The HappyTime Murders is a Hysterical R-rated Puppet Caper - Steve's Review

The HappyTime Murders is in theaters on August 24th, 2018.

I truly did not know what to expect going into The Happytime Murders. I was definitely intrigued at the prospect of an R-rated puppet movie, but i was mostly sold by the three leading human ladies of the cast, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, and Elizabeth Banks. The entire cast, both human and puppet, delivered on a wildly funny and surprisingly topical movie.

The Happytime Murders follows puppet Phil Philips (voiced by Bill Barrett’s), a disgraced former detective turned private eye and his old partner, current human detective, Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy) as they try to track down a killer who is killing off the cast of a popular 80’s children’s show.

This “who-done-it” tale was perfectly set in a world where both humans and puppets co-exist, though not always peacefully. That plot point alone helped to set the stage for a whacky and quirky comedy while still keeping me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who the killer was.

McCarthy’s signature brand of humor was in full force, delivering some of the best laughs of the film. Phil Philips’ human secretary, Bubbles (Maya Rudolph), was no slouch either, and some of my favorite scenes were of McCarthy and Rudolph together.

Inbetween the laughs and jokes, the movie was able to draw poignant parallels between the animosity that humans and puppets have for each other and that of the prominence in today’s world of racial inequality and injustice. It was impressive to see how the film was able to straddle keeping the audience laughing, guessing, and thinking critically without faltering or skimping on any of the other aspects of the film.

Rating: 4.7 out of 5

Steve (Contributor) is a Philadelphia resident, originally from South Jersey. When he isn't on the hunt for chicken nuggets, he can be found watching a horror movie, binge watching a new tv show he found, or dissecting the latest conspiracy theory documentary.
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