Murder Mystery 2 falls largely flat as a whodunnit thriller, but is made somewhat watchable by the comfortable chemistry of its leads.

The Netflix film is a sequel to the lazily-titled but enjoyable enough Murder Mystery (2019), reuniting the star pairing of Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

Aside from the gulf in their physical appearances, they are believable as a bumbling but competent husband and wife duo who now run a detective agency following their surprise sleuthing success in Murder Mystery.

Nick Spitz (take a guess at what rhyme is used for multiple canned laugh lines) is an ex-detective with poor aim, while ex-hairdresser Audrey provides the brains of the operation.

Their capers add another entry into the revitalised whodunnit genre which is experiencing a mini-moment after the success of the Knives Out universe, among See How They Run, Bodies Bodies Bodies and others.

The problem here is that the titular mystery is never really that interesting, with laughable stakes and action to boot.

Some moments are genuinely funny, particularly Sandler trying to dance at an Indian wedding, but the success of a whodunnit rests primarily on the believability of its premise around which humour can be found.

Unfortunately, the biggest mystery of the movie is how acclaimed French actress Mélanie Laurent was convinced to participate.

Spoilers to follow

The film opens on the Spitz’s, whose detective agency has not had quite the same impact that they had hoped.

Luckily, a wedding invitation from billionaire Maharajah Vikram Govindan, a friend of the couple from the first film, allows for an all-expenses destressing holiday.

But alas! The Maharajah’s bodyguard is murdered during the wedding proceedings and he is kidnapped, throwing the Spitz’s right back into the world of high intrigue.

Everyone is a suspect, including the detective duo of course, and the group of largely lifeless supporting characters trace the scent to Paris.

This is where the majority of the movie’s action takes place, pulling the duo through a death-defying series of setpieces from which they somehow emerge unscathed.

You will likely already understand the low-brow tone of many of Adam Sandler’s movies and if you like them, you will probably like Murder Mystery 2.

As a casual fan of whodunnits however, best leave the mystery unsolved and look elsewhere in your Netflix queue.

Rated PG-13 for Violence and Language.
2/5.

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