Adam Sandler doesn’t owe us a bloody thing, period, full stop he owes us nothing. He has risen from the comedic roots he has come from and delivered brilliant dramatic roles to prove that he is more than a voice that got told by Bob Barker that the Price is Wrong B*tch!, Sandler declared that if he were not nominated for an Oscar for Uncut Gems he will continue churning out movie after movie that he just has fun with. Sure he’s had some questionable choices since then, but making a sequel to Murder Mystery seemed to be one of those more questionable choices, however this is one of those rare instances where the sequel is significantly better than the original.
The movie follows Nick and Audrey (Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston) as they’ve gone into the private investigation business post their success of catching the murderer in their first accidental outing. However, they’ve hit a bump in the road as they’re not as good as they actually believe they are. As they’re trying to figure things out and get their affairs sorted to ensure a successful life, they escape to their friend, The Maharajah’s wedding (Adeel Akhtar) to Claudette (Melanie Laurent) as he is inexplicably kidnapped, and Audrey and Nick are now on the case to find out what happened to their friend.
With a plethora of new characters such as Millar (Mark Strong), Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith), Susan (Jillian Bell), and returning characters in Colonel Ulenga (John Kani), and Inspector Delacroix (Dany Boom) there truly is a plethora of supporting cast to round out this kidnapping mishap. As everyone is bringing something to the table and having an absolute blast throughout the second installment in what could spawn a franchise for Aniston and Sandler as their chemistry has honestly never been better. With the additional supporting cast whether new or old having fun with their roles and bringing forward some new levels of entertainment and suspense to the Agatha Christie stylized murder.
With the entire cast having a blast with the story and direction, the audience really gets a treat that is fun for the entire family. Its clear that Adam Sandler, who just won the Mark Twain prize for humour, is here to continue making movies with his friends – and when they’re of this quality no one should really complain. Is it the peak of his career, absolutely not, but is it absolutely delightful and an absolute blast hands down. There is so much fun to be had in Murder Mystery 2, that far surpasses the first installment on the mystery, laughs, and performances, so get the family together on the sofa, grab a bag of popcorn and watch the hilarity and mystery unfold.
