The idea of melding puppets and raunchy, R-rated humor is not necessarily new. But, in the Melissa McCarthy starring The Happytime Murders, at least the concept tries to do something different. This is a world where puppets and humans live side by side and from what we see in the opening moments, there is no equality here… the felt folks are at the bottom of the totem pole of society.
McCarthy stars as LAPD detective Connie Edwards, the only cop on the force who has had the opportunity of working with a puppet partner. That didn’t end so well as Phil Philips (voice of Bill Barretta) became known as the puppet cop who wouldn’t take a shot at another puppet. Edwards and her fellow officers ran him out of the force in utter disgrace. Now he works as a private investigator.
When puppets start getting killed, the band gets back together to try to figure out who is knocking off stuffed souls. Something immediately becomes apparent, whoever is murdering these puppets (including Phil’s brother), is on a mission.
The victims are all veterans of a successful and about to go into syndication show called The Happytime Gang. It was the only human-puppet show on television that was a hit with audiences and featured a motley crew of characters, including Elizabeth Banks’ Jenny. One by one, they are dying and every time one perishes, guess who’s there? You guessed it—Phil.
It’s one of those plot twists that makes your head hurt. This is a former detective and sibling to one of the victims. It makes no sense on any level, and yet we have the FBI (Joel McHale’s Agent Campbell) getting involved and a LAPD senior officer, Leslie David Baker’s Lt. Banning, all gunning for Phil—even if the evidence suggests that it has more to do with a syndication financial windfall for one of the Happytime Gang than anything else.
It’s not only lazy writing, it’s a huge missed opportunity.
Combining the worlds of humans and puppets, in the seedier side of Los Angeles with a murder investigation featuring two cops who hate each other but who used to like each other has comedy gold written all over it. Sadly, The Happytime Murders just completely misses the mark on every conceivable level. Well, there is one thing it gets right… there are occasional laughs, like laugh-out-loud laughs. But, if you saw The Happytime Murders trailer—you’ve probably witnessed most of the funny parts. There are a few moments with McCarthy and Barretta that produce audible chuckles, but they are sadly few and far between and not enough to elevate this film.
McCarthy does her best and fans of hers might recoil as she has done a whole lot of PG-13 work of late that has filled her pockets with box office cash. Hearing and seeing her dish out the F-bombs with panache is such a joy. It reminds us of the role that launched her into the stratosphere in Bridesmaids.
Note to McCarthy: Do more films like this… let your freak flag fly.
Everyone else in the live action cast seems lost. McHale is channeling every stereotypical Fed agent that has ever graced the screen. Throughout, it is not even the same one! It’s hard to know who he is trying to be when he arrives on a scene. Baker is downright terrible as it seems like he is not even trying to be any kind of character. And Banks, honey, what were you thinking? She goes in and out of some sort of accent that we’re not sure where her character is supposed to be from. Banks, for some unexplained reason, also tries to balance a line between self-deprecating hilarity and turning in an acting kaleidoscope of confusion.
We are encouraged by the fact that Brian Henson helmed the movie, the late, great Jim Henson’s son. The puppets feel a whole lot like Muppets and as such, perhaps in the future he and his company—The Jim Henson Company—might find a script that can take those beloved puppets and give them a R-rated comedy worth their weight in… well, felt?
You get the picture. Just don’t go to this picture.
Grade: D+