Holmes & Watson

Whenever a movie doesn't work, it's usually due to the execution rather than the premise. HOLMES & WATSON is an exception. It tries to spoof a character whose stories already have a fair amount of humor. Witty humor, actually. Replacing that with lowbrow gags feels like a step down. Also, the famous detective is now portrayed as an idiot... except he's also portrayed as the genius he's always been. You can't have it both ways, because it makes no sense! Choose one or the other! Oliver Wood's cinematography falls flat. Erik Jessen and Dean Zimmerman's editing is amateur. Lauren Lapkus' performance is very bad. Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly can't elevate the material (I don't think anyone could have), but I never thought they were not convincing. Not to mention that, unlike the other times they've worked together, they're not told to play childish adults who yell constantly; they're told to play know-it-all English men during the Victorian Era who scream only once or twice. Wait a minute. These 2 American actors are playing British characters while British actress Rebecca Hall plays one of the very few American characters. And there's a certain cameo by an actor known for playing a character that's very similar to Sherlock Holmes. Is this some sort of comedic casting, or am I giving the movie too much credit? Well, almost every other actor plays a character of the same nationality. Interpret that as you please. Even when a comedy isn't meant to be taken seriously, viewers are still expected to be invested on some level. At least enough to want to pay attention. This movie can't even achieve that. Each scene passes by leaving no impact of any kind. I can't even get angry at the near total absence of laughs. That would mean that the humor is offensive or that the construction of the jokes is memorably incompetent. No, they don't land and that's that. They're not even original. Remember that FAMILY GUY episode where Gandhi said "Bitch?" Or that DRAGON BALL G.T. episode where Goku absorbed his tears through his eyes?

1/10
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