Sneak peak?
The whodunnit
The genre to often receive the most scrutiny for being overdone with EVERY possible variation of characters backstabbing one another for monetary gain or revenge is Murder Mystery. While this may hold true for Hollywood’s countless successful and unsuccessful whodunnits, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s Murder Mystery 2 highlights Aubrey (Aniston) and Nick Spitz’s (Sandler) undyingly boring, monotonous, but true love for each other
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Murder Mystery 2 picks up a few years after the events of the 2019 prequel (Murder Mystery). The Spitzes are currently in a rut having poured their entire life savings into their own detective agency. The instability in their professional life begins to take a toll on their relationship, due to which we see Sandler and Aniston, who have incomparable on-screen chemistry, struggle to find balance in their relationship. The writing by James Vanderbilt seems to be tailored with Sandler and Aniston in mind as every argument they make (probably) sounds just like they would in real life.
Just when the couple is at the lowest point of their relationship, they are surprised with an all-expenses paid wedding invitation from their billionaire friend Vikram “The Maharajah” Govindan. And just like that the Spitzes are once again in the lap of luxury with only each other to rely on for a reality check. It isn’t too long before they find themselves at the center of death, kidnapping and ransom. All through this the couple manages to do what they do best, with Nick being the wild card and chasing bad guys and Aubrey recording evidence by the book. Jeremy Garelick while directing Adam Sandler (56) and Jennifer Aniston (54) does not choose to go the makeup or CGI route to hide their age which gives their characters, the story, and the film a more natural vibe.
The film is perfectly paced, it is fast enough to keep the undivided attention of the viewer but not so fast that details slip out through the cracks. The balance of action and comedy along with the hilarious banter and witty comebacks make Murder Mystery 2 a film of many genres. Carlos Ponce (Shitz Helicopter), John Kani (Colonel Ulenga), Enrice Arce (Francisco) do an excellent job as supporting cast for comedic relief while Mark Strong (Miller) and his team along with Jodie Turner-Smith (Countess Sekou) and Zurin Villanueva (Imani) bring the fighting and some of that sweet sweet double (maybe even triple) cross action to the movie.
All said and done, all the fun elements of the movie fail to be a big enough distraction from the predictability of the plot. This was however expected going into the movie as the title is a giveaway for a classic whodunnit. The film also incorporates a heavy use of stereotypes and cliches which might make some uncomfortable. The wedding of the Maharajah seems to be a fever dream one of the producers had after a visit to India that they can’t seem to forget and hence chose to share with the world.
The lacking plot and the stereotypes make the movie slightly less impactful but entertaining, nevertheless. Sandler and Aniston’s chemistry is (obviously) the highlight of the film and the aesthetic appeal helps add to the same. Murder Mystery 2 is a light-hearted action-comedy that delivers on two out of the 3 things promised in the title.