If you’re looking for a raunchy R-rated comedy that also features the masterful puppeteering of the Jim Henson Company, Netflix has you covered next month. The Happytime Murders, the 2018 box-office bomb that combined sex, violence, and puppets, will be available to watch on the streaming service starting December 1. The Happytime Murders was in development for years; it was first announced by Brian Henson, who would write and direct it, in 2008. It was the first (and so far only) film released under the Henson Alternative banner, which was meant to produce edgier puppet-based fiction.
The film is set in a world where humans co-exist with puppets, who are considered second-class citizens. In addition to its human cast, it also features a number of notable Muppet performers, including Bill Barretta (Pepe the King Prawn), Kevin Clash (Elmo), and Victor Yerrid (Waldorf). The film was poorly reviewed with a 23% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and made $27.5 million on a $40-47 million budget. In his contemporary review, Collider’s Dave Trumbore criticized its weak script but was kinder to the film than most, praising its puppetry and human cast.
What Is ‘The Happytime Murders’ About?
The Happytime Murders centers around disgraced puppet ex-cop Phil Phillips; now a private detective, he gets entangled in a sinister mystery in which the cast of the beloved sitcom The Happytime Gang is being killed off. Unfortunately, that soon includes Phil’s ex-girlfriend, (Elizabeth Banks). To get to the bottom of the case, he’s going to need the help of his ex-partner (Melissa McCarthy) — he was kicked off the force when he accidentally shot and killed a puppet while trying to save her from a criminal, which also resulted in puppets being banned from the police department. Once they’re reunited, they delve into the seamy puppet underworld of prostitutes and drug dealers to find the true conspiracy behind the murders. The human cast also includes Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, Michael McDonald, and Jimmy O. Yang.
The Happytime Murders wasn’t the first movie to pair R-rated comedy with Muppet-like puppets. Let My Puppets Come was a 1976 fusion of puppetry, comedy, and softcore pornography. Better known is Peter Jackson‘s Meet the Feebles, which was even referenced in the recent Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem. Perhaps most successful, however, was the musical Avenue Q, which lasted six years on Broadway and a decade off-Broadway.
The Happytime Murders will stream on Netflix starting December 1, 2024. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
- Release Date
- August 22, 2018
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Writers
- Todd Berger , Dee Austin Robertson
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