Prompt: Write a two page paper that identifies the theme and chronicles the arc of the lead character in one of your favorite narrative movies, act by act.
One
of my favorite movies of all time is, no joke, 2011’s The Muppets, starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams. What made me fall
in love with the film is that, despite being a saccharine sweet, squeaky-clean
kids movie, it was simultaneously a well-constructed, very mature and
thoughtful tale about the process of growing up and becoming your own person
(not to mention that it was filled with loads of meta humor, for which I have
an enormous soft spot). Underneath The
Muppets’ broad strokes and bright
colors are threads of tender and heartfelt explorations of the pitfalls and
difficulties of the transition to adulthood that, when woven together, form a
tapestry of subtext and elucidate the film’s main theme: Part of growing up is
letting the people you care about do the same.
In Act One, Gary (born and raised in
Smalltown, USA), Mary, his girlfriend of ten years, and his younger (Muppet)
brother Walter discover that it is up to them to help the Muppets raise enough
money to save their studio from a corrupt oil tycoon. Gary is wholeheartedly
supportive of his little brother, even taking him on his and Mary’s anniversary
trip to Los Angeles. He’s perpetually cheerful (in his own words “Everything is
great, Everything is grand”) and perfectly comfortable to be living in complete
stasis. He’s lived in the same town his entire life, he’s had the same gorgeous
girl by his side in a pleasant, but completely undynamic relationship (it is
implied that he and Mary have done little more than hold hands for the entire
decade of their relationship), and he’s always lived with and taken care of his
little brother.
In Act Two, the Muppets are
preparing for their variety show with Walter and Gary leading the charge.
Suddenly Gary’s worldview begins to change. The world is not immutable. There
are many, many thousands of moving parts and he is only one of them. The world
around him is constantly shifting – his classic heroes the Muppets are now
forgotten relics of time gone by, and his simple ideas about what constitutes a
happy relationship are being tested mightily. As he’s been throwing himself
wholeheartedly into helping his little brother and the Muppets (without a second
thought as to the implications of his generosity), Mary is feeling ignored and
left out on her own anniversary trip. Gary is still trying to retain his
childlike sense of altruism but the dirty, busy world of Los Angeles is pulling
him in all directions, and he loses focus of his priorities due to his sense of
duty to society in general.
All is lost when, on the night of
the big performance, Mary abruptly takes a bus back home, forcing Gary to
reflect upon his own actions and their implications. In the musical number “Man
or Muppet,” he is torn between the love of his life, and his childlike
attachment to the Muppets and his little brother, who is proving himself as an
individual during his aid of the Muppets, but whom he still views as a small
child who needs to be coddled and protected.
In Act Three, Gary returns home to
prove to Mary that she is the most important person in his life and Walter
blossoms as a performer completely without his brother’s help, saving the show
and launching the Muppets’ popularity into the stratosphere. Gary has learned
that by accepting his adult responsibility to his own life and saving his
relationship with the woman he loves, he has allowed Walter to do the same,
growing up and saving his true love – the Muppets.
Gary’s process of growing up was
long-delayed and difficult but finally completed, culminating in his
engagement. His character arc perfectly reflected the movie’s major theme.
Moving on and allowing his brother to take control of his own life allowed both
men to flourish as individuals. Without accepting his responsibilities of
adulthood, Gary never would have succeeded in any of his goals, remained in a
permanent state of stasis, and essentially ruined his love life, the careers of
the Muppets, and the well being of his brother. This is a harsh truth that The Muppets relays with respect and
subtlety, and that is why it’s one of
my all-time favorites.
Word Count: 768
Word Count: 768
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