Remember when you were a kid and the magic of puppetry graced your television with shows like The Muppet Show and Sesame Street? Remember how much pure, unadulterated fun could be had just by singing along to those whimsical puppets? Well The Happytime Murders is nothing like that. Like not even close.
With the tagline “No Sesame, All Street,” you can imagine how hilariously bizarre the plot is:
“In a world where puppets co-exist with humans as second class citizens, Phil Phillips, puppet private eye and disgraced ex-cop, is hot on the trail of the serial killer who murdered his brother and is now targeting the cast members of the 1980s television series The Happytime Gang. As the killings continue, Jenny, Phil’s former flame, is next on the list. It’s up to Phil and Detective Edwards, his ex-partner, to find the culprit, but as bad blood and old resentments resurface, the clues start pointing to the only viable suspect: Phil himself. Now he’s on the run with only his wits and hard-headed determination as he and his partner attempt to solve the Happytime Murders”
The film’s cast is chock full of superstars with Melissa McCarthy taking the lead as Detective Edwards, who, by the way, puppets are constantly mistaken for a man. Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, and Elizabeth Banks round out the A list cast playing Bubbles, Agent Campbell, and Jenny, respectively. If you are wondering who could take the innocence of puppetry and darken it to this seedy, sex filled, foul-mouthed world, well that would be the creative mind of Brian Henson….yes that’s right, JIM HENSON’S SON! The film is being produced by The Jim Henson Company, which is kind of brilliant. Muppets are a hard sell these days because CGI has become so easily accessible. So, why shouldn’t The Jim Henson Company keep up with the times and release something that’s matured as much as their original audiences have.
Speaking of matured, check out the trailer to see muppet hookers, muppet swearing, and even muppet ejaculation…which looks a lot like silly string. This film is already an instant classic in the Chris Siretz vault!
The Happytime Murders hits theaters on August 18th!