Murder Mystery Synopsis: A New York cop and his wife go on a European vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage. A chance encounter leads to them being framed for the murder of an elderly billionaire.
Directed by: Kyle Newacheck
Written by: James Vanderbilt
Released: 06.14.2019
Runtime: 97 minutes
Rated: PG-13
Nick (Adam Sandler) and Audrey Spitz (Jennifer Aniston) are in a rut. Nick, a police officer, has once again failed his detective exam. Audrey, a hairdresser, feels her marriage needs a spark. The two never got a honeymoon, even though Nick had been promising one to Audrey for years. When Audrey calls him out on the empty promises and lack of romance, Nick surprises her by saying they’re going to Europe for their delayed honeymoon.
On the plane to Europe, Audrey meets billionaire Charles Cavendish. He invites her and Nick to his uncle’s yacht for a lavish party celebrating his uncle’s marriage to Charles’s ex-fiancee, Suzi. Once Audrey and Nick see the hellish tour bus they’re booked for, they take Charles up on his offer. When there is a murder on the yacht, Audrey and Nick find themselves at the center of, you guessed it, a murder mystery.
I enjoyed Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s chemistry in Just Go With It, so I was happy to see they had made another film together. Murder Mystery is not a romantic comedy like Just Go With It was, but it could still be labeled as such, just with more action and murder!
Sandler and Aniston’s chemistry is still on point, but unfortunately, Murder Mystery is a letdown. That’s not to say it’s not entertaining, because it is! Mostly. There are some funny gags, and the cast is pretty great, but the script lacks anything exciting or original. It could have been a fun homage, or even parody, to movies like Murder on the Orient Express, but it seems pretty content with something that barely scratches the surface of a good murder mystery.
On the plus side, it’s quite lovely to the eye. The production design is rather swanky and grand, as Nick and Audrey bounce from a billionaire’s yacht to Monte Carlo to Lake Como – with what funds, I have no idea, but realism is not needed here. Jennifer Aniston’s wardrobe is chic, but accessible, and I guess it says something about the movie itself when I am more enamored with what dress Audrey is wearing than whether or not their marriage will survive lies and mounting debt!
It’s Sandler and Aniston who carry the movie just slightly past mediocre. Aniston is still charming and luminous on screen, and Adam Sandler has perfected his everyman dry wit. For me, he’s much funnier when he’s not doing those obnoxious voices. I wish they would do another pure rom-com, but I guess I’ll take what I can get, and what they’ve given me is Murder Mystery 2 to review next!
So, sure, Murder Mystery isn’t great and frankly, disappointing due to my higher expectations. But it is good for 90 minutes of mindless entertainment if you’ve got nothing else to watch or just want some easy fluff.
Watched: 04.17.2024
Notable Song: We Must Be in Love by The Impressions
1 Comment
[…] the events of Murder Mystery, Audrey and Nick Spitz are working as full-time private detectives. Their new business is […]