Murder Mystery 2 ★★

Jeremy Garelick

Starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith

Four years after the first, surprisingly fun and entertaining first instalment, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler return as the unlikely detectives Audrey and Nick.

This time, they have started their own detective agency which isn't as successful as they'd first hoped. Aiming to get back on tracks with some high-flying clients, Nick and Audrey attend the wedding of The Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar) to rub shoulders with the elite. Lo and behold, things quickly go awry as The Maharaja gets kidnapped and an investigation is placed in the hands of our fledgeling detectives.

Things progress as lightly humorous as they did in the original, with Aniston and Sandler proving a great duo and a reliable pair for an every-day comedy. There are some fun set pieces, relying on classic comedy gags and situations to get giggles. It works well at times but does not feel half-hearted and tired as we get into the second half where the light plot lead to a loss of interest before anything was solved.

Easy-watching, well meaning, background comedy that misses more than it hits. A second instalment wasn't necessary but it will give you something amusing to watch on a Friday night.

Murder Mystery 2 available now on Netflix