After a decade in production hell, Brian (son of Jim) Henson’s R-rated puppet crime comedy The Happytime Murders finally made it to cinemas – and did not go down well with critics.
In his 2-star review, Flicks’ reviewer Daniel Rutledge stated: “There’s a lot of potential in this racy puppet caper that carries the Henson legacy on, but unfortunately too many of the jokes are lame.”
The less-forgiving IndieWire wrote: “If The Happytime Murders isn’t the worst movie of the summer, I tremble at the thought of whatever’s coming out next week.”
“Turn back now, before it’s too late,” warns The Guardian in its 1-star review. “Once seen, the never-ending stream of yarn semen cannot be unseen.”
Time Out New York’s review – also 1-star – adds: “Stuffed with lifeless gags, this cringeworthy puppet provocation is too pleased with its own naughtiness.”
The equally displeased Variety brings up a piercing observation: “Its most fatal miscalculation is the decision to frontload so many of its crassest setpieces into the first 15 or 20 minutes, depriving the rest of the film of the shock value…”
At least The Hollywood Reporter had a happy time… “It’s more than funny enough, packing lots of genuine, if frequently tasteless, laughs into its relatively brief running time.”
The Happytime Murders is now playing nationwide.
