Murder Mystery is a 2019 American comedy mystery film directed by Kyle Newacheck and written by James Vanderbilt. The film stars Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, and Luke Evans, and follows a married couple who are caught up in a murder investigation on a billionaire's yacht. It was released on June 14, 2019, by Netflix.[2] It received mixed reviews from critics. A sequel was released by Netflix on March 31, 2023.
Plot[]
Nick Spitz is a NYPD officer married to Audrey, a hairdresser. She wants to visit Europe, as he had promised at their wedding, but thinks they never will. After their 15th-anniversary dinner, Audrey confronts Nick, who lies that he has in fact booked the trip, and they set off to Europe.
On the plane, Audrey meets billionaire Charles Cavendish, who invites them to join him on his family yacht for a party celebrating his elderly uncle's wedding to Charles's former fiancée. Seeing how crowded and unpleasant their originally planned bus tour would be, Nick agrees.
Aboard the yacht, Nick and Audrey meet Cavendish's ex-fiancée Suzi Nakamura, Quince's son Tobey, actress Grace Ballard, Colonel Ulenga, his bodyguard Sergei, Maharajah Vikram, race car driver Juan Carlos, and later that night their host Malcolm Quince, Cavendish's uncle, arrives. Quince announces that Suzi will be his sole heir, believing the others only feign interest in him for his money. Before he can sign his new will, the lights go out and when they are back on, they find Quince stabbed with a dagger through his heart.
Nick, who has lied to Audrey about recently becoming a detective, orders the room locked, and the guests return to their rooms. Later that night, Tobey is found dead from apparent suicide. Upon arriving in Monte Carlo, everyone is questioned by Inspector de la Croix, who believes that "the Americans", committed the murders.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, Nick and Audrey question the guests. That night, Sergei summons them to his room and reveals Quince had married the Colonel's fiancée while he was in a coma after saving Quince's life, which ended with her dying while giving birth. The couple hide when someone knocks, and come out to find Sergei has been shot. They climb out the window and edge along the ledge.
In the process, they see the Colonel flossing his teeth vigorously and Maharajah and Grace kissing in his room, seemingly ruling them out as suspects. While fleeing, they see on the news that de la Croix has issued a warrant for their arrest. Audrey is furious to learn from the broadcast Nick is not actually a detective and that he lied about booking the trip in advance, and she leaves with Cavendish.
All of them move to Lake Como, where Uncle Quince had a luxury villa: there Nick finds Suzi moving suspiciously on the street. He follows her to a library where he finds Audrey, who reveals Cavendish is also there. They realize Cavendish and Suzi are still in love and, perhaps the murderers planning to split the inheritance. The couple are forced to flee from a hidden gunman and run into Carlos. They soon are confronted by Suzi, who is killed by a masked person with a blow dart. Nick and Carlos try to chase the killer but fail. Nick and Audrey go to Quince's mansion to confront Cavendish, but find him dead by poison.
The couple summons de la Croix and the remaining guests, who all have alibis. Nick and Audrey deduce that Grace is the murderer; she convinced Tobey to kill his father, before killing him and has been picking off the other heirs. Grace reveals that she is Quince's child that "died" and that his money truly belongs to her, though she denies being the killer. However, Audrey proves her guilt (she was hiding a cut Nick gave her as the masked killer under a hat) and is shot by Nick trying to escape.
While celebrating, Nick and Audrey realise Grace's alibi still stands and there must be another conspirator who could've killed Sergei. They realize Carlos is the second murderer, who was avenging his father who had lost both of his legs because of Quince. Holding de la Croix hostage, he leads Nick and Audrey in a car chase, but they force them to crash and rescue de la Croix. Carlos holds them all at gunpoint, but is killed by Nick and Audrey's chaotic tour bus they never boarded.
De la Croix thanks the couple and offers to help get Nick promoted to detective back home. Nick and Audrey continue their vacation aboard the fabled Orient Express courtesy of Interpol.
Cast[]
- Adam Sandler as Nick Spitz, a New York City police officer and Audrey's husband
- Jennifer Aniston as Audrey Spitz, a hairdresser, murder mystery novel enthusiast and Nick's wife
- Luke Evans as Charles Cavendish, an aristocrat
- Terence Stamp as Malcolm Quince, an elderly billionaire and Charles’ uncle
- Gemma Arterton as Grace Ballard, an actress
- David Walliams as Tobey Quince, Malcolm’s only son
- Dany Boon as Inspector de la Croix
- John Kani as Colonel Ulenga, a former bodyguard of Malcolm
- Adeel Akhtar as Maharajah
- Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Sergei, a bodyguard to Malcolm and the Colonel
- Luis Gerardo Méndez as Juan Carlos, a formula one racecar driver
- Shioli Kutsuna as Suzi Nakamura, Malcolm’s fiancée and Charles’ ex
- Erik Griffin as Jimmy Stern, a colleague of Nick’s
- Sufe Bradshaw as Holly
- Jackie Sandler as Great Looking Flight Attendant
- Allen Covert as Tourist Dad
- Molly McNearney as Lorraine
- Nicole Randall Johnson as Marisol
- Andrea Bendewald as Client #2
Production[]
In June 2012, it was reported that Charlize Theron had signed on to star in Murder Mystery, a mystery-comedy then set to be directed by John Madden, from James Vanderbilt's screenplay. Before the announcement, the project had been set up at Walt Disney Studios with Kevin McDonald set to direct.[3] In April 2013, it was reported that Colin Firth, Adam Sandler and Emily Blunt had joined the cast - although, representatives for Firth and Blunt denied that they were boarding the film.[4] In September 2013, it was reported that both Theron and Madden had left the project and that Anne Fletcher was now set to direct for TWC-Dimension; Theron eventually received an executive producer credit on the film, along with her studio, Denver and Delilah Productions, listed in the film.[5]
In March 2018, it was announced that Sandler and Jennifer Aniston had signed to star, reuniting them after Just Go with It, their 2011 film. Kyle Newacheck directed, still with Vanderbilt's script, and the film premiered on Netflix as part of Sandler's distribution deal.[6] In June 2018, it was announced that Luke Evans, Gemma Arterton, David Walliams, Erik Griffin, John Kani, Shioli Kutsuna, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Adeel Akhtar, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Dany Boon and Terence Stamp had joined the cast.[7][8][9]
Principal photography on the film began on June 14, 2018 in Montréal.[8][10] In late July 2018, filming began in Italy at locations including Santa Margherita Ligure, Lake Como,[11] and Milan (where most of the scenes set in Monaco were actually shot) also using vehicles and uniforms of the Carabinieri.[12]
Release[]
The film was digitally released worldwide on June 14, 2019.[13]
On June 18, 2019, Netflix reported that 30.9 million households watched the film in the first 72 hours, the biggest opening weekend for a film in the company's history.[14] In July 2019, Netflix reported that the film was viewed by 73 million households in its first four weeks of release, based on a viewing metric of at least 70% of the film watched, making it Sandler's most successful film on the streaming platform.[15] Viewership numbers were adjusted up to 83 million accounts worldwide based on Netflix's new metric of at least 2 minutes of the film watched, making it the fifth most-watched original film on Netflix.[16] Updated hourly figures state the movie was watched for 169.59 million hours in the first 28 days of release.[17]
Reception[]
Critical response[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 136: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). based on Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 136: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). reviews, with an average rating of Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 136: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).. The site's critical consensus reads, "Murder Mystery reunites Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler for a lightweight comedy that's content to settle for merely mediocre."[18] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."[19]
Amy Nicholson of Variety wrote: "Murder Mystery feels as shamelessly gaudy as paste jewelry — a trinket for nights that aspire to nothing more exotic than a pizza — but Aniston sparkles like the real deal."[20] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called it "A tale as generic, and as dull, as its title."[21]
Accolades[]
| Association | Year | Category | Recipient | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People's Choice Awards | 2019 | Favorite Comedic Movie | Murder Mystery | Won | [22] |
| Favorite Male Movie Star | Adam Sandler | Nominated | |||
| Favorite Female Movie Star | Jennifer Aniston | Nominated | |||
| Favorite Comedy Movie Star | Adam Sandler | Nominated | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | 2019 | Choice Summer Movie | Murder Mystery | Nominated | [23] |
| Choice Summer Movie Actor | Adam Sandler | Nominated | |||
| Choice Summer Movie Actress | Jennifer Aniston | Nominated |
Sequel[]
- Main article: Murder Mystery 2
In October 2019, it was announced that a sequel is in development with Sandler and Aniston reprising their roles.[24] In August 2021, Jeremy Garelick was hired as director and to rewrite the script, with filming of the sequel to take place in Paris and in the Caribbean.[25]
References[]
- ↑ Rupert Gregson-Williams Scoring Netflix Movie 'Murder Mystery'. Film Music Reporter (May 8, 2019).
- ↑ MURDER MYSTERY will launch globally on Netflix in June 2019 (23 April 2019).
- ↑ Charlize Theron in Talks to Star in 'Murder Mystery' for 'Marigold Hotel' Director
- ↑ Cannes: Colin Firth, Adam Sandler, Emily Blunt to Join Charlize Theron in 'Murder Mystery'?
- ↑ Anne Fletcher Directing 'Murder Mystery' for TWC-Dimension
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kroll, Justin (March 29, 2018). "Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston Reunite for Netflix 'Murder Mystery'". Variety. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hipes, Patrick (June 7, 2018). "Luke Evans Is The Man In Netflix Comedy 'Murder Mystery'". Deadline. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kit, Borys (June 14, 2018). "Luis Gerardo Mendez Joins Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston in 'Murder Mystery' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Galuppo, Mia (June 25, 2018). "Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton Join Netflix Comedy 'Murder Mystery'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ↑ L'acteur britannique Luke Evans à Montréal | TVA Nouvelles (fr). Tvanouvelles.ca.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hemmert, Kylie (July 26, 2018). "Sandler and Aniston's Netflix Movie Murder Mystery Begins Filming". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- ↑ Bettoni, Sara (27 August 2018). Jennifer Aniston a Milano per le riprese del suo film "Murder Mystery" Foto (it).
- ↑ Virtually every movie coming out this summer (April 25, 2019).
- ↑ Netflix Reveals Record-Breaking Stats for Sandler-Aniston 'Murder Mystery' Flick (June 18, 2019).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Patrick Hipes (July 17, 2019). "Netflix Reveals Viewer Data For 'Our Planet', 'Dead To Me', 'Always Be My Maybe', More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ↑ Shaw, Lucas (2020-07-15). These Are Netflix's 10 Most Popular Original Movies.
- ↑ Moore, Kasey (2023-02-09). Most Watched Series & Movies on Netflix (Hours Watched) (en).
- ↑ Murder Mystery (2019). Fandango.
- ↑ Murder Mystery reviews.
- ↑ Nicholson, Amy (14 June 2019). Film Review: 'Murder Mystery'.
- ↑ John DeFore (2019). 'Murder Mystery': Film Review.
- ↑ Evans, Greg (2019-09-04). E! People's Choice Awards Finalists Announced; Voting Open Through Oct. 18 – Complete List.
- ↑ Teen Choice Awards 2019: See the full list of winners and nominees (en).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kit, Borys (October 11, 2019). "'Murder Mystery' Sequel in the Works at Netflix (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 17, 2021). "Jeremy Garelick To Direct Netflix 'Murder Mystery' Sequel; Jennifer Aniston & Adam Sandler Circling". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
External links[]
- Murder Mystery on NetflixLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 36: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Murder Mystery at IMDb
- Murder Mystery at Rotten Tomatoes
Template:Kyle Newacheck
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| Film | Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) • Little Nicky (2000) • Joe Dirt (2001) • The Animal (2001) • Mr. Deeds (2002) • The Master of Disguise (2002) • Eight Crazy Nights (2002) • The Hot Chick (2002) • Anger Management (2003) • Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003) • 50 First Dates (2004) • The Longest Yard (2005) • Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005) • Grandma's Boy (2006) • The Benchwarmers (2006) • Click (2006) • Reign Over Me (2007) • I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) • Strange Wilderness (2008) • You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) • The House Bunny (2008) • Bedtime Stories (2008) • Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) • Funny People (2009) • The Shortcut (2009) • Grown Ups (2010) • Just Go with It (2011) • Zookeeper (2011) • Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011) • Jack and Jill (2011) • That's My Boy (2012) • Here Comes the Boom (2012) • Grown Ups 2 (2013) • Blended (2014) • Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) • Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser (2015) • Pixels (2015) • The Ridiculous 6 (2015) • The Do-Over (2016) • Sandy Wexler (2017) • The Week Of (2018) • Father of the Year (2018) • Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh (2018) • Murder Mystery (2019) • The Wrong Missy (2020) • Hubie Halloween (2020) • Home Team (2022) • Hustle (2022) • Murder Mystery 2 (2023) • The Out-Laws (2023) • You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023) • Leo (2023) • Kinda Pregnant (2024) |
| Founders | Adam Sandler • Jack Giarraputo • Tim Herlihy • Heather Parry • Scott Sandler • Barry Bernardi • Steve Koren • Mark O'Keefe • Seth Gordon • Timothy Dowling |
| Television | Rules of Engagement (2007–2013) • The Gong Show with Dave Attell (2008) • Nick Swardson's Pretend Time (2010-2011) • Breaking In (2011-2012) • The Goldbergs (2013-2023) • Imaginary Mary (2017) • Schooled (2019-2020) |
