Movie Review: 'Murder Mystery 2' Is Good, Silly Sandler/Aniston Fun
LOS ANGELES, March 25 (UPI) -- Murder Mystery is now Adam Sandler's funniest franchise because he never visited Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore or the Zohan. Murder Mystery 2 , in theaters and on Netflix Friday, continues the fun with another crazy mystery.
After solving murder cases in Italy, Nick (Sandler) and Audrey Spitz (Jennifer Aniston) begin a private investigation. Things don't go well, so they accept an invitation to Maharaja Vic's (Adil Akhtar) weekend wedding on his private island.
As the title suggests, there is a murder at Vic's wedding to Claudette (Melanie Laurent) and Vic is kidnapped. Later, Nick and Audrey get back into business, making simple but hilarious jokes as death and destruction surround them.
Like any Netflix mystery franchise, Murder Mystery is something of a glass onion . It's light and it's the best gun in the movie. Nick and Audrey solve a high-stakes murder with pranks and childish pranks.
Most of these jokes work because there is something essential to opening closed jokes. When one of these jokes crosses the line, it happens pretty quickly that the next one hits the mark.
Nick and Audrey uncover mysterious clichés, not because they are genius crime solvers, but because they have common sense. When wild things happen to them, they are shocked and angry because it is out of their control.
The mystery itself moves quickly, raising suspicions and motives and intensifying plots. At first glance, the data and discoveries seem to merit great attention, so the James Vanderbilt scenario still hinges on a real logical conundrum.
Several characters from the first Murder Mystery return, such as Vic, Colonel Ulenga (John Cuni) and Inspector Delacroix (Danny Boone).
New characters are prime suspects, including Vic's ex Claudette, Countess Seku (Jodie Turner Smith), counselor Francisco (Enrique Arce), and Vic's sister Cyra (Kuhu Verma).
International detective Miller (Mark Strong) arrives to help retrieve Vic. Strong is here to play a true action hero. He's great in comedy, but live action movies should also give him a run for his money.
Sandler created a comedy based on a cottage industry in exotic locales. If the goal is to be as extravagant as possible, then the wedding on the Indian island in Murder Mystery 2 will not be an easy task.
Sandler and Aniston changed into Indian outfits, participated in Bollywood dances, and there was even an elephant. Sandler has some great dance moves and Aniston plays it up for comedy.
Finally, the kidnappers lure the gang to Paris for a ransom. John Wick: Chapter 4 won the action competition in Paris, but there was more French farce in Murder Mystery 2 .
Murder Mystery 2 follows the formula of the first film with equal success. The new caper gives the characters plenty of opportunity to be silly.
Fred Topel, who attended Ithaca College's film school, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012. Learn more about his work in the entertainment world.
