The Henson Company has been talking about the Happytime Murders for at least the last five years, and we are finally getting the first trailer for the hardboiled detective story that takes place in a world where humans and puppets co-exist. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Joel McHale, Maya Rudolph, and Elizabeth Banks and it is directed by frequent Muppet director, and son of Jim Henson, Brian Henson.
The trailer was appropriately released in front of Deadpool, and it is definitely aimed at the same audience. Unfortunately, the jokes that work in Deadpool may not translate as well to this format. As a lifelong fan of the Muppets and the Henson Company, I’m holding out hope that this movie turns into something great, but right now it just looks like they watched Peter Jackson’s Meet the Feebles and tried to outdo it.
“No Sesame. All Street. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS is a filthy comedy set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human (Melissa McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.”