With so many varied agendas in media, Murder Mystery 2 only has one goal, to entertain.
When I first watched Murder Mystery in 2019, it was forgettable. I remember watching it with my mom, and some crazy antics with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler occurred, but it didn't feel like anything special. When I learned there would be a sequel, I was surprised. Did the original do so well that it warranted a sequel? Apparently, the answer was yes.
In Murder Mystery 2, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler reprise their roles as Audrey and Nick Spitz. After their crazy trip to Europe in the first movie, the Spitz quit their jobs to become private investigators, but business is slow. When the Maharaja, played by Adeel Akhtar, invites them on an all-expense-paid trip to his wedding on his private island. Again in a foreign place, the Spitz's are accused of criminal activity when the Maharaja gets kidnapped, starting another dangerous and hilarious sequence of events.
I made sure to rewatch the original before watching the sequel. I remember it as forgettable, but now I enjoy it much more. There were funny gags like removing and reinserting a murder weapon that made me look forward to watching the sequel.
Murder Mystery 2 combines all the great things from the first one everyone loved. Compelling characters like the Maharaja, Colonel Ulenga, played by John Kani, and Inspector Laurent, played by Dany Boon, return alongside new characters/suspects, Claudette (Melanie Laurent), Agent Miller (Mark Strong), Siara (Kuhoo Verma), Francisco (Enrique Arce), Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner Smith) and her sidekick Imani (Zurin Villanueva).
The funny gags and dialogue hit more often than in the first one. Even the ones revealed in the trailers, like someone walking up to a burning car to steal something only to get hit by another truck1, still garnered a laugh. The Spitz's arrival at the private island for an Indian wedding provided the perfect opportunity for "stupid American" jokes. Their different lifestyle compared to the other wealthy party guests also set up funny gags like one with fancy cheese.
Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler have previously worked together on the 2011 hit, Just Go With It. The two actors' familiarity with each other benefits the movie. The Spitz marital bickering helps keep the movie light and hilarious while keeping the plot moving. This is good, considering the short run time of the film.
The ninety-minute film is filled with hilarious antics. The entire movie is comedic gold alongside action and the hope of discovering who the bad guy is before it's revealed. There is no underlying agenda like most films. So many movies have messages of representation, inclusion, and other political views woven together as entertainment. As much as media can be a vehicle for representation and inclusion to help spread goodness, sometimes it's nice to watch something solely for its joy.
Watching Murder Mystery 2 was like a sigh of relief after a long day. Even watching it for the purposes of this blog, I completely forgot about taking notes and being overly analytical. I just watched and laughed and enjoyed it.