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The Happytime Murders

Play trailer 2:07 Poster for The Happytime Murders R 2018 1h 31m Comedy Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
23% Tomatometer 244 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Detective Phil Philips is a down-on-his-luck puppet who used to work for the Los Angeles Police Department. When two puppets from an old TV show wind up dead, Phil suspects something is afoot and rejoins the LAPD as a consultant. Reunited with Connie Edwards, his former human partner, the bickering duo soon find themselves in a race against time to protect other former cast members before the killer strikes again.
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The Happytime Murders

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Critics Consensus

The Happytime Murders wastes its intriguingly transgressive premise on a witless comedy that blindly pushes buttons instead of attempting to tell an entertaining story.

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Critics Reviews

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Ben Sachs Chicago Reader 03/04/2020
The film is basically a string of variations on the not-that-funny joke of cute puppets saying and doing naughty things. Go to Full Review
Scott Marks San Diego Reader 08/31/2018
2/5
The connoisseur of filth within me is pleased to report how wonderfully nasty much of the felted proceedings here are to behold. Go to Full Review
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh The Times (UK) 08/30/2018
2/5
With multiple scenes of drug-snorting and depraved puppet sex, including an admittedly hilariously drawn-out ejaculation scene...it's worth emphasising that this is definitely not one for the kiddies. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 03/11/2022
1.5/4
The material's limitations are reached within the first half-hour. Go to Full Review
Nicolás Delgadillo Discussing Film 06/25/2021
2. 5 / 5
It leaves you with nothing to think about, and too many of the jokes fall short, with the genuinely funny ones being few and far between. Go to Full Review
Richard Crouse Richard Crouse 03/04/2021
1/5
You know when someone constantly swears just for the sake of swearing? That's shock value. The Happytime Murders is all shock, very little value. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Ted G 08/22/2021 A totally twisted but absolutely hilarious movie! See more Maria Q @MariaQe 6d The Happytime Murders is what happens when the Muppets get fired from children’s television and immediately take a hard left into a filthy detective movie. It’s raunchy, ridiculous, gloriously inappropriate, and powered by the kind of jokes that make you wonder who approved the script, and then thank them for their service. Melissa McCarthy brings the chaos, the puppets bring the depravity, and the whole movie operates like a children’s show after several bad nights in Vegas. The Happytime Murders doesn’t pull any punches; it pulls strings, breaks laws, and leaves the crime scene covered in felt. See more TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch Aug 22 The Happytime Murders left me asking one question: what the heck did I just watch? The concept of putting puppets into the real world could have been incredibly creative, especially with a detective story at the center, but instead the movie relies heavily on vulgarity, awkward sexual humor, and shock value. The puppet sex scenes and ridiculous visual gags are definitely memorable, but not necessarily in a good way. The movie seems determined to be as inappropriate as possible, believing that being outrageous automatically makes something funny. Unfortunately, the humor rarely landed for me. Melissa McCarthy is also in the middle of the chaos, but even she struggles to elevate the material. There is so much back-and-forth throughout the story that the entire movie eventually feels disconnected from what could have been an entertaining mystery. The puppet concept itself is actually the most interesting part. But puppet sexual activity is ridiculous See more Drew F @Drewfrost20 Aug 12 Fun easy to love comedy. Absolute must watch for a Funtime. See more Ross C @calros20 Jul 21 I liked it. It wasn't some particularly deep character study, or have amazing unique complex plotlines, but it was great fun and had some interesting worldbuilding. See more David L @davidonfilm May 23 Basically imagine Sesame Street but if Big Bird was a stripper, Oscar the Grouch was a drug dealer and Ernie masturbated on camera a lot. See more Read all reviews
The Happytime Murders

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Movie Info

Synopsis Detective Phil Philips is a down-on-his-luck puppet who used to work for the Los Angeles Police Department. When two puppets from an old TV show wind up dead, Phil suspects something is afoot and rejoins the LAPD as a consultant. Reunited with Connie Edwards, his former human partner, the bickering duo soon find themselves in a race against time to protect other former cast members before the killer strikes again.
Director
Brian Henson
Producer
Brian Henson, Jeffrey Hayes, Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone
Screenwriter
Todd Berger
Distributor
STX Films
Production Co
On the Day, Henson Alternative
Rating
R (Some Drug Material|Language Throughout|Strong Crude & Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 24, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 20, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$20.7M
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
SDDS, DTS, Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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