Murder Mystery 2

You would have a hard time defending the limp plotting, the bland action-adventure set pieces or the Agatha Christie-light whodunit twists of the first ...

All of this may lend some scale to “Murder Mystery 2” but it's no help to the comedy. For those who have accused Sandler of using movies as an excuse to hang out with friends in beautiful locales, the “Murder Mystery” movies won't disappoint. And this one, in which Jeremy Garelick (writer of “The Hangover”) takes over directing with James Vanderbilt returning to write the screenplay, starts out like a new season to a TV series, with a narrated recap of what the Spitzes have been up to since the last film. But like those films, everything in “Murder Mystery" and “Murder Mystery 2” is secondary, and distantly so, to the comic and sweet rapport between the Spitzes, a bickering but lovingly connected married couple. Like its predecessor, “Murder Mystery 2” is built on old-fashioned star power and the interplay between Sandler and Aniston. “Murder Mystery” and its new sequel don't have anywhere near the sparkle of the “The Thin Man” movies, with William Powell, Myrna Loy and their wire fox terrier Asta.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston lift a lazy follow-up to their action-heavy Netflix comedy with genuine movie star charm.

[Netflix](https://www.theguardian.com/media/netflix), the film sure to be another much-watched and endlessly followed-up sequel. [Murder Mystery](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/14/murder-mystery-review-netflix-adam-sandler-jennifer-aniston), his most watched Netflix film to date was one that didn’t exactly straddle these two halves but made for a more acceptable use of his sillier side, thanks greatly to the appearance of Jennifer Aniston. [Hustle](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jun/05/hustle-review-adam-sandler-scores-in-rags-to-riches-tale) and simultaneously, we’ve seen the Safdies squeeze out his best work in Uncut Gems (the trio will collaborate again with a new film set in the world of sports memorabilia) and later this year he’ll star alongside Carey Mulligan in the offbeat sci-fi drama Spaceman.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston star in the film directed by Jeremy Garelick.

Jillian Bell, a former “SNL” writer who’s appeared in more than 60 movies and TV shows, has a role in “Murder Mystery 2″ and is writing an upcoming American High movie that may shoot this fall, Garelick added. Garelick said his goal with American High is to find young talent, and then give them a chance to find bigger stages. Verma has a significant role as the Maharaja’s sister thanks in part to her performance as a nerdy high school student desperately searching for a morning-after pill in “Plan B.” “Murder Mystery 2″ is not an American High movie, but still has some of the same spirit. The stars didn’t come out to Syracuse, but American High founder Jeremy Garelick — who directs his biggest film yet with the “Murder Mystery” sequel — hosted a special screening and shared behind-the-scenes stories at Syracuse Studios, the former A.V. Actual figures have not been released, but Garelick said Thursday that the budget for “Murder Mystery 2″ was more than that of all

"Murder Mystery 2" might be the epitome of what amounts to a "Netflix movie," which is to say that as long as you're paying for a subscription already, ...

The two thus jump at the opportunity to attend a destination wedding on an island paradise thrown by the Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), who is marrying Claudette (Mélanie Laurent, like most of the supporting cast, deserving better), who has “trophy wife” written all over her. The sequel charitably shoots for a sort of more violent “The Thin Man” vibe, but about the best one can say for the movie is that it’s mercifully short. The near-four-year gap between movies does help in one respect, allowing people to largely forget what left them unimpressed about the original.

Netflix's “Murder Mystery 2,” is a forgettable sequel that's no "Knives Out." It stars Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler as married crime solvers.

So, they must find the kidnapper and prove their innocence. Sandler jokingly, unbearably calls it “the Arc de Tree Hump?” In the first film, the Spitzes (who, in an early indicator of James Vanderbilt’s script’s level of humor, a pilot calls the Sh-tzes) stumbled into amateur sleuthing like Miss Marple. Netflix also is responsible for the “Knives Out” series, and while “Glass Onion” When the identity of the murderer is revealed and and they suffer their eventual demise, the whole business is painfully uninteresting. Set at a stunning resort, the start of the movie is “The Slight Lotus.”

Murder Mystery 2 has no loftier goals than disposable entertainment for 90 minutes, and it gets the job done.

Still, there’s something to be said about the efficiency of this venture, especially in an era of so much bloat in feature films and television. They’re not exactly deep characters—the breakneck nature of the kidnapping plot doesn’t allow it—but Aniston and Sandler do a lot by merely relying on their familiarity with one another as performers. The groom’s bodyguard ends up being the one on the pachyderm, murdered by a cheese knife in the side, but it’s really a distraction for the Maharajah to be kidnapped. And that could be because of the goodwill engendered by projects like “ [Uncut Gems](/reviews/uncut-gems-movie-review-2019),” “Hustle,” and even the relatively enjoyable “ [Hubie Halloween](/reviews/hubie-halloween-movie-review-2020).” Or I could have just been in a worse mood four years ago. “Murder Mystery 2” sets up a group of suspects that includes the bride Claudette ( After the chaotic action of the original, they’ve become private dicks, solving crimes for a fee, but they’re struggling to make it work.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston star, once again, as Nick and Audrey Spitz, respectively an erstwhile New York City cop and a former hairdresser. In the first ...

Later, despite the fact that doing so is illegal, he and Audrey, after squabbling through most of the movie, renew their love for one another by affixing a padlock to the Pont des Arts, what they call “the Love Locks Bridge.” Forget that the collective weight of such locks threatens the bridge’s structural integrity. How about the suave Francisco (Enrique Arce), the Maharajah’s equally rich business partner, who has plenty to gain with his associate out of the way—and who also spends most of his time trying to purr Audrey into bed with him? There’s a way in which buying a movie ticket is a vote of confidence in a film, a hopeful act that we always hope won’t end in betrayal. [Adam Sandler movies](https://time.com/4744571/adam-sandler-movies-netflix-ratings/) precisely for their dopey gags. (She resists, obviously.) And then there’s the Maharajah’s straight-talking sister Saira (Kuhoo Verma), who’s clear about her boredom with fancy people, a proclivity that endears her to Audrey immediately. Yet even the Eiffel Tower seems like a mere accessory to the movie’s jumble of action and dopey gags. It turns out they can’t—but just as their bickering becomes unbearable, to them and to us, they accept an invitation to the wedding of their friend, the Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), the madcap rich Indian dude they befriended in the first installment. Could it be the Maharajah’s French fiancée, Claudette (Mélanie Laurent), who may or may not be ze digger of ze gold? Maybe it’s her best friend, and an ex-girlfriend of the Maharajah’s, the icy Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith), who mocks Audrey for loading food onto her plate, just one of many instances in which Audrey and Nick demonstrate that they are truly just regular old salt-of-the-earth people, wholly clueless about manners and thinking it’s just everyone else who’s stuck up.. They arrive at the private tropical island where the wedding is set to take place and don the luxurious ivory-toned wedding-guest outfits their host has thoughtfully provided for them—only to witness the alarming kidnaping of the groom just as he’s about to enter his own celebration on the back of a gaily decorated elephant, a turn of events that puts every guest on edge and eventually leads Nick, Audrey, and the core gang of suspects to Paris. [Jennifer Aniston](https://time.com/5759599/jennifer-aniston-at-golden-globes/) star, once again, as Nick and Audrey Spitz, respectively an erstwhile New York City cop and a former hairdresser. In an age when theater attendance is down and streaming products reign—even if the services that produce and present them still haven’t figured out how to make money off them—is this what movies have come to?

Movie Review: In Netflix's Murder Mystery 2, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston return as Nick and Audrey Spitz. It's no Knives Out 2, but it's still fun.

Director Jeremy Garelick, who brings a visual elegance to the movie that the first one sorely lacked, seems to have an eye for physical comedy and a real sense of pace. I found myself laughing out loud at many of its dumb little gags, such as Nick’s obsession with a particular kind of cheese served at the wedding (“The cheese has a hold on me!”), one character’s constant references to his sexual prowess, and some grisly fun with an ax stuck in a random goon’s head. As does the pleasant spectacle of movie stars simply being movie stars. And by all indications, Murder Mystery 2 appears to be another one of the star-producer’s efforts to take himself and his pals on vacation on a studio’s dime. Given the half-hearted, point-the-camera-and-shoot nature of the first Murder Mystery, it would be fair to expect very little from its follow-up. Murder Mystery 2, Netflix’s sequel to the utterly disposable 2019 Adam Sandler–Jennifer Aniston comedy Murder Mystery, a film about as inventive as its title, doesn’t look promising at all.

Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler star in Murder Mystery 2 on Netflix. The comedy was filmed at incredible locations in Hawaii and France.

[Paris](https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a41090204/paris-travel-guide/), the production tapped a few iconic locations. [Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525080&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvaux-le-vicomte.com%2Fen%2Fdecouvrir%2Fthe-chateau%2F) located in Maincy, France. The lagoon is part of the Lanikuhonua [nature preserve](https://www.lanikuhonua.com/) on [Ko Olina](http://koolina.com/destination/). [Jennifer Aniston](https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a43029690/jennifer-aniston-54th-birthday-rare-throwback-instagram-photo/) and [Adam Sandler](https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a36147051/oreo-cookie-creator-home-sale/) are back as a bickering, crime-solving duo in Murder Mystery 2. [National World](https://www.nationalworld.com/arts-and-culture/film-and-tv/netflixs-murder-mystery-2-filming-locations-sequel-filmed-eiffel-tower-stunt-4087135) reports. At the estate, visitors can [tour the château, gardens, and carriage museum](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525080&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvaux-le-vicomte.com%2Fen%2Fprepare-your-visit%2Fprice%2F). [Emily in Paris](https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a42201971/emily-in-paris-season-three-filming-locations/) and [first season of](https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a37329765/hbo-the-white-lotus-four-seasons-resort-maui-at-wailea-hawaii/) [ The White Lotus](https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a37329765/hbo-the-white-lotus-four-seasons-resort-maui-at-wailea-hawaii/). Ahead, find out everything we know about the [filming locations](https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a41968608/wednesday-filming-locations-romania-castle/) that'll certainly serve as major inspiration for your next trip. On [The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon](https://youtu.be/RFyCpVe0kDs), Adam Sandler revealed a scene was actually filmed at the Eiffel Tower. Now streaming on [Netflix](https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a42042041/wednesday-netflix-set-design/), the comedy follows the amateur detectives as they attend an incredible island wedding—only for it to be disrupted when someone is murdered and their friend is kidnapped. The Arc de Triomphe was selected as the location for where the detectives Nick and Audrey Sptiz (played by Sandler and Aniston) are asked to bring the ransom money in exchange for their friend. While the majority of 2019’s Murder Mystery was filmed in Italy, the sequel takes place in equally idyllic locations in Hawaii and France.

You would have a hard time defending the limp plotting, the bland action-adventure set pieces or the Agatha Christie-light whodunit twists of the first ...

All of this may lend some scale to “Murder Mystery 2” but it’s no help to the comedy. For those who have accused Sandler of using movies as an excuse to hang out with friends in beautiful locales, the “Murder Mystery” movies won’t disappoint. But like those films, everything in “Murder Mystery” and “Murder Mystery 2” is secondary, and distantly so, to the comic and sweet rapport between the Spitzes, a bickering but lovingly connected married couple. And this one, in which Jeremy Garelick (writer of “The Hangover”) takes over directing with James Vanderbilt returning to write the screenplay, starts out like a new season to a TV series, with a narrated recap of what the Spitzes have been up to since the last film. Like its predecessor, “Murder Mystery 2” is built on old-fashioned star power and the interplay between Sandler and Aniston. “Murder Mystery” and its new sequel don’t have anywhere near the sparkle of the “The Thin Man” movies, with William Powell, Myrna Loy and their wire fox terrier Asta.

Here's who the killer is in Netflix's "Murder Mystery 2" with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, spoiler warning ahead.

I didn’t think I needed to get in shape before the movie but then when we were shooting, I was like, ‘Man, I should have gotten in shape.’” I’m in trouble.’ And then during this and this other movie I did I was like, ‘Yeah, I definitely gotta X-ray that thing,’ and we were in trouble.” I did ’Spaceman’ and I was hanging in a harness all the time. [Insider](https://www.insider.com/murder-mystery-2-jennifer-aniston-adam-sandler-director-lied-2023-3) on March 30, 2023, Murder Mystery 2’s director Jeremy Garelick said he’d lied to the cast, including stars Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, about how the film would end and to keep the identity of the killer a secret. Who’s the killer in Murder Mystery 2? The first installment in the Murder Mystery franchise saw husband-and-wife duo Nick and Audrey Spitz venture to Europe on a surprise for their 15th wedding anniversary.

The stars again display charming comic chemistry, as they swap rapid-fire patter in front of their fabulous supporting cast and glitzy international locales ...

The filmmakers also have some fun toying with the Agatha Christie formula, combining it with “Taken”-style kidnapping thrillers and — in one funny scene — a parody of a classic romantic comedy that shall remain nameless to preserve the surprise. They’re invested in making the crazy world surrounding the Spitzes a place people won’t just pop into on a whim but will actually want to revisit. Just like “Murder Mystery,” the sequel runs a tight 90 minutes (and feels even a bit tighter because Garelick and Vanderbilt don’t have to futz around with a lot of setup), and it has been shot in and around real, eye-catching locations like the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Even the pileup of last-act twists is, in a way, predictable. They also cross paths again with the world-weary Inspector de la Croix (Dany Boon) and meet a new lawman, a former MI6 agent named Connor Miller (Mark Strong). During Adam Sandler’s nearly decadelong association with Netflix, he’s produced and starred in an eclectic batch of movies, from the broadest of comedies to critically acclaimed art films.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston's sequel Murder Mystery 2 has been hit with free falling reviews just like the original movie.

While it was almost to be expected, the film could have done something new to try and beat the 44% rating of Murder Mystery but instead is called out by many as just another rehash of the same old story, with the same old Adam Sandler – at least the comedy side of him. For those who are looking for something that is a bit less run-of-the-mill, then Murder Mystery 2 seems likely to end up being a disappointment. Murder Mystery 2 certainly tries to outdo its predecessor with more locations, bigger set pieces, and plenty of stunts. The film launched on Netflix to pretty much the same lackluster reaction that the original movie received in 2019, with both audience and critics' scores on [Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/murder_mystery_2) freefalling toward sub-50% territory. Uh, he is so funny. He is a huge mensch.