Where I Watched It: Netflix

English Audio Description?: Yes

For some reason, Adam Sandler feels like that one actor whose entire filmography I’ve consumed. From the lowest of lows, like Hewbie Halloween and Little Nicky to underrated gems like Reign Over me and The Meyerowitz Stories, to my favorites like Big Daddy and happy Gilmore, I reliably show up. Whether it’s a Netflix original, a Grown ups sequel, or an attempt at more dramatic fare, I’ve seen this guys entire filmography.

The first Murder Mystery was fine. This one is a little less so.

Now that doesn’t mean that it’s bad by any means, but it does kinda seem like they had to stretch to really make this happen. In fact, there is no murder. Sandler and Aniston have started up a detective agency, and one of their friends goes missing. Hilarity ensues.

While the movie does push a lot at Sandler and Aniston, it has a robust supporting cast, and like most of us in the blind community, we have to be good at guessing. If it’s a favorite actor, and you think you recognize the voice, you’re lucky. I always like to arm myself with IMDB, even if it might spoil something down the line. We get descriptions of what people look like and not who is playing them. The biggest example here is Mark Strong, who has a prominent role, but is the kind of actor I think falls into the background a lot. you wouldn’t know it was him unless you were really familiar with his voice. This also doesn’t feel like the kind of film he would be in.That makes his appearance more effective, but it’s just one of many faces in the ensemble you have to figure out who is behind it.

I suppose this criticism is of most large cast mysteries. Most audience members don’t queue up IMDB before they walk into the theatre, and we aren’t always guaranteed credits. Sometimes, it’s nice to know who plays who, but too frequently we don’t even get a character name until it is spoken. So, a character without a spoken name can make it an entire film with just a description, even if they could technically be considered one of the leads.

Aside from struggling with defining this cast, for the most part the sight gags seem to translate well. The only thing is, I’m blind, so i really don’t know what I’m missing. However, I did feel like I was following the movie, I just think this was a sequel no one really needed or asked for. Certainly, if it was, this wasn’t the plot to bring these two charming leads back for.

Murder Mystery 2 is OK. It’s not amazing, but that can be said of most Sandler films. Most of them are just OK.

Final Grade: C+