The Happytime Murders
1.5/4
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, Elizabeth Banks, and the voice of Bill Barretta
Rated R for Strong Crude and Sexual Content and Language Throughout, and Some Drug Material
I'm getting really tired of movies that are largely improvised. Improv doesn't lend itself well to plot and narrative structure, and while the jokes might be hilarious to the cast and crew on the movie set, it rarely translates to the audience. It's the "you had to have been there" thing. Only the "thing" doesn't end.
"The Happytime Murders" is a raunchy look at the Muppets. No doubt due to legal reasons, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of Jim Henson's gang don't appear, but if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...well, you know the rest.
A blue Muppet named Phil (Barretta) was once a respected member of the police force. He and his human partner Connie Edwards (McCarthy) were unstoppable. Then a hostage situation went south and everything went up in smoke. Now he's a private dick, with only his faithful secretary Bubbles (Rudolph) sticking by him. But soon he becomes embroiled in a murder case in which the stars of the famous Muppet show "The Happytime Gang" are being knocked off one by one. He's somewhat reluctantly teamed up with Connie again, and they're on the case.
This isn't a bad idea for a movie. I mean, who wouldn't want to see a send up of a popular cartoon show? Think of the comic potential of showing Kermit the Frog as a coke addled pervert or Miss Piggy as sex fiend. Peter Jackson did this with his early film "Meet the Feebles," but like me, few people have seen it. Unfortunately "The Happytime Murders" is so witless that the few jokes that work don't fall flat only provoke a half hearted chuckle. The only full bellied laugh is the Muppet sex scene, and that can be viewed in the red-band trailer.
Melissa McCarthy is Melissa McCarthy. Her appeal is self-deprecation and "tell it like it is" style of humor. She rarely deviates from this, and that's what we expect. But despite jump starting her career in the improv group The Groundlings, improv is not her strong suit. She tends to run her mouth and drag on comic bits til long after they've stopped being funny. As her co-star, Bill Barretta brings nothing to the role. His portrayal of the Humphrey Bogart wannabe is so lifeless that he blends into the background. Maya Rudolph steals scenes, which is ironic considering how little she has to do. Jole McHale and Elizabeth Banks have small roles, but neither leaves much of an impression.
The problem with "The Happytime Murders" is two fold. One, it never capitalizes on the appeal of The Muppets. When sweetness and innocence turn dark and nasty, the results can be hilarious. But the people behind this flick either don't know the appeal of the Muppets, or are too lazy to try and do something interesting with it. The second is a common misstep in a parody: they believe that the audience will care about the plot. In addition to satirizing the Muppets, "The Happytime Murders" is one long rip into film noir. But the plot is so thin and so lacking in intelligence that it's impossible not to be bored. That would be fine if the film was funny, but that's not the case. Far too much time is spent on the story that no one will care about.
"The Happytime Murders" is a prime example of what is wrong with Hollywood comedies: it's lazy.
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, Elizabeth Banks, and the voice of Bill Barretta
Rated R for Strong Crude and Sexual Content and Language Throughout, and Some Drug Material
I'm getting really tired of movies that are largely improvised. Improv doesn't lend itself well to plot and narrative structure, and while the jokes might be hilarious to the cast and crew on the movie set, it rarely translates to the audience. It's the "you had to have been there" thing. Only the "thing" doesn't end.
"The Happytime Murders" is a raunchy look at the Muppets. No doubt due to legal reasons, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of Jim Henson's gang don't appear, but if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...well, you know the rest.
A blue Muppet named Phil (Barretta) was once a respected member of the police force. He and his human partner Connie Edwards (McCarthy) were unstoppable. Then a hostage situation went south and everything went up in smoke. Now he's a private dick, with only his faithful secretary Bubbles (Rudolph) sticking by him. But soon he becomes embroiled in a murder case in which the stars of the famous Muppet show "The Happytime Gang" are being knocked off one by one. He's somewhat reluctantly teamed up with Connie again, and they're on the case.
This isn't a bad idea for a movie. I mean, who wouldn't want to see a send up of a popular cartoon show? Think of the comic potential of showing Kermit the Frog as a coke addled pervert or Miss Piggy as sex fiend. Peter Jackson did this with his early film "Meet the Feebles," but like me, few people have seen it. Unfortunately "The Happytime Murders" is so witless that the few jokes that work don't fall flat only provoke a half hearted chuckle. The only full bellied laugh is the Muppet sex scene, and that can be viewed in the red-band trailer.
Melissa McCarthy is Melissa McCarthy. Her appeal is self-deprecation and "tell it like it is" style of humor. She rarely deviates from this, and that's what we expect. But despite jump starting her career in the improv group The Groundlings, improv is not her strong suit. She tends to run her mouth and drag on comic bits til long after they've stopped being funny. As her co-star, Bill Barretta brings nothing to the role. His portrayal of the Humphrey Bogart wannabe is so lifeless that he blends into the background. Maya Rudolph steals scenes, which is ironic considering how little she has to do. Jole McHale and Elizabeth Banks have small roles, but neither leaves much of an impression.
The problem with "The Happytime Murders" is two fold. One, it never capitalizes on the appeal of The Muppets. When sweetness and innocence turn dark and nasty, the results can be hilarious. But the people behind this flick either don't know the appeal of the Muppets, or are too lazy to try and do something interesting with it. The second is a common misstep in a parody: they believe that the audience will care about the plot. In addition to satirizing the Muppets, "The Happytime Murders" is one long rip into film noir. But the plot is so thin and so lacking in intelligence that it's impossible not to be bored. That would be fine if the film was funny, but that's not the case. Far too much time is spent on the story that no one will care about.
"The Happytime Murders" is a prime example of what is wrong with Hollywood comedies: it's lazy.
Comments
Post a Comment