Director: Kyle Newacheck

Writer: James Vanderbilt

Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Anniston, Luke Evans

Rating: ★★1/2

Murder Mystery was released on Netflix in 2019, although it was first announced in 2012. Originally Charlize Theron was set to star (and received an executive producer credit in the final film), and over the next five years various people were connected to the film before Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston signed on, reuniting for their second film after 2011’s Just Go With It.

Sandler stars as Nick Spitz, a New York City police sergeant who’s been trying (and failing) to become a detective, despite telling his wife, Audrey Spitz (Jennifer Anniston), that he is one. For their fifteenth wedding anniversary Nick lies, telling Audrey that he had booked a trip to Europe, something that they had been planning to do when they were first married. While on the plane Audrey meets Charles Cavendish (Luke Evans) who invites the couple to his family’s yacht to celebrate his uncle’s wedding with the rest of his family. While on the yacht Cavendish’s uncle is murdered, and all fingers are pointed at the Spitzes.

As you’d expect from a film with the generic title, Murder Mystery, Nick and Audrey have to clear their name and uncover the actual murderer. They’re the odd ones out, the only ones that didn’t know the victim beforehand. It’s almost like an Agatha Christie story, except Nick isn’t a world-class detective, and Audrey is a hairdresser who’s obsessed with murder mystery novels. Working together they still manage to follow the clues to reveal the mastermind behind it all, despite even the police working against them.

The start of the film, before they reach the yacht, is a little slow and not that funny. Thankfully, once they actually get to the star-studded yacht everything picks up quite a bit. One by one we’re introduced to the various suspects as well the soon-to-be victim, Malcolm Quince (Terence Stamp). There’s some good laugh-out-loud moments as the film goes on and Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston work really well together. Sadly, the fun of solving the mystery is taken away by evidence being presented at the last minute, which is a shame.

Murder Mystery is completely fine.  It’s fun while it’s on, and Sandler and Anniston are great, but it could have better. 

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