3 Pretzels
What’s up, gang? In their new Netflix release Murder Mystery Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anitson pose the provocative question “What happens when you combine Happy Gilmore with Agatha Christie?” Obviously there’s going to be at least one man child and also some murder. Perhaps even murder most foul. Although Sandler’s last few movies left me feeling underwhelmed the premise was enough to intrigue me into watching and, as it turns out, the end result is actually pretty good.
Adam Sandler plays Nick, he’s a decent cop with terrible aim who’s been trying to make detective for ages but just can’t seem to pass the exam. Nick’s long suffering wife Audrey (Aniston) is a hairdresser who loves reading mysteries. Audrey is generally too good for her oblivious, cheap skate of a husband. She’s currently feeling extra exhausted with Nick because it’s their 15 year anniversary and he has yet to take her on the honeymoon trip to Europe that he promised her. It’s not that he isn’t a decent guy but she can’t even get him to pick up the correct allergy medication for God’s sake.
She’s pressed like the proverbial panini after their anniversary dinner and Nick panics and tells her that he had been planning just such a trip as a surprise anniversary present and off they go. Audrey meets a cartoonishly handsome British man named Cavendish on their flight who invites them to skip the absolutely horrible bus tour that Nick booked at the last possible minute and join him on his uncle’s yacht for the week. His gold digging former fiance left him for said uncle and Cavendish is looking to stir the pot with his uninvited guests.
If a wealthy stranger invited me to join them on a week long yacht trip I would just assume that they were going to hunt me for sport or harvest my organs but Nick and Audrey are stoked to steep themselves in other people’s drama. This boat is chock full of rich and fabulous characters and things are looking pretty groovy but only for a moment. Our heroes have wandered into the middle of a maritime drawing room drama turned luxurious floating crime scene. Somebody kills Cavendish’s rich uncle just before he has a chance to write them all out of his will and that someone is trying to pin the crime on Nick and Audrey. From there it’s a game of cat and mouse played out in a series of physically breathtaking locales as Nick and Audrey use their respective crime solving skills to clear their names and find the real killer.
This is a pretty fun movie and it brings a comedic take to the mystery genre without ever going too far over the top or losing sight of actually solving the crime. The supporting cast really brings some fun bits to the table. This is not what I expected to say at all but I would recommend movie for a laid back beer and pizza kind of a night. Or afternoon. Or even morning. Basically whenever you want to get your drank and pepperoni on Murder Mystery has got you.
Holland + Harper Productions 