Adam Sandler's partnership with Netflix has been a successful one — if you're talking about viewership. His movies consistently perform well on the streaming service, and the newest one, Murder Mystery 2, is no exception.
In less than one day of release, Murder Mystery 2 has already shot up to No. 2 on Netflix's Top 10 movies list. By tomorrow, it will likely rule the top spot and knock out the 2019 Helen Hunt thriller I See You.
Murder Mystery 2's popularity is no surprise, considering it's a sequel that re-teams Sandler with Jennifer Aniston. And its rise comes despite getting trashed by critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Sandler's movies have proven to be review-proof before. The Ridiculous 6 notched a zero (0) rating and still set streaming records for Netflix at the time. So, is Murder Mystery 2 worth watching or not? Let's break it down.
What is Murder Mystery 2 about?
Murder Mystery 2 is a direct sequel to 2019's Murder Mystery, which starred Sandler and Aniston as married couple Nick and Audrey Spitz. In the original, Nick is a NYPD officer, while Audrey is a hairdresser. While traveling to Europe for their anniversary, they get caught up in a killing aboard a billionaire's yacht.
In Murder Mystery 2, Nick and Audrey have become full-time detectives who are struggling to get their private investigation agency off the ground. They find themselves at the center of an international abduction when their friend, the Maharajah, is kidnapped at his own lavish wedding.
Murder must be involved, since ... well, it's in the title.
Murder Mystery 2 reviews: What critics and audience members say
Murder Mystery 2 at least improves upon the first film in the reviews department. The original scored a woeful 44% in both the critics Tomatometer and audience score.
The sequel fares slightly better at 52% among critics and 66% among audience members.
"The real mystery is why they made a second one," snarks The New York Post's Johnny Oleksinski.
Peter Travers with ABC News snidely writes, "One of those new AI bots could have coughed up a script with more personality." (Should we put ChatGPT to the test?)
At RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico is kinder, calling Murder Mystery 2 "a solid diversion." This faint praise notes the movie "has no loftier goals than disposable entertainment for 90 minutes, and it gets the job done."
Audience reviews range from one-star ratings to five stars (really!). Christopher H. says, "Can't believe I made it to the end." But Willis34 declares, "Absolute great piece of comedic detective work featuring an iconic duo."
Murder Mystery 2 — stream or skip?
If you've gotten this far into the article, I think I can say you should just stream Murder Mystery 2. Why not? Your expectations can't possibly be lower. You know exactly what you're getting. Sandler is Sandler. While sometimes he veers off to do something different — like Uncut Gems or even his last Netflix movie, Hustle — he can generally be counted on to deliver broad, goofy, juvenile humor.
And look, the movie runs for a breezy 90 minutes, so it's not like you're wasting a ton of time. Get a few chuckles while folding your laundry or something.
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