'The Muppets': It's not easy staying keen

As Cream or The Police or The Human League could tell you, reunion tours are all about managing expectations. Fair warning, then, for "The Muppets." The old gang, last seen on-screen in 1999, provide plenty of nostalgia but can't quite match the memories fans have in their heads.

The movie comes from a very big fan, Jason Segel, who produced, co-wrote and serves as its star. Segel plays Gary, whose brother, Walter, happens to be a Muppet (he's a new creation, voiced by Peter Linz). During their vacation to Los Angeles (with Gary's long-suffering girlfriend, Mary, played by Amy Adams), Walter visits the Muppets' now-shuttered theater. As the world's biggest fan, he's horrified to discover that it's marked for destruction by drill-happy oil baron Tex Richman (Chris Cooper, hamming it up).

As Walter tries to convince the Muppets to reunite and save the theater, he realizes his heroes are not what they once were. Kermit lives in a dusty mansion like a silent film star, Miss Piggy is a plus-size editor at Paris Vogue and Fozzie Bear fronts a sad tribute band called The Moopets. The scenarios can be funny, if at times a little too convincing.

Though Piggy and Kermit are no longer voiced by Frank Oz and the late Jim Henson, their complicated romance endures, and their affectionate stroll through Paris is charming and wryly funny. But the movie also misses many of its marks. The cameos are a random grab bag of folks (James Carville, Selena Gomez) who simply show their faces and then vanish. And director James Bobin makes the musical numbers feel campy and ironic -- something the Muppets never were.

That said, it's nice to see the band back together. And when Kermit busts out the banjo for "Rainbow Connection," you might even go for your lighter.

Rating: PG (some suggestive humor)