Cindy Prascik's Review of Murder Mystery

Having zero interest in sleeping through the latest Men in Black installment, this weekend I enjoyed another double-shot of Rocketman at the cinema while turning to Netflix for something new. On the docket, the suspenseful comedy Murder Mystery.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Americans on a belated honeymoon accept an invitation from a mysterious stranger, only to find themselves at the center of a murder mystery.

Of late, Netflix originals have done a fine job of competing with the big studios. It comes as something of a surprise, then, that Murder Mystery feels more like an old-school network Movie of the Week.

Murder Mystery moves quickly through a by-the-numbers, "Clue"-like plot. It's amusing enough, and a stable of reasonably-famous faces keeps it from feeling *too* low-rent, despite the fact there's very little mystery in the murder. None of the leads plays against type: Jennifer Aniston is the girl-next-door, Adam Sandler her over-earnest husband, and Luke Evans the dashing and mysterious stranger. Netflix won't be hanging its hat on this one come awards season, but it's decent fun nonetheless.

Murder Mystery clocks in at 97 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence/bloody images, crude sexual content, and language."

Murder Mystery is unmemorable, but if you're looking to shut off your brain with a bit of entertainment that doesn't challenge, it's just the ticket. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Murder Mystery gets five.

Fangirl points: Luke Evans! Gemma Arterton!

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

An office manager (T.J. Miller) throws a wild Christmas party in the hope of finalizing a deal with a big-time client (Courtney B. Vance). If the party is unsuccessful and the client gets away, the manager's boss and older sister (Jennifer Aniston) will close the branch and lay off all of the employees. Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, and Kate McKinnon co-star in this holiday comedy directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Will Speck, Josh Gordon

Cast: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Olivia Munn, TJ Miller, Jillian Bell

Release Date: Dec 09, 2016

Rated R for Drug Use, Crude Sexual Content, Graphic Nudity and Language Throughout

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Office Christmas Party is a film that’s never really as funny as it should be.  The cast is made up of a who’s who of talented comedians who can be really funny all on their own.  Somehow, the film never really meshes together the way it should have.  It’s funny in spots but never consistently enough to make it worth revisiting again.  The overall plot borrows heavily from Animal House and Project X but it never really finds its own footing.  When all the crazy antics are done it’s a surprisingly tame R rated comedy that’ll be easily forgotten by the time you left the theater.

C

MOVIE REVIEW WE’RE THE MILLERS

A low-level pot dealer poses as a family man in order to pay back a debt to his supplier in this comedy starring Saturday Night Live alumni Jason Sudeikis. When David attempts to perform a good deed and gets robbed in the process, however, his supplier Brad (Ed Helms) is none too happy. Now, in order to pay Brad back before the hammer drops, David must retrieve a big drug shipment from Mexico and sneak back across the border undetected. It's a risky job for sure, but with the help of a few neighbors David might just pull it off. With sardonic stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston) assuming the role of housewife, teenage misfit Kenny (Will Poulter) posing as the awkward son, and rebellious Casey (Emma Roberts) filling in as his sister, David slips on some khakis, and starts heading south. Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, and Ken Marino co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Will Poulter, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms

Release Date: Aug 07, 2013

Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language, drug material and brief graphic nudity.

Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy

Review:

We’re the Millers is fun raunchy little romp of movie with cartoonish characters in cartoonish situations. It’s well aware of the type of film it is but for some reason it wants to tack on a redemptive ending for some generally bad characters. Personally I’ve never understood why raunchy comedies feel the need to teach its characters a lesson especially when it doesn’t make sense. Jason Sudeikis’s character is more or less jerk, albeit a funny one, throughout until he has his A-HA moment in an eye rolling moment. I know I’ve probably belabored the point about the ending but it does kind of leave a WTF taste in your mouth. Regardless, the better portion of the film is consistently funny while remaining fairly harmless for an R rated film. Aniston, who I can’t stand for some reason, is solid throughout even though her chemistry with Sudeikis is extremely forced. Will Poulter is lots of fun while Emma Roberts comes across as nondescript in an underwritten role. We’re The Millers isn’t going to be considered a classic but it’s the perfect kind of comedy for a lazy afternoon.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: HORRIBLE BOSSES

IN THEATERS

HORRIBLE BOSSES



Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day star in this workplace comedy about three frustrated employees who hatch a plan to kill their micromanaging bosses, only to find their murderous plot snowballing into disaster. Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters) directs a screenplay written by Michael Markowitz, Jonathan Goldstein, and John Francis Daley. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Seth Gordon

Cast: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey

Release Date: Jul 08, 2011

Rated: Crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug material

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Horrible Bosses isn’t perfect but ultimately it’s a fairly good time, a testament to the strong cast assembled. Seth Gordon sloppily directs this film. His biggest fault is never finding a steady rhythm to the proceedings, after a strong start he just seems disinterested as he’s more than happy to leave all the heavy lifting to the cast. Luckily the cast is game. Bateman, Sudeikis and Day have wonderful chemistry together. They breathe life into a mediocre script. All three bring a certain kind of energy to the film and it works very well. The trio’s energy keeps the film alive throughout with Charlie Day being the real standout of the group. His manic energy is really something to behold, no shock to fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Colin Farrell has more of a cameo than an actual role. Kevin Spacey the primary antagonist here and he’s clearly having a ball. Jennifer Aniston delivers dirty lines with the conviction of a 3rd grader but she’s limited to a small role. Most of the jokes are fairly pedestrian which is kind of surprising considering the subject matter but it does find a solid footing in the second half but I don’t think it’s the kind of comedy that’ll hold up after repeat viewings as it never reaches the heights of 80’s film 9 to 5.

C+

Bluray quality; Video soft but sharp ; Sound is decent but unimpressive.

I was hand-selected to be a member of Blu-ray Elite, a beta program from Warner Home Video which has graciously sent me this free Blu-ray disc.