User reviews

Certainly not 10/10 or even 1/10. It's original and good fun. A film that doesn't take itself too seriously. Which is why I'm amazed by the 1/10. Don't expect a blockbuster but a must see. A good night in and a good laugh.

The Happytime Murders is less Roger Rabbit and more Cool World or Monkeybone, the movie is much better than either of those films by virtue of having an engaging lead and a coherent story(which both other films lacked) but its humor is a mixed bag. Its brisk running time of 78 minutes makes it a quick sit, and it doesn't linger on any comic set piece too long (save for maybe a puppet sex scene that falls flat). The puppetry is impressive on a technical level and the movie does a good job of bringing to life its sleazy world of puppets and humans, but its reliance on shock humor makes some stretches rather tedious to sit through. Maybe if The Happytime Murders had been made before the glut of The Hangover clones flooded cineplexes for 10 years it might've been able to have a more lasting impression, but as is it's a comedy with a few chuckles, some decent puppet effects, and not much lasting impact.

It would be the easiest thing in the world to alate this film and brand it terrible, but I'm going to focus on the positives, the media hate seems this the worst film of the year, and true it's not good. However is very different, it's very original, and at times it had myself and the whole cinema laughing loudly. They took a risk, and I'm unsure it will have paid off, they went for a safe pair of comedy hands with Melissa McCarthy, and personally I found her really funny. Obviously the film has limitations with what it can do, and where it can go, but it's not so bad as it's being made out to be. The Sharon Stone scene is absolutely hilarious.

It's not a wow, but at least it's different, that deserves some credit in this day and age, right? 6/10

An interesting mix of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Team America: World Police that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. This film doesn't pretend to be anything other than a raunchy comedy and doesn't hold back on the gross-out humor. Performances were a bit on the splotchy side and it's easy to tell the scenes where Melissa McCarthy is improvising vs. her scripted scenes. The actual puppeteering is very well done (I would expect nothing less given the involvement of Jim Hensons's son). Overall, the gimmick and little moments are more than enough to make up for the movie's shortcomings, making it very enjoyable, though still not any sort of masterpiece.

Entertaining, funny, and incredibly immature- The Happytime Murders may feel a bit uneven- but most of the time, it still proves to be a fun f-ed up ride. The puppeteering is great, with some amazing designs, and an impressive amount of situations they put these puppets into. Even with the help of green screen special effects, the film never feels off in those moments, and is quite a talent to feat for puppet work in films and entertainment. The film is largely entertaining, providing a decently fun ride, accompanied by a surprising amount of jokes that actually land- and almost every time as well. That being said, the film does feel a bit rushed in its delivery, making things seem a bit hectic and forced to actually tie together in one film. The film can also feel a bit uneven at times, and doesn't necessarily hit the film hard, but feels a lot more weary than it could be. The story is, needless to say, a bit all over the place and somewhat ridiculous, but if you don't take it too seriously, it can be rather easy to enjoy. In the end, The Happytime Murders is far from a homerun, but it is a surprisingly decent time- with enough jokes and humor to land- not to mention it's pretty entertaining- that make it sure enough of a fun journey to sit through. My Rating: 7.5/10

It's an R rated puppet noir slapstick with Jim Henson Company creators. What's not to love? You can't take this movie seriously. Just laugh a little. People who are comparing this to the Muppets need to get a life. Muppets aren't the only characters Jim Henson Company created over the last 50 years and there's millions of other felt puppets in the world. Yes; the puppets in this film act as intermediaries between our world and their fictional world... that's nothing new. And yes they are used as gag jokes sometimes. But they are controlled by world class puppeteers- isn't that what's fun about it?

If you enjoyed this; you should watch Peter Jackson's Meet the Feebles. If you didn't enjoy this, understand that life is better when you laugh, even if the jokes aren't up to your standard.

Originally saw in the theater last year, I don't know why I didn't review much sooner. Either way Melissa McCarthy is great fun and so is everyone else involved. Unfortunate Happytime Murders didn't do well it's quite enjoyable and cool concept for something that was originally a kids show!

You know those movies where all the funny parts are already in the trailer and when you go to see it, there are no other funny parts? This was that movie. Save your money, wait for it to show up on Netflix or something, make your own popcorn and watch it then.

I know that the movie was ripped appart by the critics, but I had some really hard laugh on many scenes. I think that many people take the movie too serious. It is a puppet movie that deals with criminal movie clicheés, what would that be? For me it was completely clear that I will face a softly anarchistic movie with anarchistic jokes and fun. So it was. I laughed my face of, when one of the puppets "got off". Sorry, but who can't laugh at that, goes to basement to let it out! It was surely no serious story and also had some lags, but all-in-all I was well entertained. I would give a recommendation to people who like to laugh at silly things and to a not too serious audience.

Going into this, my expectations were extremely low. I gotta hand it to The Happytime Murders, they somehow made a movie worse than I could've ever imagined. Two stars because at least it ended.

No idea what people were hoping for who left 1 star reviews but this is exactly what I expected- a funny, foul-mouthed, immature and very entertaining comedy

Is this movie going to win any awards? Absolutely not. Does it have a clever plot? Ummm not exactly. However, it is far more fun and funny than the reviews and ratings suggest. I actually found it to be one of my favorite Melissa McCarthy movies. I thought the idea for the movie was actually pretty funny. Muppets are not just for children. If you go in not expecting a groundbreaking movie, you just might enjoy yourself. At minimum, deserves a seven.

I actually don't hate "Cool World" as much now. That movie at least had a solid storyline and character motivation.

This.. this was just "Hey! Let's have puppets do filthy things and then inject agenda-driven social commentary randomly and about as subtly as a 2x4 up the rear... which is a puppet fantasy, more than likely! Har har har!"

It's as if drunk stoners addicted to porn watched "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and said, "Hey, we can do that!"

No, no you can't. This was terrible. Hollywood, just stop. You suck.

So my review on The Happytime Murders, Don't listen to critic scores on this one. The movie is well crafted by Brian Henson and his team at Henson Alternative (HA!) with over 120 puppets and puppeteers making this film. Though the film has raunchy, vulgar, and foul mouth puppets deep down the movie is a noir film about a P.I. puppet and human detective tracking down a murderer in Los Angeles. I thought all the acting done by both puppeteers and humans were fantastic and kept me engaged with the story. Jokes were hit and miss but solid story. As a disclaimer: THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR CHILDREN!!!

In 90 minutes, I only laughed twice. Both jokes were in the previews, too, just a little funnier in the context of the full scene. Poorly done all around.

Let's be clear from the get-go. This is a comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and a bunch of Muppets with legs. It's directed by Jim Henson's son, Brian, who has spent many years producing and directing dad's sort of kiddie fare. All that wholesomeness apparently required suppression of adult humor tendencies which finally ruptured, resulting in this VERY RAUNCHY film that many will view as a breath of fresh air. Despite the pedigree and premise, this variation on Who Framed Roger Rabbit is closer to Andrew Dice Clay than to Sesame Street or any of the previous Muppet movies.

DON'T BRING THE KIDDIES!

Puppets live in L.A. along with humans, but only as second-class residents. A few bits slip in some racial satire with the overall broader comedy. The hero is a down-and-out private detective, salvaging a meager living after being booted from the police force for an unfortunate incident. He's a classic example of film noir dicks, complete with a dumpy office in a seedy area, and a devoted ditzy secretary (Maya Rudolph). When the puppets who starred in an old sitcom start getting bumped off, his efforts to solve the crimes first lead to reluctantly reuniting with his former partner (McCarthy) whose testimony caused his dismissal 20 years earlier. Before long, he becomes suspect Number One for the killing spree.

The dialog is clever, with scads of great throwaway lines - some of which I missed because of loud, frequent audience laughter. The mobility of the cloth-clad cast members allowed Henson to deliver some terrifically fresh and funny visuals, with slapstick and grossout gags that will make the unsuspecting blush. Or worse.

In my college days (eons ago), I bought a poster of all the Disney characters in a Hieronymus Bosch array of sexual and scatological extremes. It was hilarious. This movie delivers similar irreverence to generations who grew up with wholesome, kid-friendly Muppet antics and lessons, rarely tiptoeing beyond Miss Piggy's horniness for Kermit on the bawdiness scale.

This winds up being a treat for those who know what to expect, and particularly for McCarthy's fans. This is actually the best vehicle she's had for a while, which is good news for all comedy buffs. Even if Jim Henson might not approve of his son's choices here, those who enjoy South Park and the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming will feel right at home.

Again - DON'T BRING THE KIDDIES!

The Happytime Murders should have been the "stuff" of legends. Wacka wacka! But in all fairness, a lowdown and dirty puppet movie by the heir to the Henson throne is something that could have been hilarious, shocking and infectiously inventive. Sure, this concept is certainly not uncharted waters. Peter Jackson, during his early B-Movie years, made a nasty film called "Meet the Feebles" which was essentially The Muppet Movie dumped into a colostomy bag. In the early 2000's, Sesame Street got the midnight treatment on Broadway with Avenue Q, which explored such adult themes through the majesty of jolly PBS variety jingles. There is even, if you can believe it, a 1970's pornographic film called "Let My Puppets Come" where humans and puppets get it on. Don't ever search it out. Curiosity or otherwise, just don't do it. So what can The Happytime Murder's offer? Perhaps a raucous parody of Muppet lore, spanning from Kermit to Big Bird, and sending up the entire fascinating and even dark world of puppeteering? My kingdom for a film that smart. Unfortunately, Happytime is less like Roger Rabbit and more like Cool World.

This movie is brought to you by the letter L. A big L for lazy. Wit is seemingly replaced with endless genitalia humor, and not even the good variety. The murder-mystery of the film goes nowhere and nowhere fast either, as you're left stunned by the sluggish exposition of it's characters. Melissa McCarthy is cast in what is largely a thankless role that could have been played by anyone. Replace her with Seth Rogen and the film would have been no different. She shares only a share of screen time with a Ray Liotta-esque detective puppet named Phil Phillips, who from time to time cracked me a big smile as a gritty veteran cop juxtaposed with a cute and cuddly blue Muppet. There seems to be a world where humans and puppets co-exist, and suffer racial strife (ala Roger Rabit) which is hinted at in the beginning but never materializes into a real underlying message for the story. Perhaps it would have been too obvious and cliched, but don't start something you can't finish. I was sort of bothered by the fact that they all walked on two legs, like humans. Wouldn't it have been much funnier to have them seen from the waist up? Addressing the fact that a human is controlling them from below, never to break free? Historical allegories abound? I know, too smart. The stars of Happytime Gang gets whacked one by one, but the problem is, we never get to see the transition between lovable Puppet celebrities and the drug-infused, Hollywood style downward spiral that led to their demise. The possibilities for that? Well, it almost kills me to know how much could have been done there and wasn't. I loved looking at these puppets and the amount of heart that went into the designs of all of them. Little shreds of comedic genius kept me watching. There is an amazing film that is begging to climb out of here. But only half of it exists. It's time to face the music, time to turn off the lights, because the Happytime Murders never gets things started.

I'm not really a muppets fan. But this was hilarious. So sleazy and more. O my God. So funny well done

I am a 64-year-old marketing guy, married to a 5th grade school teacher. Because is was available on Movie Pass, we decided to "risk our morality" and see this movie. Neither of us could figure out what all of the negativity and silly "up in arms" whining is about! We both found the movie hilarious, and far more clever than many of the other reviews are portraying.

WARNING... IT's A MUPPET MOVIE!!! If you have seen any of the other Muppet/Henson films, you know what to expect. Loads of Muppets interacting with humans...and acting silly. In this case, the jokes were raunchier, and more adult. Big whoop! But, even the crudest bits were pale in comparison to loads of other big Hollywood comedies out these days. There wasn't a single scene that was as gross and off-putting as the "taking a dump in the manhole" scene in "Bridesmaids." The whole bit with the silly string? Hilarious...and silly.

See it. Especially if you can get a discount, or matinee price. No. Don't take kids. But, I am guessing there are tons of kids these days who wouldn't even blink at the humor. We have seen a ton of movies in the past few weeks...and we both agreed, compared to "The Spy Who Left Me" or "the Meg" this was gold.

Ok, it's not a blockbuster movie, but it's a refreshment if you just want to turn your mind off after a busy, hard day. Charming and cool and naughty too! Come on! Realism and puppets - it is only gonna be good! We need more of that!

I'm not even joking. Of about 25 people only 10 of us finished the movie. I was tempted to get up myself, something I've never done, but I stuck it out. I am someone who is easily entertained and will give any movie a shot, I didn't have high expectations for this but wow did it manage to be far worse than I originally thought it could be. I generously gave it 2 stars because I like the actors other work.

My expectations were low, but I didn't have to pay for my ticket, so I figured I'd go. Generally, I'm echoing most people's reactions. As far as production, it's impressive what they've done. There are so many detailed puppets in this, and that in itself is pretty impressive. I feel, also, that Brian Henson is a good director of this type of materiel. It's fine to see filmmakers pursue something "outside the box", so to speak. I just didn't find it particularly funny. It's... amusing, at most. I liked Maya Rudolph's character, she was very likable. I like seeing Joel McHale in theatrical films, as well. Once again, Melissa McCarthy didn't get on my nerves, which is good. When you see the music video at the end, and see how much work people had to do, to make this movie, you see that as a film, it's impressive. But as a comedy, it's really only mediocre.