Murder Mystery (2019 film) Review

Murder Mystery is a movie that falls into the comedy and mystery genres. It was released on June 14th, 2019. A Netflix film, it stars a vast cast, including the main leads Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Luke Evans. Check out the review by Review Monkey below.

While reading this review, keep in mind that this is coming from someone who has never gotten the appeal people have to Sandler’s comedy movies. I don’t think I have ever laughed or even enjoyed a single Adam Sandler film except for That’s My Boy but that was because one of my favorite comedy actors, that is Andy Samberg, comes and saves the whole thing from destroying itself.

Until now, that is. Murder Mystery made me kind of appreciate Sandler. Not as a whole but specifically for this movie. It does make me wonder what a better actor and comedian like Seth Rogen may have brought to this movie but I will take it for what it is. The film revolves around a couple that has been married for quiet a while now so the whole relationship spark has faded away.

In Murder Mystery, Sandler is a Police Officer who is having a hard time passing his Detective Exam but has lied to his wife about it. Aniston is a hairdresser who is basically done with her husband and thinks that he just doesn’t care about this whole marriage thing anymore. The dynamic between the two leads is where the movie shines. This duo is something that I wouldn’t have ever expected to work together as a couple at least but we all know how Sandler loves casting beautiful women to be his love interests.

Usually, that comes off as unbelievable because in most movies, Adam Sandler acts like a complete moron and still gets the prettiest girl in the room. But this time around, as a couple that has been married for 15 years, that same issue actually works out. Both Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler know exactly what this movie is and what is requires from them and they just clearly have fun with it, along with providing good entertainment.

Saying that this is a good Adam Sandler movie in forever doesn’t mean that the movie is absolutely perfect and Oscar worthy. The movie still has its flaws and a very so and so first act. It took me a while to be fully invested in it. I mean, can you blame me for wanting to turn it off just five minutes in after all of the abominations Sandler has given us? I didn’t want more of my time to be wasted. Adam sets himself up as this “dumb” husband and Aniston is this “oh my God, I hate my husband” wife and it all feels way too typical.

However, I am glad I was patient and stuck around for a while longer because the movie really picks up right at the second act. The lead couple starts to click way better when they’re on vacation and then they meet the “mysterious and charming” Charles Cavendish, played by Luke Evans. From that point forward, there is just no slowing down.

The whole thing feels predictable but not in a bad way because it still feels fresher than I expected it to and how it all unfolds is actually pretty damn entertaining and exciting. The couple’s honeymoon to Europe turns into a literal murder mystery when a high profile personality is killed right in front of them. It then becomes a “Who is the murderer in this room?” scenario and this is where I have to give credit to the clever writing and the nice supporting cast.

Gemma Arterton, Terrence Stamp, David Walliams along with many others are all a part of this group of people who are the prime suspects in the murder at hand because all of them seem to have a motive for committing the crime. I have to hand it to the movie, it did keep me guessing and whenever I chose someone because that person seemed to be the obvious choice, it proved me wrong and at one point, I just stopped speculating and waited for it to unfold by itself.

The second and third acts both make up for the momentum that was lacking in the first one and I was honestly, quite surprisingly, at the edge of my seat and laughing at the same time. And when it all ended, I was all like “I should’ve seen that coming but I didn’t so kudos, movie!”.

Overall, I am not going to say that this is the best thing to watch on Netflix right now but this is an honest effort, that’s for sure. An effort that I have never seen in a Sandler film before. This movie proves that if Adam Sandler doesn’t act like he usually does in his movies, stays away from his usual clique and actually puts in just a little effort into his movies, then it makes for an extremely entertaining time and the audience would start to appreciate him way more!

Review Monkey Approves!

Murder Mystery Poster and Images

Check out its trailer here.