The Happytime Murders - Movie Review

My wife and I had to try out our new subscription to AMC's subscription program called A-List. The program allows guests to view three movies per week at any AMC location, without restriction, for $19.95 per month. It is a palatable answer for the quickly crashing Moviepass service. We ordered our tickets in advance, using the AMC Application on our phones. We skipped the movie line, heading straight to the ticket-taker, who scanned the QR code on our phone (we also had to show ID to prevent fraud, which I fully understand). We have seen a couple of trailers for The Happytime Murders and figured it would be a fun way to start out our new movie subscription. It was silly, shallow and fun.

If you have children and think a muppet film would be a good way to spend a Saturday, buyer beware. These are not the muppets you grew up with. If you recognize the Henson name, Director Brian Henson is the son of puppet pioneer Jim Henson. He has directed other films with the beloved Fozzie and Kermit in years gone by. These are not those muppets. This is a far more worldly take on the world of muppets. This film should come with a massive warning label do not bring your kids to see this film. Seriously. For adults, there is plenty of cheap sex humor and sight gags, making the film a funny, zany romp that doesn't require much thought.

Puppets are second class citizens. Let's face it, they are pretty dumb. LAPD attempted to mainstream puppets when they allowed Phil Phillips (Bill Barretta) to serve as a detective. Things didn't work out to well. Phil killed an innocent bystander when his partner, Detective Edwards (Melissa McCarthy) was being held at gunpoint by a dangerous suspect. Phillips runs a private detective agency with along with his human assistant, Bubbles (Maya Rudolph). When the cast of an 80s television show start showing up dead, or unstuffed, Phillips is forced to team up with his estranged partner to solve the murders.

The Happytime Murders was written by Todd Berger, who has a decent history as a writer and actor, but little of his writing is noteworthy. He did a couple of the Kung Fu Panda films, which was probably the highlight of his resume. If you are looking for depth, you are not going to find it here. The Happytime Murders is a shallow film with the depth one might expect from a bunch of puppets. The film takes the hackneyed gumshoe genre and uses it as a vehicle to deliver slapstick, potty humor, visual gags and a heavy dose of sexuality. The sexuality in this film was done to excess. It was as if puppets were those child actors that go off the deep end with sexuality and drugs to change their image. Only, puppets don't really need an image change.

I can't imagine being an actor faced with the challenge of interacting with puppets. Bringing the puppets to life is a challenge in and of itself. We get a small peek into that process during the credits. As a viewer, I just want to be immersed in the story without worrying too much about how the illusion is created in film. But it is fun to see the process. Melissa McCarthy could make any film funny. She does a great job of it in The Happytime Murders. The interaction between the voice actors, actors and puppeteers created an illusion that gave the film the tiny bit of substance and value that it has. It is a weak story to deliver cheap comedy. But the actors did a great job of bringing the film to life. I give this film credit for the cinematic qualities. It looked polished and believable.

How does a puppet film earn an R rating from the MPAA? You can start with an extended scene of silly string orgasm that covers a room. Sex is a major theme in this film. Sex jokes and genitals feature heavily in the sight gags, to include a purple nod to Basic Instinct. From candy-crackhead puppets to a maple syrup addiction, the film has plenty of drug use, even if it involves licorice and sugar. The violence is mostly limited to puppet disembowelment, but there is plenty of it. The language is salty throughout the film. The language and sexual content went beyond contextual to the point of being obnoxious at times. Yes, I laughed out loud at some of the sight gags. Some of the jokes were sharp. But there were great lines that didn't even require double entendre to be funny. The film took vulgar to places it didn't need to go. I would recommend older teens to adults. This film is crude to its foam filled core.

The Happytime Murders is a funny but vulgar diversion from its Muppet roots. The only connection between this film and the Muppets is Brian Henson (and some of the other cast members) and fiber fill. Like most of the muppets movies, the story is a bit shallow and predictable. The story spoofs the gumshoe genre, relying heavily on sex, vulgarity and sight gags to elicit laughs. Yes, I laughed. Sometimes something is just so bizarre that all one can do is chuckle. I admit I was entertained. But I also felt like this film went too far with the vulgarity at times. It was incessant. I can't really not recommend this film, because I did laugh quite a bit. But I am going to give it the mildest of recommendation. 5.5/10.

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