Murder Mystery 2: Necessary? No. But Chaotically Funny? Yes!

Jannette Emmerick

Netflix released the sequel to the whodunit “Murder Mystery” starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston on March 31. While the film brings nothing new or revolutionary to the table in terms of genre, cinematography or plot twists, the movie wholly retains much entertainment value through slapstick humor and absurdist comedy.

The first movie released in 2019 and followed married couple Nick and Audrey Spitz whose marriage was on the rocks and in desperate need of new excitement. However, through a sleuth ofboth misfortunate decision making and fortunate acquaintanceships, the pair found themselves in Europe trying to solve a billionaire’s murder all while being accused of committing said murder. Typical of the sub-genre of romance, their marriage is repaired and they were able to solve the mystery and apprehend the bad guy in the end.

The second movie branches from the first, but is enjoyable and watchable without the need to see its predecessor outside of cameos. From the get go, the audience learns that the Spitzes were running on the high of their detective adventure leading to Nick quitting his job with the police department and Audrey quitting her job as a hairdresser. Instead, they’ve decided to become private investigators and have haphazardly done a subpar job as such. Despite multiple failures, they decide to take the official licensing exam.

The plot picks up when Vikram “the Maharajah” Govindan (Adeel Ahktar), an incredibly wealthy character from the first film, invites the couple to his wedding on his private island. Before his grand entrance into the wedding hall, however, he is kidnapped and the Spitzes are once again under accusation of committing the crime. Frantic to have their names cleared and to rescue their friend, the Spitzes work alongside professional, world renown hostage negotiator Connor Miller (Mark Strong) and other characters from the Maharajah’s inner circle, including Colonel Ulenga (John Kani), another returning character.

The Spitzes, and others, pursue the kidnappers to France, where many bodies start hitting the floor and the suspect pool is narrowed every few minutes as there’s constant action and shock humor to instigate more laughter from the viewer. It’s definitely not family friendly for all ages considering the sometimes morbidly funny death scenes and the many sexual innuendos, but that’s a given considering Sandler’s reputation.

While the film has received mixed reviews and maintains a near 50% review rating on most rating sites, most agree the film was better than the first one even if it’s an unnecessary sequel. I agree that the sequel is much better, and more absurd than the first. Even if unnecessary, I enjoyed it immensely.

While I am not a fan of Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, this film is very much reminiscent of their other romantic comedy “Just Go With It,” except with an added few genres of mystery and action. “Just Go With It” also has mediocre ratings, which seems to show that Sandler and Aniston tag-team movies seem to be hit or miss depending on the viewer.

Throughout the movie, I found myself laughing aloud often and grinning like a fool. The nonsense jokes, ridiculous explosions and wacky characters keep the story riveting. This film isn’t something to think too much about, it’s all fun and milks random humor to its fullest potential. For me, this film is a definite rewatch in the future.