Directed by: Kyle Newacheck
Written by: James Vanderbilt
Starring:
Adam Sandler as Nick Spitz
Jennifer Aniston as Audrey Spitz
Luke Evans as Charles Cavendish
Gemma Arterton as Grace Ballard
David Walliams as Tobey Quince
Rated PG-13 for violence/bloody images, crude sexual content, and language
Runtime: 97 minutes
I was excited to see another cinematic pairing of Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. They had great chemistry in Just Go With It (2011) – I can’t help laughing, just thinking about it. That chemistry followed them to Murder Mystery, but unfortunately, the film was highly predictable and not very funny.
As much as I was looking forward to seeing Sandler and Aniston together again, I wasn’t expecting much from the movie itself. Regardless, you can’t go wrong with Adam Sandler. He’s still funny, but the films he has done for Netflix have been subpar. The Ridiculous 6 (2015) was a good start to his Netflix filmography (you can see that in my article, “The 10 Most Underrated Movies of All Time“). But those that followed The Ridiculous 6 fell flat. I suppose seeing disappointing films at home via a streaming service is better than going to a theater and then driving home wanting my $11 back. I wasted the same amount of time, but I pay for Netflix anyway.
Sandler plays Nick Spitz, an NYPD sergeant who dreams of being a detective, but he keeps failing the exam. Nick is the only source of laughs for the film. His commentary on various situations is hilarious. For example, he had an entertaining theory on other disabilities a character with an eye patch may have (not that disabilities are funny, of course). I wanted more humor out of the other characters, though. Yes, it’s a murder mystery, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be funny (just ask Clue [1985]).
I did, however, enjoy Aniston’s performance as Audrey. She is a devoted wife to Nick, and the pair are about to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary. Nick’s idea of a perfect gift is an Amazon gift card. I had to laugh at that one, because of how clueless Nick really is. It goes to show you why he keeps failing the detective’s exam. I haven’t taken that exam myself, but I’m sure one of the qualifications is to have a clue of some sort. That’s kind of the basis of the job, right? ba-dum-tss
Nick decides to take Audrey to Europe, but only to avoid an argument. She starts to complain about never having had a honeymoon, even after fifteen years of marriage, but Nick impulsively replies that they are going. I guess the only clue Nick had at that moment was “happy wife, happy life” – no matter how much his frugality gets in the way.
On the plane ride, they meet Charles Cavendish (Luke Evans), a wealthy aristocrat who knows how to have a great time. Charles invites Nick and Audrey on his yacht, which Audrey immediately accepts because it sounds way better than the rundown bus tour that Nick had booked. Once they arrive, Nick and Audrey receive mixed reactions from Charles’ family. So when one of them drops dead, Nick and Audrey are the immediate suspects.
The rest of the film centers around the pair trying to clear their names and crack the case themselves. Not to put Nick and Audrey down, but I guessed the killer immediately. I was also surprised they didn’t have any idea at first. Then again, there would be no movie if they had figured it all out already.
The supporting characters are either too uninteresting or are trying way too hard to be noticed. The “Maharajah” (Adeel Akhtar) is implied to be a sophisticated individual, possibly even royalty, but it turns out he simply has delusions of grandeur. There is also a Formula One racecar driver (Juan Carlos Rivera) who doesn’t speak English. His running gag is that he pretends to understand those who do…but it never came across as funny.
Murder Mystery isn’t a terrible movie. The premise had merit, but it just didn’t try hard enough. I’ve watched a lot of other whodunits, but Murder Mystery didn’t venture into any new territory. I get the feeling the film “got the greenlight” from a six-word pitch: “Adam Sandler in a murder mystery.” Since there are no other mysteries in his filmography, this was a new experience for Sandler. It’s not his fault the plot just wasn’t there.
2/4 stars
