Murder Mystery 2

Murder Mystery 2
Original title:Murder Mystery 2
Director:Jeremy Garelick
Release:Netflix
Running time:89 minutes
Release date:31 march 2023
Rating:
Now anxious to get their own agency off the ground, detectives Nick and Audrey Spitz find themselves at the center of a world-class kidnapping that hits close to home.

Mulder's Review

Could it be that Paris is once again a fashionable location for American studio films? While the excellent John Wick Chapter 4 has established itself as the must-see action film of the year and has managed to conquer the hearts of film critics and spectators alike, and above all to show all the beauty of the tourist spots in this beautiful city, Murder mystery 2 also places its main action in this city, but unfortunately with much less success.  In this case, the fact that this film is not released in theaters but directly on the streaming platform Netflix will allow at least the less difficult spectators to avoid wasting time to go to their favorite cinema and consume drinks, popcorn and other sweets.  

The first part directed by Kyle Newacheck on a script by James Vanderbilt was not particularly successful in itself but worked thanks to the duo played by Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler and by the fact of mixing comedy and police investigation with many touristy places (Monte Carlo, Monaco Grand Prix, Lake Como ...). This second part, still written by James Vanderbilt, is this time directed by Jeremy Garelick (The Wedding Ringer (2015), The binge (2022)) who seems to have as sole mission to put forward his two main actors without worrying about developing their psychology and even less that of the many secondary characters as the inspector of the Cross still played by Danny Boon who does not seem particularly happy to find his character. 

In this second part, we find Nick and Audrey Spitz who have founded their detective agency but not only have marital problems but also fail to find many clients and gain fame. While they are invited to the wedding of one of their friends, a powerful billionaire, they find themselves in the middle of an international kidnapping when their friend the Maharaja is kidnapped during his own lavish wedding. Nick and Audrey Spitz have to go to Paris to try to save their friend and find themselves in a spiral of multiple betrayals and dangers.  

The story, although not very original, could have given rise to a fast-paced crime comedy in which the Spitzes would have to get out of dangerous situations while visiting Paris. Paris could have been the perfect setting if the plot had been sufficiently well worked out and the actors invested in their roles. Unfortunately, we are faced with the same mistakes as Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, a film whose budget seems to have been swallowed up in the salaries of the actors to the detriment of the scriptwriter and the technical team, and it's not this poorly filmed stunt taking place in a truck driven at high speed and smashing up a popular cafe that will hold the audience's attention.

While John Wick Chapter really made you want to go and rediscover Paris, Murder Mystery 2 doesn't manage to show us the beauty of this city at all and despite scenes shot on the Champs Elysées, at the Opera and at the Eiffel Tower, director Jeremy Garelick constantly misses the glamour that this beautiful city inspires to many tourists. This lack of development of the story is felt especially by the too short duration of this film and by its mistake of wanting to reproduce to the letter the formula of the first film without trying to innovate and to propose a story able to make us laugh and to take part in the misadventures of the Spitz. 

We follow the film without really being able to immerse ourselves in it and the real lack of surprise makes us leave with the impression that the important budget would have been better invested by staging scenes worthy of an American blockbuster with original stunts rather than this film which totally lacks ambition. Similarly, while Dany Boon and Mélanie Laurent are excellent actors and directors, this film fails to properly exploit their undeniable know-how and especially does not give them memorable roles. Such a waste of talent is really hard to pass by, especially at a time when streaming platforms are multiplying and trying to retain their subscribers with quality programs. In this game, Netflix should seriously propose better movies especially in front of Disney+ and Prime Video which are currently scoring points with ambitious programs such as series and new movies. While Netflix continues to offer us excellent series and at times equally good movies, this one is disappointing and a waste of time with the numerous programs offered.

Murder Mystery 2
Directed by Jeremy Garelick
Written by James Vanderbilt
Based on Characters by James Vanderbilt
Produced by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, Tripp Vinson, Jennifer Aniston, James Vanderbilt, James D. Stern
Starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith, Annie Mumolo, Tony Goldwyn, Mark Strong, Dany Boon
Cinematography : Bojan Bazelli
Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Production companies : Happy Madison Productions, Echo Films, Mythology Entertainment, Vinson Films, Endgame Entertainment
Distributed by Netflix
Release date : March 31, 2023
Running time : 89 minutes

Seen on March 30, 2023 (screener press)

Mulder's Mark: