gap between the generation that grew up with the Muppets, the generation that has no idea who Kermit the Frog is, and everyone in between.

Directed by James Bobin (Flight of the Concords Television series), The Muppets plotline pokes fun at the fact that the Muppets characters have been in a hiatus of sorts in recent years. Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) plays Gary, long-time boyfriend of Mary, Amy Adams (Enchanted), and together with Gary’s younger Muppet-obsessed puppet brother, Walter, the trio sets out to reunite all of our favorite Muppet characters for one more show. Encouraging this quest is the threat of Tex Richman, a high-powered entrepreneur bent on drilling for oil beneath the Muppet Studio in California.  To save the studio, the Muppets’ must put on a telethon to raise 10 million dollars, a pricy task considering the Muppets have been out of practice for years.

Interlaced with hidden jokes for mature audiences, The Muppets satisfies everyone. Its enchanting, catchy songs and guest appearances by Selena Gomez and Jack Black with captivate younger audiences, and its entangled romances between Gary and Mary and, of course, Kermit the Frog and Miss. Piggy keeps older audiences interested and laughing. By the end, however, the theme of friendship unites all ages in an overwhelming “aww” moment.

Segel and Adams’ experience with children’s movies and comedies allow for onscreen chemistry that would not have been achieved had the producers cast any other actors.

I don’t usually buy movie soundtracks or purchase DVDs themselves, but I’ll be watching the shelves for this one as it proves to be a timeless classic that can brighten anyone’s day.