First Take: Murder Mystery- a good warmup for a marathon

SYNOPSIS: A New York cop and his wife go on a European vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage, but end up getting framed and on the run for the death of an elderly billionaire.

So Netflix have claimed that over 30 million people watched this film over its first 72 hours of release. In this industry, that raises quite a few eyebrows, especially as this is an Adam Sandler film. Naturally we had to shoehorn this review in before the madness of next week’s birthday marathon, and while it isn’t the greatest film in the world, it’s actually semi-decent for what it’s trying to do.

Kyle Newacheck directs this one in an alright way, sure it is a 97 minute film, but like with most comedies that involve the mystery drama, the bulk of it is loaded in to that first and final half hour. That isn’t to say the pacing is good, but it needs a little bit of work, something that is evident in the amount of time it’s taken to make the film happen- James Vanderbilt wrote this script back in 2012, and mercifully it has moments that work nearly 8 years on, including a bedroom sequence that the BBFC have only mentioned in their 12 certificate for moderate innuendo. As for the 6 laugh test, it only achieved 5 of the required 6, but considering what kind of film this is, I’m happy with that. The cinematography from Amir Mokri is a mixed bag at times, and Rupert Gregson-Williams’ score is merely there to do the job, with nothing notable to mention.

With the cast though, there’s a mixed bag of performances. Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are a very likable pair of leads, and it feels refreshing to see him play a slightly more serious role than usual compared to his previous output (as part of his Netflix distribution deal)- rounding out the cast is Luke Evans, who can do no wrong in my eyes, David Walliams, Gemma Arterton, and Terence Stamp. It’s one of those kinds of films where the cast knew they’d have a good time making it, and while these sort of productions generally don’t end up being enjoyable, there are moments, albeit briefly, where the film delivered.

THE VERDICT

This is a film best enjoyed over a few drinks because of its ridiculousness- with a good cast, some very cliched parodies of the genre, and a few moments that got some unprovoked laughter, Murder Mystery is a semi-decent Adam Sandler vehicle. But if you’re looking for a serious take on events like this, dusting off that Cluedo box is still the better option.

RATING: 3/5