After teaming with Netflix in 2015 to make the movie “The Ridiculous Six,” Adam Sandler has since signed a $250 million contract with the streaming service to make four more originals.
This past week, his fourth original released on Netflix that paired him with Jennifer Aniston in a comedic murder mystery set in Europe, titled – you guessed it – “Murder Mystery.”
The “Clue”-like flick that framed Nick Spitz (Sandler) and his wife Audrey (Aniston) for the murder of a European billionaire noble, was undoubtably funny. But, the humorous writing of the script could not save the movie from its predictability.
What began as a 15th wedding anniversary trip to Europe for the NYPD officer and his hair dresser wife quickly turned into a trip of pure pandemonium when the couple is offered to join European Viscount Charles Cavendish (Luke Evans) on his family’s yacht in celebration of his uncle’s engagement.
After Audrey’s quick jump for a luxurious vacation, the couple finds themselves amongst a family of odd, but entertaining, elites, despite Nick’s reluctance.
- Suzi Nakamura – the newly engaged young woman about to marry into the family through Cavendish’s uncle. But it is not her first engagement, as she had recently been betrothed to Cavendish himself. (Shiloi Kutsuna)
- Tobey Quince – Cavendish’s cousin and only son to his uncle. He is the sole heir to his father’s fortune, though him being a homosexual outraged his father, who felt the need to want to have another child to spite him. (David Williams)
- Grace Ballard – A world famous actress, whom Cavendish’s uncle admires immensely. (Gemma Arterton)
- Charles Ulenga – A member of the Namibian Defense Force and Cavendish’s uncle’s best friend. Ulenga lost both an eye and a hand saving said uncle in a 1994 bombing attempt. (John Kani)
- Sergei Radjenko – A hulk of a man and personal bodyguard to Ulenga. He is a man of little words. (Olafur Darri Olafsson)
- Vikram Shivan Govindan – A Maharaja from Mumbai, whose family’s wealth has been mixed with Quince’s. (Adeel Akhtar)
- Juan Carlos – Quince’s godson and champion race car driver. Preparing to race in the Moroccan Grand Prix, Carlos is admired by his godfather greatly. He also does not speak any English. (Luis Gerardo Mendez)
- Malcolm Quince – One of the richest men in the world whose net worth eclipses $70 billion. Soon to be married to Suzi Nakamura and host to the engagement party. (Terence Stamp)
Once the introductions concluded, everyone was called into the dining room for a lavish dinner to celebrate the newly engaged couple. But Malcolm Quince quickly reveals his true intentions for calling his beloved together: He plans to cut everyone off and leave his entire fortune to his young and fresh fiancée.
Met with immediate outrage by everyone in the room other than the Spitzs, Malcolm reveals a pen and documents and announces his plan to sign over his fortune right then and there. As he stands over the paperwork, the lights go out completely. We hear a scream and when the lights come back on, Malcolm is left dead on the floor with a knife through his heart.
So, who killed the billionaire in the dining room with the knife?
If you pay any sort of attention to the movie, it’s not hard to figure out. I, myself, realized who the murderer was as I sat looking at my phone with the picture playing in the background.
If you are a fan of Adam Sandler’s comedy, I definitely recommend this as something to give you a few laughs. But, if you’re looking for a well thought out mystery movie, this is not for you…
Ken Downey Jr. is the Features Editor for Time OFF and Packet Publications. This is a part of his series of weekly columns focusing on arts and entertainment. He can be contacted at [email protected].