We’ve all grown up with Adam Sandler’s classic humor. Now he’s back with longtime co-star and friend Jennifer Aniston in “Murder Mystery 2,” a sequel to the original 2019 film, released on Mar. 24. Directed by Jeremy Garelick with a runtime of one hour and 29 minutes, the movie follows the Spitzs as they lead an investigation of their friend the Maharajah’s kidnapping. 

Nick and Audrey Spitz, played by Sandler and Aniston respectively, are invited to the Maharaja’s wedding after meeting him in the first film. They are elated over this needed vacation, as their budding private detective agency is not doing as well as they’d hoped. At the wedding, someone kidnaps the Maharajah during a theatrical dance sequence. When his bodyguard arrives on the back of an elephant, the Spitzs jump into action, trying to piece together who took the Maharajah. Afterward, each suspect arrives at the Spitzs’ room, where Sandler and Aniston crack multiple jokes about cheese while trying to figure out the motives of each group member. Their list consists of the Maharajah’s fiance Claudette (Mélanie Laurent), his sister Saira (Kuhoo Verma), ex-fiance Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith) and CFO Francisco (Enrique Arce). 

The following morning, the Spitzs wake up to an unwelcome surprise: Claudette had hired MI6 hostage negotiator Miller (Mark Strong) to find the kidnappers, replacing the amateur couple, who decide they must track down the missing Maharajah on their own. Helicopters, shoot-outs and ticking time bombs are involved in a variety of action sequences, and Nick’s poor marksmanship is again highlighted. 

Overall, “Murder Mystery 2” was a good movie if you’re looking for an easy laugh with little substance. Aniston and Sandler perfectly portrayed a long-married couple needing time away from home. Without their effortless chemistry, the movie wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable. What sold their relationship was the comedy Sandler and Aniston are known for. They worked seamlessly off one another, showing the audience how comfortable and close their characters and themselves are with each other. Sandler’s classic slapstick humor carried much of the film, including his many jokes about the food at the wedding venues. Aniston made the couple seem even more authentic with Audrey’s constant yet loving exasperation with Nick. Another positive was the reappearance of Colonel Ulenga (John Kani), Inspector Delacroix and the Maharajah. Viewers could see the relationships the Spitzs had with them from the first film, which was highly necessary, as there was no time in this film to develop any of the new characters. 

A complete lack of character development was only one of the negative aspects of this sequel. Apart from a few sentences of dialogue to establish connections between each suspect and the Maharajah, there were no scenes to develop these relationships. There was a sentence from Claudette reminiscing about her past friendship with Countess Sekou, but beyond that, the emotional complexity of the characters was completely absent. Furthermore, the plot itself was insubstantial. The entire flick was a simple sequence of events sprinkled with fight scenes and a few loving moments between the Spitzs. The almost immediate jump into sleuthing made that even more apparent. The dialogue could’ve added complexity to the movie, but as I stated earlier, the only memorable conversation was between the Spitzs. By the end of the film, even their scenes felt forced. 

“Murder Mystery 2” is a lighthearted action comedy flick with few remarkable moments. The dialogue and absence of character development make for a forgettable narrative. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston’s acting keeps the film from being downright bad. If you are a big fan of Sandler or Aniston, try it for family movie night, but be ready for a sadly mediocre film.