Crimes em Happytime

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.

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.

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.

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

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.