Film

Muppets Most Wanted

Name: Muppets Most Wanted
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Crime, Family
Released: 2014
Cast: Steve Whitmire, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Eric Jacobson

Comedy
Light-hearted

The Muppets get tangled up in a globe-trotting jewel heist after a Kermit doppelgänger convinces the troupe he's their leader. It's a throwback to the franchise's variety-show energy—jokes landing in rapid-fire clusters, mostly for kids but with enough sly references for adults. Charming rather than hilarious, and best enjoyed if you already have affection for this particular ragtag family.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love the Muppets' running gags, rapid-fire backstage farce and meta jokes about showbiz, and a caper plot that exists mainly to let the cast bounce off each other.

Skip it if you want the warm, sentimental heart of the earlier Muppet films; this one leans on quick gags and plot mechanics, and its emotional beats feel thinner by comparison.

What it asks of you: Around 107 minutes of brisk, busy scenes that rarely pause, so it rewards attention to the jokes sitting in the background and the quick cameos.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Muppet Movie1979

The original that established the Muppets' anarchic spirit and proved they could carry a feature. It has real heart underneath the chaos, and watching Kermit's origin story is genuinely moving.

But The pacing is slack by modern standards, and some of the humour feels very 1970s. It takes a while to find its rhythm.

The Great Muppet Caper1981

A mystery-caper romp that balances slapstick, romance, and outrageous set pieces with remarkable grace. The plot is genuinely clever and the energy never flags.

But It leans harder on elaborate musical numbers than Most Wanted does—if you're not ready for extended song-and-dance, you'll hit a wall.

Muppets from Space1999

Gonzo hunts for his extraterrestrial origins in a sci-fi adventure that's weird, touching, and packed with genuine laughs. It recaptures the anything-goes spirit of the classic films.

But The plot meanders, and the movie doesn't always know when to get out of its own way. Some sequences feel padded.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Muppets Most Wanted

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Singin' in the Rain1952

Both films build their plots around a case of mistaken identity and use music and spectacle to drive comedy rather than interrupt it. Both trust their performers' charisma to carry the story.

The gold standard for placing comedy within elaborate musical numbers. Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds execute the same philosophy the Muppets embrace: entertainment without apology, and virtuosity deployed in service of joy.

But It's a straight dramatic-musical with no puppets, which means if you loved Most Wanted purely for the Muppets, this will feel distant.

Fraggle Rock1983

Jim Henson's puppet fantasy series that captures the same collaborative joy and whimsy as the Muppets themselves. It's strange and earnest in ways that feel fresh decades later.

But It's deliberately slow and meditative—nothing like the zany pace you'd expect. Modern kids often find it too quiet.

The Muppet Show1976

Five seasons of pure variety-show gold, where each episode's structure lets the Muppets riff on everything. Celebrity guests, running jokes, and genuine charisma from every character.

But It's episodic and deliberately low-stakes—no overarching plot to pull you forward. Some episodes land better than others.

Labyrinth1986

Jim Henson's dark fantasy adventure with puppetry that swings between whimsy and genuine menace. David Bowie, a legitimately haunting story, and practical effects that still astound.

But The tone can be jarring—it's neither light comedy nor pure fantasy drama. Young viewers sometimes find the Goblin King unsettling in the wrong way.

The Dark Crystal1982

Henson and Frank Oz's epic puppet fantasy with a completely original world. The craftsmanship alone is worth the price of admission, and there's genuine adventure underneath.

But There is no laugh in this film. It's dead serious. If you're looking for Muppet humour, this will feel like a genre change.

We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story1993

A puppet sitcom that's genuinely funny and surprisingly cynical about family, work, and existence. It holds up as satire and sitcom craft.

But It's a network sitcom from the 90s with all that entails—some jokes have aged badly, and the formula can feel repetitive.

The Phantom Tollbooth1970

Both films are fundamentally about joy and silliness as legitimate forms of storytelling. Both were made by creators unbothered by conventional narrative logic, prioritising personality and play.

A hand-animated and live-action hybrid about a boy's journey through a literal language kingdom. It has the same affection for wordplay, loose logic, and cheerful weirdness that animates the Muppets' best moments.

But The animation is visually dated, the pacing is meandering, and the colour grading is acid-trip surreal. It does not feel like a Hollywood product.

People

Cast

Steve WhitmireKermit the Frog / Foo-Foo / Statler / Beaker / Lips / Rizzo the Rat / Link Hogthrob / The Newsman (voice)
Ricky GervaisDominic Badguy
Ty BurrellJean Pierre Napoleon
Tina FeyNadya
Eric JacobsonMiss Piggy / Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam Eagle (voice)
Dave GoelzThe Great Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Waldorf
Bill BarrettaPepe the King Prawn / Rowlf the Dog / Dr. Teeth / The Swedish Chef / Bobo the Bear / Big Mean Carl / Baby Boss / Carlo Flamingo / Leprechaun Security Guard (voice)
David RudmanScooter / Janice / Miss Poogy / Bobby Benson / Wayne (voice)
Matt VogelConstantine / Floyd Pepper / Sweetums / Pops / Robin / Lew Zealand / Crazy Harry / 80's Robot / Camilla / Uncle Deadly (voice)
Peter LinzWalter / Manolo Flamingo (voice)
Tony BennettTony Bennett
Hugh BonnevilleIrish Journalist