Adam Sandler's Netflix sequel Murder Mystery 2 has to fix a major career disappointment for the actor to date. Written by James Vanderbilt and directed by Workaholics' Kyle Newacheck, Murder Mystery proved a smash hit for Netflix upon release in 2019, with the streaming giant reporting no fewer than 83 million American households viewing the film. Yet despite Murder Mystery's impressive domestic reach, the movie was largely panned by critics, with its star pairing of Sandler and Jennifer Aniston failing to gel alongside a mediocre script.
However, the streaming success garnered by Murder Mystery was more than enough to convince Netflix to take a second bite of the cherry in 2021. Filming for Murder Mystery 2 is currently underway in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is slated to run from January 10th, 2022, to February 5th, 2022, before transferring to its Paris unit for an undisclosed period of time. While the majority of Murder Mystery 2's cast and plot details remain tightly under wraps, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are both confirmed to be reprising their roles as Audrey and Nick Spitz, respectively, who once again become embroiled in another classic "whodunnit" narrative.
Sandler and Aniston's third outing as a leading pair in Murder Mystery 2 represents a fantastic chance for Sandler to fix one of his greatest career disappointments to date. Both Murder Mystery and Just Go With It fell far short of expectations from the duo, whose chemistry has presented as decidedly flat despite their obvious comedic talents. Films like 50 First Dates act as evidence that Sandler can be a fantastic half of a double act with the right partner, while Friends star Jennifer Aniston has demonstrated her comedic chops numerous times over, meaning the pair should aspire to deliver a much higher standard of chemistry than what they have demonstrated on-screen so far.
It seems ludicrous that Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler have not become an instant-classic comedy duo, given the caliber of the pair's bodies of work. SNL alumni Sandler's films are near-instant box office gold, with gems such as The Waterboy, Happy Gilmore, and Click conspiring to ensure Sandler's movies have earned more than $2 billion to date. Aniston's acting credits also require little introduction, with the Friends actress following up her iconic role as Rachel Green with appearances in highly successful comedies such as Horrible Bosses and We're The Millers, in which Aniston's performances were singled out for critical recognition.
These examples confirm that both Aniston and Sandler can flourish within the bounds of the right comedy script, which is something Murder Mystery 2 simply must deliver on. The first Murder Mystery attempted to paint the Spitz couple as jaded, understated lovers, which contrasts poorly with the rest of the film's zany cast and events. The aforementioned example of Sandler alongside Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates shows he excels in romantic comedies that make the most of their respective larger-than-life characters, meaning Murder Mystery 2 needs to make Nick and Audrey's character mannerisms far more overt. Murder Mystery 2 has all the tools in place to top its predecessor provided it learns from its mistakes, but above all, the Netflix original must fix Adam Sandler's most major career disappointments alongside Jennifer Aniston to date.