Murder Mystery 2

In this review of 'Murder Mystery 2' we see Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston teamed now for the third time in a formulaic mystery enlivened by both.

Here’s an idea: why not put Sandler and Aniston in the ensemble of the next Knives Out (Rian Johnson is in Paris this Spring writing ) and let them go head to head with Daniel Craig? After some swift action sets the table for what is to follow, the trail leads Nick and Audrey to their dream spot of Paris where all hell breaks loose including a wild car chase that is about as manic as they come. Unfortunately he is snatched just as the ceremony is getting underway, and predictably all of the guests become suspects in the kidnapping. The recipe is simple: Sign [Adam Sandler](https://deadline.com/tag/adam-sandler/) and [Jennifer Aniston](https://deadline.com/tag/jennifer-aniston/), put them in glamorous locations with lots of action and schtick, and then set it loose on a global platform – [Netflix](https://deadline.com/tag/netflix/) – that can easily sell these kinds of recognizable shenanigans in all points of the world. That is exactly what happened in Murder Mystery, and now happens again this time starting out in an island paradise (Oahu doubling for it ) and then, among other things, hanging from the Eiffel Tower in the City Of Lights. From Nick and Nora Charles in all those Thin Man movies of the 30’s to TV staples like Hart To Hart and McMillan And Wife, to Angie and Brad in Mr.

Film critic Peter Travers shares his review of "Murder Mystery 2," which arrives on Netflix Friday.

"Murder Mystery 2" stays stuck in the cobwebs and takes Sandler and Aniston with it. The rest of us are stuck with a script that is no fun at all. If you saw Sandler in "Uncut Gems" and Aniston in "The Morning Show," you know each can generate comic and dramatic fireworks. In "Murder Mystery 2," Nick and Audrey are now full time sleuths who've opened up their own detective agency that's struggling for clients. In case you can't remember the first "Murder Mystery," and there's no reason you should, Sandler plays Nick Spitz, a New York cop without the brains to pass a detective test. When they luck into a European yacht vacation, they accidentally solve a series of murders.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston return as private detectives in this Netflix follow-up comedy.

There’s a bit more scale to this sequel, and plenty of flat gags that will have just a tad more vigor if you’re familiar with the recurring characters. They are soon whisked away to the destination wedding of a friend, the Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), a familiar face from the first movie. With “Murder Mystery 2,” the sequel to the 2019 comedy

The Sandler and Aniston chemistry rules in a movie whose cut-rate streaming aesthetic is inseparable from its charm.

The new movie has a different director, Jeremy Garelick (with a script once again by James Vanderbilt), but for the most part he’s smart enough not to get in the way of the fractious agreeability of the Sandler-and-Aniston bickering. They land on a tropical island that makes paradise look shabby, though Nick is as focused on the succulent wedge of artisanal cheese left in their bedroom as a welcome gift as he is on the setting. But you could also say, in an age when your average theatrical hit is suffused with FX sensation, often at the expense of the humanity that has drawn people to movies for most of the last century, that the stripped-down, Look, I’m a piece of product! So will “Murder Mystery 2.” It’s only 89 minutes long (10 minutes shorter than the first film), and for a while it feels like an even more trivial Wiffle-ball entertainment. It was also a “Knives Out” mystery done on what felt like one-tenth the budget, with the suspects all cartoons out of central casting. The two wound up on a yacht, at the party for a geezer aristocrat, which turned out to be his death sentence the moment he cut everyone there out of his will.

2019's Murder Mystery was an international romp which saw Jennifer Aniston's crime novel-obsessed hairdresser and Adam Sandler's cop take a European trip ...

Since then she’d appeared in movies Misfits and Mother’s Milk as well as a couple of episodes of [The Marvellous Mrs Maisel](https://www.denofgeek.com/the-marvelous-mrs-maisel/). [Captain America: Civil War](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/captain-america-civil-war-recap-legacy-mcu-connections/) and [Black Panther](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/black-panther-recap-legacy-mcu-connections/). More recently she’s popped up in [Now You See Me](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/now-you-see-me-review/) and [6 Underground](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/6-underground-review-michael-bay/) as well as directing several features of her own. He also stars in the very popular Netflix show Money Heist as Arturo Román, who’s a hostage in series one and two. If you’ve revisited [Shazam](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/shazam-review-dceu-superhero-movie/) before the recent sequel you might recognise him as the movie’s big bad Doctor Sivana – he’s as great at playing villains as he is heroes and he has excellent comic timing. She also appears in After Yang opposite Colin Farrell and as the titular queen in the 2021 mini series Anne Boleyn. On telly he’s the lead in Sky series [Temple](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/sky-one-s-temple-underneath-normal-life-crazy-sht-s-happening/), plays Max in Fox show Deep State and even had a recurring role in Prime Suspect. Her follow up in 2010 was Beginners, opposite Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer, who won an Oscar for his role as a terminally ill man who reveals to his son that he is gay at age 75. You might also recognise his dulcet tones from voicing Rafiki in the live action remake of [The Lion King](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-lion-king-review/). Boon is big in France, where much of the movie is set. He’s been in all manner of films and shows in the UK, and has a BAFTA as well as several more nominations. 2019’s Murder Mystery was an international romp which saw Jennifer Aniston’s crime novel-obsessed hairdresser and Adam Sandler’s cop take a European trip and get swept up in a whodunit.

Four years and – of course – a pandemic later the follow-up is finally here, reuniting Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler as the married couple who dream of ...

And while we could criticise it for being a simple, untaxing piece of fluff, that's actually what recommends it. Of course, that means it all feels rather average – it’s not too sexy, it’s mildly amusing rather than a laugh riot, and despite a few shootings and fist fights, the camera always pulls away before any violent moments that could worry the censors (a shame, because a death-by-helicopter-blades scene here had the potential to be as memorable as the Raiders Of The Lost Ark plane one if the camera didn't cut away). Murder Mystery 2 catches up with NY cop Nick and murder mystery novel-loving hairdresser Audrey after they have ditched their day jobs to try and make a living as professional sleuths (don't worry at this point if you haven't seen the first movie as the first few scenes will bring you up to speed).

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston star in the film directed by Jeremy Garelick.

Jillian Bell, a former “SNL” writer who’s appeared in more than 60 movies and TV shows, has a role in “Murder Mystery 2″ and is writing an upcoming American High movie that may shoot this fall, Garelick added. Garelick said his goal with American High is to find young talent, and then give them a chance to find bigger stages. Verma has a significant role as the Maharaja’s sister thanks in part to her performance as a nerdy high school student desperately searching for a morning-after pill in “Plan B.” “Murder Mystery 2″ is not an American High movie, but still has some of the same spirit. The stars didn’t come out to Syracuse, but American High founder Jeremy Garelick — who directs his biggest film yet with the “Murder Mystery” sequel — hosted a special screening and shared behind-the-scenes stories at Syracuse Studios, the former A.V. Actual figures have not been released, but Garelick said Thursday that the budget for “Murder Mystery 2″ was more than that of all

Murder Mystery 2 has no loftier goals than disposable entertainment for 90 minutes, and it gets the job done.

Still, there’s something to be said about the efficiency of this venture, especially in an era of so much bloat in feature films and television. They’re not exactly deep characters—the breakneck nature of the kidnapping plot doesn’t allow it—but Aniston and Sandler do a lot by merely relying on their familiarity with one another as performers. The groom’s bodyguard ends up being the one on the pachyderm, murdered by a cheese knife in the side, but it’s really a distraction for the Maharajah to be kidnapped. And that could be because of the goodwill engendered by projects like “ [Uncut Gems](/reviews/uncut-gems-movie-review-2019),” “Hustle,” and even the relatively enjoyable “ [Hubie Halloween](/reviews/hubie-halloween-movie-review-2020).” Or I could have just been in a worse mood four years ago. “Murder Mystery 2” sets up a group of suspects that includes the bride Claudette ( After the chaotic action of the original, they’ve become private dicks, solving crimes for a fee, but they’re struggling to make it work.

'Murder Mystery 2' Review: Adam Sandler & Jennifer Aniston Can't Solve This Middling Sequel · What is the line between parody and sincerity? · The oddest thing ...

That the clumsiness of the characters extends to the film itself makes Murder Mystery 2 a sequel which is not only inferior in its construction, but in how it doesn’t take advantage of its talented leading duo who are left roaming with nowhere to go. Of course, much of this is the entire point of the experience. This could be forgiven if it really let loose and the reveal of who was behind it actually caught us off guard. Rather than get a chuckle, it just makes for a reference that only calls attention to how this is inferior compared to the already imperfect first outing. [Murder Mystery](https://collider.com/tag/murder-mystery/), it was primarily the chemistry of [Adam Sandler](https://collider.com/new-adam-sandler-safdie-brothers-film-plot-details/) and [Jennifer Aniston](https://collider.com/tag/jennifer-aniston/) as the Spitzs that ensured a balance was struck. In many key shots, it strains credulity that any of the people are actually standing where the film wants us to believe they are. As a result, this makes it increasingly difficult to connect with an experience that is oscillating between tones and diminishing both. Thus, when they get an invite by their old friend Vikram AKA The Maharajah ( [Adeel Akhtar](https://collider.com/tag/adeel-akhtar/)) to come to a wedding on a private island, they decide to go in order to unwind. It is a callback to when this happened in the first film, but without any of the absurd thrills that followed it. [Mélanie Laurent](https://collider.com/tag/melanie-laurent/)), his previous fiancé Countess Sekou ( [Jodie Turner-Smith](https://collider.com/the-acolyte-jodi-turner-smith-star-wars-comments/)), his sister Saira (Kuhoo Verma), his friend Francisco (Enrique Arce), and the returning Colonel Ulenga (John Kani). Caught in the middle of all this once more are the bumbling duo of Nick (Sandler) and Audrey (Aniston) who have fallen on hard times since the events of the last film. What is the line between parody and sincerity?

"Murder Mystery 2" might be the epitome of what amounts to a "Netflix movie," which is to say that as long as you're paying for a subscription already, ...

The two thus jump at the opportunity to attend a destination wedding on an island paradise thrown by the Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), who is marrying Claudette (Mélanie Laurent, like most of the supporting cast, deserving better), who has “trophy wife” written all over her. The sequel charitably shoots for a sort of more violent “The Thin Man” vibe, but about the best one can say for the movie is that it’s mercifully short. The near-four-year gap between movies does help in one respect, allowing people to largely forget what left them unimpressed about the original.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston star, once again, as Nick and Audrey Spitz, respectively an erstwhile New York City cop and a former hairdresser. In the first ...

Later, despite the fact that doing so is illegal, he and Audrey, after squabbling through most of the movie, renew their love for one another by affixing a padlock to the Pont des Arts, what they call “the Love Locks Bridge.” Forget that the collective weight of such locks threatens the bridge’s structural integrity. How about the suave Francisco (Enrique Arce), the Maharajah’s equally rich business partner, who has plenty to gain with his associate out of the way—and who also spends most of his time trying to purr Audrey into bed with him? There’s a way in which buying a movie ticket is a vote of confidence in a film, a hopeful act that we always hope won’t end in betrayal. [Adam Sandler movies](https://time.com/4744571/adam-sandler-movies-netflix-ratings/) precisely for their dopey gags. (She resists, obviously.) And then there’s the Maharajah’s straight-talking sister Saira (Kuhoo Verma), who’s clear about her boredom with fancy people, a proclivity that endears her to Audrey immediately. Yet even the Eiffel Tower seems like a mere accessory to the movie’s jumble of action and dopey gags. It turns out they can’t—but just as their bickering becomes unbearable, to them and to us, they accept an invitation to the wedding of their friend, the Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), the madcap rich Indian dude they befriended in the first installment. Could it be the Maharajah’s French fiancée, Claudette (Mélanie Laurent), who may or may not be ze digger of ze gold? Maybe it’s her best friend, and an ex-girlfriend of the Maharajah’s, the icy Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith), who mocks Audrey for loading food onto her plate, just one of many instances in which Audrey and Nick demonstrate that they are truly just regular old salt-of-the-earth people, wholly clueless about manners and thinking it’s just everyone else who’s stuck up.. They arrive at the private tropical island where the wedding is set to take place and don the luxurious ivory-toned wedding-guest outfits their host has thoughtfully provided for them—only to witness the alarming kidnaping of the groom just as he’s about to enter his own celebration on the back of a gaily decorated elephant, a turn of events that puts every guest on edge and eventually leads Nick, Audrey, and the core gang of suspects to Paris. [Jennifer Aniston](https://time.com/5759599/jennifer-aniston-at-golden-globes/) star, once again, as Nick and Audrey Spitz, respectively an erstwhile New York City cop and a former hairdresser. In an age when theater attendance is down and streaming products reign—even if the services that produce and present them still haven’t figured out how to make money off them—is this what movies have come to?

Movie Review: In Netflix's Murder Mystery 2, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston return as Nick and Audrey Spitz. It's no Knives Out 2, but it's still fun.

Director Jeremy Garelick, who brings a visual elegance to the movie that the first one sorely lacked, seems to have an eye for physical comedy and a real sense of pace. I found myself laughing out loud at many of its dumb little gags, such as Nick’s obsession with a particular kind of cheese served at the wedding (“The cheese has a hold on me!”), one character’s constant references to his sexual prowess, and some grisly fun with an ax stuck in a random goon’s head. As does the pleasant spectacle of movie stars simply being movie stars. And by all indications, Murder Mystery 2 appears to be another one of the star-producer’s efforts to take himself and his pals on vacation on a studio’s dime. Given the half-hearted, point-the-camera-and-shoot nature of the first Murder Mystery, it would be fair to expect very little from its follow-up. Murder Mystery 2, Netflix’s sequel to the utterly disposable 2019 Adam Sandler–Jennifer Aniston comedy Murder Mystery, a film about as inventive as its title, doesn’t look promising at all.