Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s Murder Mystery 2 gets mixed reviews from critics

Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler reunited for their new Netflix film Murder Mystery 2, to the delight of their fans, but the reviews for the detective comedy are mixed. 

The co-stars and pals have reprised their roles as married couple Nick and Audrey Spitz, who are now full-time private detectives after finding themselves caught up in a murder investigation in 2019’s Murder Mystery. 

In the sequel directed by Jeremy Garelick, the Spitzes are invited to the destination wedding of the Maharajah Vikram Govindan (Adeel Akhtar), but they are forced to go into detective mode when he is kidnapped before the ceremony. 

Critics aren’t sure what to make of the movie, which was released on Friday. It has been both panned and praised for its lowbrow humor, the same combination that made the first film a streaming hit. 

In the sequel, the Spitzes are invited to the destination wedding of the Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), but they are forced to go into detective mode when he is kidnapped

In Peter Travers’ review for Good Morning America, he slammed the ‘nothingburger’ movie, saying Aniston and Sandler’s chemistry was ruined by the ‘dialogue from the playbook of sitcom cliches.’ 

‘One of those new AI bots like ChatGPT could have coughed up a script with more personality,’ the film critic wrote. 

Johnny Oleksinski at the New York Post agreed, dubbing the sequel ‘painfully uninteresting’ and ‘nothing more than a free vacation’ for Aniston and Sandler. 

Both critics took note of a cringeworthy moment scene Sandler jokingly called the Arc de Triomphe in Paris the ‘Arctic Tree Hump.’ 

However, others appreciated the screwball action-adventure comedy, which has its main characters jetting off to nondescript private island and Paris, for what it is, especially in the wake of the pandemic. 

New York Times critic Brandon Yu called it an ‘innocuous sequel’ but felt the film’s stars gave it a slight boost. 

‘Sandler and Aniston maintain a charming midcareer looseness, and have a palpable affability as a duo — one can sense the fun they had making such silliness, even if the result isn’t gold,’ he wrote. ‘You could do worse for something to turn on while making dinner.’

The movie has received mixed reviews from critics that both panned and praised the detective romp’s lowbrow humor 

Sandler, 56, and Aniston, 54, (pictured at the premiere) undoubtedly had a great time filming the sequel, and a number of critics pointed out their natural chemistry 

In Bilge Ebiri’s review for New York magazine, he also saw the merits of tuning in while doing chores around the house. 

‘Murder Mystery 2 knows its place. It’s not asking you to drive anywhere or to part with your hard-earned money,’ he explained. ‘It’s strictly a Netflix movie, and as such it’s meant to be watched while you do the dishes or fold the laundry or count out your accumulated pocket change and tuck it into those little paper tubes the bank gives you. 

‘But it’s a time-filler, not a time-waster,’ he added. ‘It’s a film of simple pleasures — but they are pleasures.’

So far, Murder Mystery 2 has a 53 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 57 percent audience score, which is slightly higher than the first film. 

The one sure thing about the sequel is that Aniston and Sandler had a great time making it. Ahead of the comedy’s release, they delved into their decades-long friendship and recent onscreen collaboration in a series of promotional interviews.

While chatting with USA Today, Sandler, 56, admitted that he and Aniston, 54, are still awkward about filming kissing scenes with each other, which they’ve done in all three of their films together. 

The former Saturday Night Live star joked that Aniston was a bit too enthusiastic when it came time to pucker up in the Murder Mystery sequel.

‘”For God’s sake, keep your mouth closed,”‘ he recalled saying to her. ‘It was so wide! Every time, she’d come with a big, wide mouth, and I’d be like, “Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho, whoa! What are we doing?”‘