The Happytime Murders (2018) User Reviews (531)

Terrible, but funny.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 5 September 2018]

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

Not the abject failure critics would have you think it is.

[IonicBreezeMachine · 6/10 · 5 December 2020]

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.

Good giggle

[vdubclub · 6/10 · 24 November 2018]

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.

Perfectly enjoyable for what it is.

[iansquidish · 5/10 · 30 August 2018]

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.

Uneven, but oddly enjoyable and surprisingly pretty funny

[aidanratesmovies · 7/10 · 18 April 2020]

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

Disconnecting the Rainbow.

[aciessi · 4/10 · 25 August 2018]

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.

Fun for what it is!

[UniqueParticle · 7/10 · 28 September 2019]

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!

I was looking forward to this film now I do regret watching it.

[markthomassintek · 3/10 · 26 August 2018]

REVIEW - THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

What could happen if a movie studio in Hollywood had the idea to cross The Muppets with, let's say a buddy cop movie like Lethal Weapon? A strange combination in anyone's book but would the end product work?

The Happytime Murders are just such a combination and in a small way it is entertaining it's no Lethal Weapon, its no Muppets and even though it's brought to you by the letter P it's definitely no Sesame Street.

Personality this film was just not funny, very lewd toilet humour just for the shock value which didn't work, honestly the trailer shows the funniest parts of the entire film.

The shock value I feel was used to mask some very lazy writing and in fact 25 minutes into the film I knew who the murderer was!

I was looking forward to this film now I do regret watching it.

Rating 3 out of 10

Surprisingly gross, hilarious alternate universe for a new batch of mobile Muppets

[lotekguy-1 · 7/10 · 23 August 2018]

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!

Worse than you'd feared!

[eddie_baggins · 1/10 · 27 August 2018]

I'm fairly certain no one expected The Happytime Murders to be a good film, but I'm also fairly certain no one expected this puppets gone bad film to be this bad.

Stuck in development hell for a number of years, in which it had seen such stars as Cameron Diaz come and depart, Happytime see's legendary puppet/Muppet master Jim Henson's son Brian direct this adult's only comedy that fails to ignite in any single way thanks to a cringe-worthy script, fascination with low-common denominator jokes and another unfunny lead turn from the increasingly frustrating comedic antics of "star" Melissa McCarthy.

Directing his first feature film in many a moon (and quite possibly his last based on this effort), Henson can't bring the crass-filled good times as we follow disgraced former puppet cop turned private eye Bill Barretta investigating a series of murders connected to the cast members of one time hit television show The Happytime Gang that also forces the alcoholic P.I to re-team with his one-time partner Connie Edwards (McCarthy), who plays her role exactly how you'd expect her to, which means lots of yelling, loud-mouth behaviour with sprinkling's of generally unlikeable tendencies which help make Happytime more of a chore than an enjoyment to sit through.

Most frustratingly, it's not hard to see where Happytime could've become a poor man's Team America, the idea of a world filled with working-class puppets marginalised by us humans has potential, while the actual investigation into who is killing off the Happytime Gang could've been of interest but the whole film lacks heart, soul or energy, giving off the feeling that everyone involved here really couldn't have cared less about how the end product turned out.

99% of the jokes in the film fall flat and are delivered even flatter, while a continual focus of the comedy elements of the film being either around puppet sex or drugs doesn't exactly make for an appealing time out at the movies, with McCarthy's eye-rollingly bad turn a shoe-in for next year's Razzie Awards for worst female actress.

After breaking out as a feature film star in Bridesmaids in 2011, McCarthy's career as operated on a continuous downward trend and when you combine this appearance with her other recent outings in film's such as Life of the Party, Ghostbusters, The Boss and Tammy, it doesn't paint a pretty picture of an actress that has taken a particular persona and run it well and truly into the ground.

Final Say -

An overly dirty and unfunny so called "comedy", The Happytime Murders squanders its possible potential on a lame story that's poorly put together and poorly played out, making this a puppet picture that you should avoid at all costs, unless of course the idea of puppets getting their heads repeatedly blown off is your idea of a fun time out at the movies.

½ a Maple Syrup bottle out of 5

A silly puerile comedy.

[Burnsknight · 8/10 · 28 November 2018]

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

Had a Happy Time

[Breumaster · 7/10 · 17 February 2020]

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.

The "Crappy" time murders.

[Java_Joe · 2/10 · 30 August 2018]

I'm sure I'm not the first person to make that comment but this movie is just asking for it.

The idea behind this is pretty well done. It's a world where puppets and humans live together. There's a show called "Happytime" where the puppets perform and one by one they're being killed off. Cue the buddy cop movie and you're on your way.

Melissa McCarthy's role could have been played by anybody else and it would still have been terrible. Or maybe it could have been better. I don't know. All I know is she didn't add anything positive to this.

And the rest of it just feels more like a cross between "Meet the Feebles" and "Let My Puppets Come". The movie went seemingly out of it's way to portray the puppets as down and out drug and sex fiends. There was a brilliant movie in here trying to burst out but it was held back by gratuitous jokes and a desire to shock.

This simply isn't a good movie. But it could have been.

Presentation = Good; Comedy = Meh (Stick with The Muppets)

[MikeC19 · 3/10 · 26 August 2018]

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.

Who framed the Feebles: World Police.

[GiraffeDoor · 7/10 · 17 April 2020]

Enjoyable yarn (no pun intended; no seriously) that rehashes a classic movie formula (the film noir) and gives it a gimmicky twist. It could have been trashy and cheap but they really put the best people (and differently Fabricated Individuals) on the job so the whole thing is astonishingly convincing as the two worlds blend as majestically as Roger Rabbit while still maintaining its own identity as a show. It impressed me how you see a lot of long takes of puppets walking with legs in full show. It's handled so well that none of the magic is lost when they show some of the behind the scenes stuff.

You might feel the gag of taking trangressive material and just sort of puppetizing it would get old (puppets don't become crack heads, but sugar heads; even though it's shown they have a much higher tolerance for sweet things than humans). But I didn't.

The main character is the right balance of hard boiled and likable in spite of being an ex-cop. We have what I thought was a pretty poignant narrative of redemption, discrimination and the mending of shattered friendships even if it was a bit randomly incest-negative.

Predictable to a degree but the plot is still intriguing and engaging. The script plays around with racial tensions and the linguistic minefield they present rather cleverly. They respected the audience enough to not beat us over the head with the message that "racism is bad".

You could do so much worse if you just want a bit of fun.

Knocked the 'stuffing' out of me....

[FlashCallahan · 1/10 · 29 August 2018]

In the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist, two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.

Well I felt I right 'Muppet' for seeing this drivel.

It's Meet The Feebles with a Little Who Framed Roger Rabbit thrown in for bad measure.

If the thought of seeing Puppets swear, take drugs, and killing one another floats your boat, then this could be the perfect film for you

McCarthy must owe someone a big favour, because she looks embarrassed to be in this, and if she did any improvisation, it's on a par with the Harrison Ford narration in Bladerunner.

It's a soulless wannabe crime noir, with a nasty heart, and a scene that is disgustingly devoid of its intention.

Not a single laugh to be found here.

A few references may have made the film bearable from a trivia point of view, but I'd rather watch Mrs Browns Boys D'Movie on loop for eternity than to sit through this again.

Disgusting, offensive, and the racial undertones to the film are shameful

Ironic it has 'Happytime' in the title

One wasn't had

Avoid

If you have a taste for raunchy comedies, it will give you something entertaining to chew on

[kaptenvideo-89875 · 7/10 · 1 September 2018]

The Muppets are not that well-known where i live, so I have to quote Wikipedia just to get us a proper introduction.

They are an ensemble cast of puppet characters known for their self-aware, burlesque, and meta-referential style of variety-sketch comedy.

Created in 1955, they have fueled a long-running media franchise encompassing TV, music, films, other media, and even theme park attractions.

"The Happytime Murders" is the Muppets' newest cinema outing - and the first raunchy one. Dirty jokes come hard and fast, so be warned if you thought that this would make a nice family viewing or something. The first minutes are not that crazy but it turns very "inappropriate" soon.

Puppets are controlled by real people. One may not understand the inventiveness needed to make a live action movie including puppets - they have used green screens, several people controlling one character, and other film tricks to make it all happen.

But before witnessing the making-of clips during the end-credits, most of the audience is probably not gonna be able appreciate the artistry on display.

I, for one, thought naively that they use midgets to create motion capture of (some of) the puppet characters. But first and foremost, it makes sense to judge the movie by its content anyway - not by how it was made - and I rather liked what I saw.

Basically, it's a 1988's classic "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" pastiche, a film noir which uses the genre cliches for comedic effect. Or "Toy Story" pastiche where the original story has been replaced with one out of cop drama.

I rather enjoyed the result in any case. The reviewers at Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, on the other hand, seem to despise the movie... but I call it their loss.

As mentioned above, the result is very dirty - something one would not expect from a proper film noir, or classical American crime drama from 1940s and 1950s.

Also, the authors have decided to stay true to the Muppets' original variety-show approach which means relying much less on quality storytelling and more on satirical sketches about cops or social discrimination (in this case, puppets living among but being treated worse than regular people).

But somehow it all works. Even the trivial characters are captivating enough - at least in the context of the scene they appear in - and the general storyline about private eye and cop solving a series of murders is coherent enough to get one through 91 minutes of running-time.

I also really liked both the performances of puppets and real actors interacting with them.

Melissa McCarthy is one of the stars and offers her usual OK work - I've always considered her more of supporting player than actress able to carry the whole movie, but her growing list of starring roles proves that the producers see something in her that I don't.

Still, I would rather recommend the movie for seeing Maya Rudolph and Elizabeth Banks. These sexy and colorful minor characters are nice change for the usual generic roles that they get offered all the time.

Also, Muppet veteran Bill Barretta is phenomenally good at voicing the central hero, a disgraced detective turned private eye.

The delivery of every line is so enjoyably spot-on, straight outta any cop drama worth its salt, and the puppet seems expressive too.

Steven Seagal would probably be proud to see how much can be done with pretty much one facial expression but different body positioning. I hope he will see this movie.

So, if you have a taste for raunchy comedies, "The Happytime Murders" will give you something entertaining to chew on. At least the quality is higher than in most projects McCarthy has chosen to star in.

Unoriginal, unfunny and I had a sigh of relief when it ended.

[CriticalOfEverything · 1/10 · 29 August 2018]

This is the worst movie of 2018. Hands down, the worst. Also one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life. I didn't know it was possible in this day and age to make a movie worse than Howard The Duck, but to my utter dismay something worse than Howard The Duck was made, The Happytime Murders. I am so sick of people taking kids characters or things associated with kids and making them more ''adult'' and ''mature''. There is nothing mature about this! The Muppet Show still holds up really well to this day and is much better than this cinematic abomination, so why make it so adult to the point where it's just uncomfortable to watch? And Hollywood, for God's sake, stop casting Melissa McCarthy as a main character in your horrible films. She is one of the worst actors and comedians in the world and is only ever slightly humorous when she has a supporting role. She is not capable of being a main character, so just stop. We're tired of getting an incredibly awful Melissa McCarthy movie every single year. The only good movie Melissa McCarthy has been in, in the past 5 years, is Spy, so stop. The Happytime Murders is filled to the brim with low brow adult jokes that any 12 year old could come up with on the spot. The writing is god awful. If you wanted to make a funny Muppets movie that adults could enjoy then actually make a funny Muppets movie that adults can enjoy, because, fun fact, a lot of adults actually enjoy and love The Muppets, and to see something try to parody it in this way just feels like they were trying to bastardise the name of The Muppets. This movie is not funny whether or not you watch it ironically, it is painful to watch. Dumb and low brow humour, horrid script, bad characters, bad acting and the only thing I can say about this movie is that it isn't as bad as Food Fight. When your movie is that bad that the only thing that can be said about it is ''not as bad as Food Fight'' that is when you know you have screwed up. Screw this movie.

Very Funny

[stevendbeard · 7/10 · 27 August 2018]

I saw "The Happytime Murders", starring Melissa McCarthy-Life of the Party, Gilmore Girls_tv; Bill Barretta-The Muppets_tv, Kim Possible_tv; Elizabeth Banks-Power Rangers_2017, Slither and Maya Rudolph-Life of the Party, Bridesmaids. This is a comedy with puppets but do not take any kids to see it. It is an adult comedy-lots of language and sex scenes-that is directed by Brian Henson, the son of Jim Henson. It's as if Brian took over his father's legacy and decided to just go wild and make a funny 'R' rated movie. It takes place in a world where humans and puppets co-exist in, kind of like it was portrayed in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'. Melissa/human & Bill/puppet used to be partners on the police force until an accident causes Bill to find another job as a private investigator. Maya is Bill's secretary. When the cast of a children's tv show-comprised of puppets and one human, Elizabeth-start being killed off one by one, Bill and Melissa have to team up again to solve the case. I thought it was very funny. Be warned though. There is lots of language and sex, although it is puppets, it is pretty graphic. Look for Melissa's husband to make a cameo-he is one of Melissa's office co-workers. As the end credits start, there are some bloopers and outtakes shown. It's rated "R" for drug use, language and sexual content-including graphic sex scenes with puppets-and has a running time of 1 hour & 31 minutes. I laughed a lot and would buy this on Blu-Ray.

My Eyes Are Bleeding...

[Gresh854 · 1/10 · 26 August 2018]

It's funny, I was actually psyched to see this one. Not necessarily because I thought it was going to be a quote on quote "good" movie, or I thought it would be an enthralling muppets entry, but because I thought the film's premise would offer a really, amazing time at the theaters, especially with a crowd full of friends, who would be in unison, laughing and howling at the stupidity and absurdity of the movie. That...didn't happen. It more so played out in the fashion of us yawning, fatigued, squirming, mentally troubled, whispering over and over again "what in the heck", and maybe, possibly, cheering or applauding at the end-deservedly done because the film had finally ended. The Happytime Murders, put simply, is a disgrace to cinema. Interesting enough, this movie despite its hard R-Rating, feels like a middle-schooler wrote it. It plays out like a bland, average, cliché movie filled with a bunch of inhumourous sex, potty, and drug jokes-that I guiltily enough, found amusing during my pre-teen years. But trust me, that stuff only works in Deadpool, but this is no Deadpool, this a Slaughterhouse, Jim Henson's Worst Nightmare, Puppeteer Flick, and it made me want to-more literally than metaphysically-hurl. However, by far, this movie's biggest mistake, is its attempts to be both weighty (serious) and comedic at the same time, and it just doesn't flow, especially all that weighty stuff. All it's messages, morals, and themes are all so so corny-it's the most corny corny can corningly get (It's more corny than an Adam Sandler, family-friendly comedy). The screenplay is to be blamed for this; one of the worst screenplays of the year for sure. In fact, this whole movie is actually the worst movie this year has had to offer so far. I mean (gosh I'm just ranting at this point and I'm losing myself in these waves of words but...ahem...let's just continue and get focused) I at least expected to laugh hard maybe at least a couple of times, but this movie tries way to hard to be witty and on-the-nose peachy, but it just results feeling shoddily cringy and painful. Some scenes which are supposed to be "raunchy funny" are actually engraved into my head, in the most negative manner-it's essentially a curse. It sincerely made me question humanity and what we, as humans and filmmakers, have become. And don't give me that: "Oh, you just don't get it cause you don't get or appreciate dark humor." Dudes and Duddets, I am a literal sucker for dark humour, it's my all-time favorite genre of comedy. But let me tell you, there is a difference between clever dark humour, and dark humour that is just dark for the sake of being dark because it thinks a hint of edginess is going to get me to go down on my knees and laugh. Jeez, I need to watch The Godfather or even Happy Gilmore (sorry for the bonus Adam Sandler joke) or something thirty times more before I become a pure moviegoer again, cause this garbage makes me feel like I got some anti-cinematic virus lurking and squirming inside of me like a tapeworm. UGH. In spite of all the technicalities of the film-to quickly summarize-the editing, structuring, acting, dialogue, and (a little off topic but it's got to be said) the green-screen effects, are all mediocre to atrocious. The only reason I'm not giving this movie an "F" is because I enjoyed Bill Barretta's voice-work, and the puppeteering was off the chains, and I can honestly see and respect the hard-work and commitment that the puppeteers put into this movie. Besides that, if you fall under ALL of these categories: You hate your guts, you're broke as hell, you're divorced for being an abusive alcoholic, your kids hate you cause you were never there for them, you've got no family, you eat nothing but pop-tarts and Cheerios everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you're currently imprisoned for manslaughter, and you've got nothing else left to lose, then The Happytime Murders just might be the movie for you! Everybody else though is excluded from seeing this. (Verdict: D-)

Surprisingly enjoyable

[garabedian123 · 8/10 · 29 August 2018]

I saw that this movie had a lot of bad reviews before I went to go see it. So I had no expectations of any kind. And yet It was better than I thought. Despite Melissa Mccarthy, the movie is actually pretty funny. Melissa almost ruins the movie for me but It was still pretty enjoyable. Just a basic murder mystery here.. Nothing special.. More like an episode of Law and Order, and yet it charmed me.

The Happytime Murders

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 6 September 2018]

When I saw the trailer, I was instantly reminded of other adult puppet movies, like Peter Jackson's Meet the Feebles and Team America: World Police, but this one came from The Jim Henson Company, the most celebrated puppet studio of all, I was really looking forward to it, directed by Brian Henson (The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island). Basically in a world where puppets coexist with humans, Phil Phillips (Bill Barretta, best known as the Pepe the Prawn) is a puppet who lives in Los Angeles. He was the first puppet cop in the LAPD before being fired, he now works as a private detective with his human secretary Bubbles (Bridesmaids' Maya Rudolph). Phil is approached by puppet client Sandra (Dorien Davies), he is hired to find out who has been blackmailing her. He follows a lead to a puppet-owned porn shop, Phil goes into the backroom to check the records, while he is gone, an unknown attacker comes in and kills everyone present. It is revealed one of the customers, Bumblypants (Kevin Clash, best known as Elmo), is a cast member from popular 90s puppet sitcom "The Happytime Gang". The LAPD arrive at the crime scene, Phillips is reunited with his former partner, Detective Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy), they had a falling out. Twelve years ago, Edwards was being held at gunpoint by a puppet criminal, and Phil tried to shoot him, but he missed and hit an innocent puppet, killing him in front of his young daughter. The thug shot Edwards, but she killed him before he got away, the gunshot was nearly fatal Edwards, and she was given a puppet liver after being taken to a puppet clinic, the closest available medical treatment facility at the time. Edwards was left with an addiction to sugar, which is essentially like heroin to puppets; Edwards later testified against Phil, he was taken off the force, and a law was put in place to prevent puppets from becoming cops. Edwards believes the porn shop killings was a robbery gone wrong, but Phil notes that the assailant didn't take anything, it is now a murder investigation. That night, former Happytime cast member Larry Shenanigans (Victor Yerrid), also Bill's brother, is torn apart by a group of dogs let into the house by someone, Phil is enraged, at the request of Lieutenant Banning (Leslie David Baker) he reluctantly agrees to work with Edwards to find the killer. They believe the killers may be targeting members of The Happytime Gang, they also discover the show contract promises the large amount of royalty money to surviving members, they suspect someone may want to kill them off to get the money to themselves. Phil and Edwards track down former cast member Lyle (also Clash), who is now a drug lord dealing sugar, only for him to be killed in a drive-by shooting in front of Philips. The next day, Phil goes to see Jenny Peterson (Elizabeth Banks), the only human Happytime cast member, and his former girlfriend, she now works at a puppet strip club. Following their conversation, she gets into her car, she is seemingly killed when it explodes, the police arrive and see Phil leaving the scene, they now believe he is responsible for the murders. Phil hides out at Edwards' apartment, they discover that another Happytime cast member, now homeless sugar addict Goofer (Drew Massey), has been found dead, apparently overdosing and falling into the ocean. Phil and Edwards head out of town to find the two remaining Happytime Gang members, Ezra (Ted Michaels) and Cara (Colleen Smith), but when they arrive at their house, they find their bodies mangled inside. The killer escapes the crime scene, and the FBI shows up with other agents to arrest Phil and Edwards. Sandra is brought in for interrogation, she lies that Phil killed Jenny and the others, she claims he was trying to keep her to himself, and she reveals she was Jenny's wife. The FBI detains Philips, and after arguing with FBI Special Agent Campbell (Joel McHale), Edwards is suspended from duty. Bubbles finds Edwards in her apartment and asks for her help in proving Phil's innocence, Bubbles has Sandra's home address, they break into her place to find any information they can. They come across a hidden room with pictures and notes planning the deaths of the Happytime Gang, as well as a whole conspiracy against Phil. Edwards then notices a picture of Jasper Jakoby, the puppet man who Phil accidentally shot years ago, Edwards realises Sandra is Jasper's daughter, and she has been planning revenge against Phil for her father's death. Bubbles sees a tape recorder saying "Play Me", she presses the play button, which ignites a fire, destroying all the evidence against Sandra. Edwards goes to tell Phil what she's learned, and she breaks Phil out of jail to stop Sandra. Phil and Edwards make it to the airport, where Sandra is planning to depart with all the royalty money, as Jenny's spouse she is the sole surviving heir to the money. Phil tries to apologise for killing her father, saying it has haunted him all those years, but he asks why the Happytime Gang had to die because of it. Then it turns out that Jenny is still alive, having faked her death, and is in cahoots with Sandra, but Sandra instead knocks Jenny out to take the money for herself and get away. Edwards runs after Sandra before she gets on a private plane, but Sandra gets the drop on her first and holds her at gunpoint, putting Phil in the same position as twelve years ago, Phil takes his shot, but doesn't miss, hitting Sandra in the head and killing her. Banning arrives to congratulate Phil and Edwards on cracking the case, Edwards can return to active duty and the mayor will revoke the law against puppets being cops, Phil is welcome back on the force, Phil also asks Bubbles out to dinner, and she accepts. Also starring Michael McDonald as Ronovan Scargle, Jimmy O. Yang as Officer Delancey, Ryan Gaul as Officer Milligan and Brian Henson as Crab. McCarthy is a good choice as the sugar-addicted human detective, partnered with a great blue no-nonsense potty-mouthed fuzzball private investigator, performed perfectly by Barretta, and Rudolph is great as the puppet's optimistic, upbeat secretary. This film spoofs many conventions we have seen in family-friendly puppet movies, it works well as a crime-solving story, and there are plenty of naughty laughs along the way, with plenty of swearing, comic violence, and even sex and drugs, the highlight is the aggressive sex in the office scene, with spray cream going all over the walls, if you are looking for the alternative adult Muppet movie, this is it, a really funny and enjoyable black comedy. Good!

Another McCarthy Turdfest

[travism-44784 · 1/10 · 24 August 2018]

This hunk of crap makes Tammy look like a Oscar caliber film. Is this what Hollywood has reduced itself to? Avoid at all costs.

VIle and pornographic humour.

[nancyldraper · 2/10 · 28 August 2018]

Vile and pornographic humour. This comedy never rose above the level of the crotch. If you like that sort of funny, this movie is for you. I don't. At all. For me this was a 2 (terrible) movie. It will probably make a lot of money. Today I mourn the loss of Jim Henson and Frank Oz.{[Base Comedy}

Very Entertaing

[martimusross · 6/10 · 29 August 2018]

This was really good fun, and I laughed out loud throughout. It's a good story well realisedand well directed. I am not sure why the critics don't like everyone around me lived it.