In 2019, Netflix scored a huge hit with the movie Murder Mystery, starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. Despite a lukewarm reception from critics, the crime comedy rose to the top of the list of the most popular new productions on the platform that year, films and television series combined. Series Stranger Things 3 then ranked second. A sequel was therefore almost self-evident.
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, who starred in the romantic comedy Just Go With It (Bad liar), in 2011, give the impression of frankly having fun in Murder Mystery 2, which takes place four years after the first opus. Nothing is going well in the professional life of the two detectives, Audrey and Nick Spitz. They are struggling to find customers. Their sentimental life is floundering. The prospect of an all-expenses-paid stay on a lush island, at the expense of their friend the Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), who is getting married, is timely.
Of course, there are many twists and turns and the two American guests quickly find themselves in trouble when their host is kidnapped. The references to the first film are numerous and contribute to the charm of the second. Fans of the genre also benefit from refreshing their memories to appreciate certain scenes. Screenwriter James Vanderbilt (Murder Mystery, Scream 6) multiplies the parallels and humorously brings back Colonel Ulenga (John Kani) and Inspector Delacroix (Dany Boon).
Jeremy Garelick (The Wedding Ringer/Groomsmen, The Binge) takes over as director and manages to create suspense in scenes more unlikely than each other. The filming locations are breathtaking. The Bollywood-style dance number honoring the Maharajah and his future wife Claudette (Mélanie Laurent) is breathtaking. But still, attention remains focused on Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. They perfectly personify an ordinary couple who brilliantly struggle to find the culprits and extricate themselves from dangerous situations. Thanks to them, the film works and provides good entertainment.
On Netflix
Crime comedy
Murder Mystery 2
Jeremy Garelick
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler, Melanie Laurent
1:29 a.m.