It would seem that the bad word of mouth that The Happytime Murders has been getting spread pretty far because I was literally the only person in the theater when this movie was screened.
The reason for this bad word of mouth was made pretty clear when the film started.
Directed by Brian Henson, The Happytime Murders is set in a world where humans and puppets coexist in vulgarity… and there is certainly a lot of vulgarity in this movie.
Puppets doing vulgar things was pretty much the selling point for The Happytime Murders but it is also its downfall because they take it way too far.
The majority of the jokes are just shock value for what disgusting things these puppets will do next but, while they are funny the first few times they happen, they get old very quickly.
This means the only jokes left in the film are just of characters awkwardly arguing, which never land.
Credit where it is due though, The Happy Time Murders does have superb puppet work.
Along with this, the mystery of the film is intriguing and there is actual good character development from the lead puppet, private detective Phil Phillips, voiced by Bill Barretta.
However, the jokes and certain plot points in this story almost ruin all of that.
The story does not hold up under scrutiny because there are numerous plot holes and subplots are dropped at the tip of a hat.
Melissa McCarthy’s character, Detective Connie Edwards, has a minor subplot about drug addiction that is quickly forgotten about.
This is a shame because I can see that with the intriguing mystery and actual good development for Phil, a puppet of all things, there was potential for The Happytime Murders to be a good movie.
However, the tiresome shock value jokes and inconsistencies in the story really drag the film down.
A happy time The Happytime Murders is not.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 