Muppetry

I'm glad that I knew about Jason Segel before watching this movie.

I mean, don't get me wrong-- I've seen plenty worse movies than this.

But this still isn't a very great movie.

I mean, the cast is.... no, *half* the cast is great.... and the other half of the cast, are these.... puppets from the 80s.

And it's vaguely reminiscent of-- and, yeah, this is after the before-Seinfeld era.... god, the 80s....-- "Despicable Me": Jason Segel, sci-fi comedy, crazies.... But once you've met the minions, it's hard to go back to the muppets....

And, it's weird, Jason Segel really *is* a nice guy, *sorta* like he is in this movie-- not like in "Despicable Me", where his role as "Vector", a sort of nerdy bad guy, kinda is sorta a break with what he really does.... and yet, this is the role that comes off as being kinda inauthentic, like, pretty, inauthentic....

I guess that the world has changed since 2005....

Neil Patrick Harris: I don't know why I'm not hosting this.

I guess it's because someone picked a muppet over Neil Patrick Harris....

And, just in general, since the 80s ended in 1990. ("I appreciate the whole seduction thing you've got going on here, but let me give you a tip: I'm a sure bet.")

And, you know, maybe it's sorta similar in quality to "Battle of the Smithsonian", which also isn't the greatest movie ever made.... it's not as though hiring one particular guy or two is all you need to do.... And it's not as bad as any of those weirdo 80s action movies with the bat people and the penguin people....

And, you know, I don't really dislike Jack Black.... but I feel like I'd like this movie better if I were a real big Jack Black guy. But I'm really more of a Jason Segel guy.... And I feel like there are times when a guy is in a movie, and it's almost like.... he's punishing himself.... I don't know, there are times when it just really *doesn't* work.... it's hard to explain.

But, yeah. 'Despicable Me'.

"As far as money is concerned.... we have no money."

None of the lines in this movie are as funny as that; I'm sorry-- they're just not.

"Change of heart-- nothing to do with head"

Marshall Eriksen: Because they'd started making money, hahaha. I'm sorry, but was that just.... cynical?

Barney Stinson: That was a cynical 80s joke, my friend.

Marshall Eriksen: That blows. Cynicism blows.

Lily Aldrin: Marshall!

Marshall Eriksen: Sorry Lily.

And the thing is, in "Despicable Me" you get the minions-- one of whom is Kieran Vollard's actor, and so you get a million guys who are like Kieran Vollard.... and you *also* get, *a trio of ballerinas*!

I guess that you could say that with this, you lose on both sides of it.

Robin S: Hey Barney, have you ever seen "Friends With Benefits"?

Barney S: I watch "Friends with Benefits" every day.

I mean, with this, my grief is that people with bad taste in comedy usually end up being really rude.... Which, incidentally also applies to people who (*always*!) watch good comedy with this careless attitude and this idea that you can't learn anything from it.... ("I promise, this is not the kind of movie that you need to understand").... I mean, I guess that alot of people watch Adam Sandler movies with this idea that he's an asshole and that you can't learn anything from him..... which I guess is "fun", until your sister comes to visit for the holidays, and you treat her like shit because you're an asshole. (I mean, did you ever ask yourself why a guy would work twice as hard as usual, just to get slightly less than normal?)

.... And, on top of that, Steve Carell sure doesn't think that comedy isn't good enough for thinking sorts.

Anyway.

With this, you could almost call it a Jim Parsons movie.

'Move the ship, Jim.'

What could I have possible done to offend Mrs. Vartabedian?

(7/10)