This is Sesame Street: Too Hot to Handle written by the cast of Porkies, in the dark, using typewriters, wearing boxing gloves, and directed by Ben Dover
FILTH and smut are absolutely fine in Jamie Land, in fact they are more than welcome – but The Happytime Murders woefully misses the mark.
It’s the equivalent of a sniggering teenager laughing at some boobs and drawing a penis on a steamed window.
This Brian Henson-directed movie takes us to a version of Los Angeles where puppets and humans live side by side in perfect disharmony.
Puppets are treated like second-class citizens and there is a whole racism subtext being shoved down our throats like corn in a goose.
Puppet Phil Philips (voiced by Bill Barretta) is a cantankerous private investigator looking into a bunch of murders involving the stars of The Happytime Gang, a kind of Sesame Street kids show, with old police partner Connie (Melissa McCarthy), a human.
This is a fast-paced film with the intention of having a gag in every scene – but the script couldn’t hit a cow on the a** with a banjo.
There is a spoof of Basic Instinct (guess which bit) that is just so misjudged and poorly delivered that it makes you embarrassed for every single person involved.
I’m no Oscar the Grouch when it comes to smut, but this is Sesame Street: Too Hot to Handle written by the cast of Porkies, in the dark, using typewriters, wearing boxing gloves, and directed by Ben Dover. The main guy, Phil Phillips, is just . . . boring.
Many should shoulder the terrible burden for this poor effort, in particular Brian Henson, son of Muppet marvels Jim and Jane, for sullying his family legacy and Melissa McCarthy for listening to either her agent or wallet too closely.
Only Maya Rudolph escapes with sympathy rather than scorn.
Brian and Co may be pulling a few strings, but they certainly aren’t pulling up any trees.
