The Muppets is absolutely amazing. The 2011 reboot of the franchise, starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams, introduced a brand new Muppet and got the whole gang back together again. It was a hilarious, heart warming, and at times heartbreaking return to form, with great cameos and even better songs. Ignoring the atrocious looking sequel that’s approaching soon, The Muppets is perfect, and the music is a big part of that. Mostly written by Bret McKenzie, each song has its own level of brilliance, from the cheerful opener 'Life’s a Happy Song', which had us all dancing our way out of the cinemas, to Kermit’s soul crushing reminiscence of his former glory days in Pictures in my Head. But none of them quite hit the same level as 'Man or Muppet'.
That year at the Oscars, there were only two nominees for the award for Best Original Song (the other being from Rio) but there’s no doubt this song would still have taken top prize anyway. Having spent a lot of time with The Muppets and his brother Walter, Gary (Jason Segel) completely forgets about his anniversary with Mary (Amy Adams). He shows up to make things right, however, he finds that she’s already left. She leaves him a note, asking him a pivotal question: Is he a man or a Muppet? Gary and Walter sing about the uncertainties of who they are, and see their reflections as the opposite species (With Sheldon Cooper himself, Jim Parsons, portraying the human version of Walter).
Bret McKenzie is a genius for writing this song; it’s just perfect. Everything that needs to be said about these two characters, a grown man who has spent too much time protecting and being there for his brother when he didn’t need it to the point he neglected is love, and a kid who believes that he has no talent and doesn’t belong amongst his idols, comes out brilliantly. It’s when they come to their final conclusion and realise who they are, and they utter the last line “That’s what I am” that I’m not afraid to admit I tear up a little bit. It’s the happiness of these 2 characters discovering their true selves that makes an emotional impact on the viewer. On top of all that, Jason Segel is a surprisingly good singer, and Jim Parsons was the only cameo not confirmed at the time, so seeing him pop up was a lovely surprise.
'Man or Muppet' is the perfect theme song to a perfect film, and one of the most deserving songs in the awards history.
That year at the Oscars, there were only two nominees for the award for Best Original Song (the other being from Rio) but there’s no doubt this song would still have taken top prize anyway. Having spent a lot of time with The Muppets and his brother Walter, Gary (Jason Segel) completely forgets about his anniversary with Mary (Amy Adams). He shows up to make things right, however, he finds that she’s already left. She leaves him a note, asking him a pivotal question: Is he a man or a Muppet? Gary and Walter sing about the uncertainties of who they are, and see their reflections as the opposite species (With Sheldon Cooper himself, Jim Parsons, portraying the human version of Walter).
Bret McKenzie is a genius for writing this song; it’s just perfect. Everything that needs to be said about these two characters, a grown man who has spent too much time protecting and being there for his brother when he didn’t need it to the point he neglected is love, and a kid who believes that he has no talent and doesn’t belong amongst his idols, comes out brilliantly. It’s when they come to their final conclusion and realise who they are, and they utter the last line “That’s what I am” that I’m not afraid to admit I tear up a little bit. It’s the happiness of these 2 characters discovering their true selves that makes an emotional impact on the viewer. On top of all that, Jason Segel is a surprisingly good singer, and Jim Parsons was the only cameo not confirmed at the time, so seeing him pop up was a lovely surprise.
'Man or Muppet' is the perfect theme song to a perfect film, and one of the most deserving songs in the awards history.
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