The Happytime Murders (2018)

When the puppet cast of a '90s children's TV show begin to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.

Director:

Brian Henson

Writers:

Todd Berger (screenplay by), Todd Berger (story by)

Stars:

Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melissa McCarthy	...	Detective Connie Edwards
Elizabeth Banks	...	Jenny
Maya Rudolph	...	Bubbles
Leslie David Baker	...	Lt. Banning
Joel McHale	...	Agent Campbell
Cynthy Wu	...	Brittenie Marlowe
Michael McDonald	...	Ronovan Scargle
Mitch Silpa	...	Tommy
Hemky Madera	...	Tito
Benjamin Cole Royer	...	Rick
Brekkan Spens	...	Dick
Ryan Tran	...	Phil
Fortune Feimster	...	Robin
Brian Palermo	...	Paramedic (as Brian Joseph Palermo)
Damon Jones	...	Police Station Guard John / Puppet Doctor

Storyline

A murder mystery set in a world where humans and puppets co-exist, but puppets are viewed as second-class citizens. When the puppet cast of an '90s children's TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a former cop, who has since become a private eye, takes on the case.

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Plot Keywords:

wisecrack humor | fictional drug | violence | f word | murder mystery | 

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Taglines:

No Sesame. All Street.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong crude and sexual content and language throughout, and some drug material

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook Instagram

Country:

USA China

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Happytime Murders

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,532,425, 26 August 2018, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$20,706,452, 27 September 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

STX Entertainment, Huayi Brothers Media, Black Bear Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Puppets featured in That Puppet Game Show (2013) play characters and extras in the movie. Eddie Watts is a waiter in the restaurant Phil and Larry Shenanigans are talking in, on the wall photo and in the background. Clyde Stravinsky as the crab in the garbage can at the beach. Jake Hamilton-Jones as the little girl's father who Phil accidentally shoots. Dr. Strabismus as the doctor at the puppet clinic who refuses to operate on Connie. One of the singing Hot Dogs appears during the end credits.

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Goofs

Two external shots of the ambulance are exactly the same, even though by the time we see it the second time, it should be passing by a completely different building instead of the same one.

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Quotes

Dominatrix Dalmatian: I'm gonna piss on you like a fire hydrant

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Connections

References Sesame Street (1969)

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Soundtracks

Sexy and I Know It
Written by Erin Beck, Skyler Gordy (as Skyler Austen Gordy), Stefan Gordy, GoonRock (as David Jamahl Listenbee), George Robertson (as George Matthew Robertson), and Kenneth Oliver (as Kenny Oliver)
Performed by LMFAO
Courtesy of Interscope Records
under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Puppet buddy cop movie

Reel Review: The Happytime Murders By Nelson Nantanapibul Directed by Brian Henson Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph, Leslie David Baker, Joel McHale, Bill Barretta, Dorien Davies. Take the premise of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and substitute toons with puppets and you have the plot of The Happytime Murders. Bill Barretta voices the main puppet protagonist Phil Phillips an ex LAPD detective who moonlights as a PI after an incident involving his partner gets him removed from the force. A lot of the best jokes in the film were showcased in the trailer but there are a few gems peppered throughout the film. There is a bit of a racial metaphor in this film where puppets are treated as second tier citizens who are the victims of various forms of discrimination but in no way does this film take that premise too seriously. This film is first and foremost a raunchy buddy cop movie plain and simple. This film could have used a bit more satire in its premise as opposed to just trying to take the cheap laughs that being said I am not against a cheap laugh. This film had some nice puppet work in it but as for the premise and plot of the film it did not break any new ground. I mentioned a similarity to Roger Rabbit but one difference is this film lacks the heart and wonderment of the former. This is a good film to check out with some buddies during a matinee and to have a few laughs with. Melissa Mccarthy and Maya Rudolph are really great and fun in this film. Elizabeth Banks has a fairly minor role in the film and quite frankly I am surprised she even thought it would be a good idea to take on this role but she does the best with what little she has to do in it. If you are a fan of raunchy R rated comedies then this is the film for you. If not then you may be turned off by the gratuitos nature of some of the jokes in this film. It's definitely not for everyone.