Cinephile No. 731 “The Happytime Murders”

“I Miss Good Comedy Movies,” A review of “The Happytime Murders” by Nathan H. Box

Recommendation: 2 Stars, SKIP

Director: Brian Henson, Writers: Todd Berger, Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph

Plot: "When the puppet cast of a '90s children's TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case." -IMDB

Review: “The Happytime Murders” makes me think of the following words: sophomoric, over-sexed, lazy, disgusting, exhausting, and illogical. Then why is comedy genius Melissa McCarthy in this movie? Did she owe someone money? Is she being blackmailed? Did a studio executive catch her doing something illegal and instead of turning her over to the authorities, forced her to do this film? Melissa! Blink twice if you need us to save you!

Seriously, this film is that bad. It doesn’t deserve to be seen on a high school sophomore’s YouTube channel much less the big screen. The only bright spot is Melissa McCarthy and it is obvious she is phoning in every single scene. The script is predictable and filled with buddy cop clichés. The acting is subpar, and the laughs are harder to find than the Holy Grail. The whole experience will leave you longing for the return of comedies to the American cinema.  Which raises another point entirely!

What happened to the summer comedy blockbuster? The last comedy I really enjoyed was “Trainwreck.” Before that, it must have been “The Hangover.” I know the collective mood in the country is sour and we are all watching sobering documentaries reflecting how we feel, but shouldn’t cinema be an escape? Shouldn’t we go there to escape politics, dread, and the 24-hour news cycle? When we arrive, don’t we deserve a quality comedy filled with laughs from beginning to end? I think so! If you feel the same way, avoid this film altogether. Demand that Hollywood do better.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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