The stars of “Step Brothers” are reunited – this time playing the world’s greatest detective and his loyal sidekick & biographer – as Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star as “Holmes & Watson.” Together they join forces to solve a murder at Buckingham Palace. They soon realize that they only have 5,760 minutes to solve the case, or the Queen will be next.
I recently had the pleasure of discovering the biographical comedy-drama “Stan & Ollie,” starring John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy and Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel. It was, without a doubt, my personal favorite movie of 2018 and I am just pissed that the studio behind it, Sony Pictures Classics, did not push for Oscar consideration as it was deserving of so many, especially for its two lead stars. My respect for John C. Reilly went through the roof with his portrayal of the overweight actor and comedian and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the comedy duo who starred in over 107 movies together from 1927 to 1955. Imagine my horror when I sat down to watch “Holmes & Watson,” starring Reilly and Will Ferrell which IMDb calls “a humorous take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.”
Immediately after viewing it, I wanted so badly to take my respect for Reilly back but then remembered that over the years, many good actors have taken a few missteps throughout their illustrious careers. After all, who could forget the great Robert De Niro’s astonishing performance in “The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle”? Or the legendary Al Pacino’s turn in the delightful comedy “Jack and Jill”? Or even the brilliant Michael Caine in what is considered the best entry in the series with “Jaws: The Revenge”? My point is, even screen legends deserve a little slack and because of “Stan & Ollie,” I am willing to give Reilly another shot at redemption for the abomination that is “Holmes & Watson.”
The movie takes place in 1881 and Sherlock Holmes (Will Ferrell) and his trusty sidekick, John Watson (John C. Reilly), have been informed by Buckingham Palace that the queen has been targeted for assassination and if the sleuthing duo cannot find the killer in time, the queen will meet her demise. That is basically the plot in a nutshell and while Sony probably hoped people wouldn’t mind forfeiting an actual storyline in favor of a Ferrell and Reilly reunion, it is exactly that reason why the movie bombed.
“Holmes & Watson” never received a press screening and typically when a studio foregoes press screenings for any of their pictures, it is never a good sign. Sony must have realized early on that they had a stinker on their hands because it was reported that once the film was released to the general public, moviegoers walked out in droves with many demanding their money back. The main issue with “Holmes & Watson” is that it just isn’t funny. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly proved with their earlier collaborations, “Step Brothers” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” that they have undeniable onscreen chemistry but with “Holmes & Watson,” while the duo are completely at ease with each other throughout, the script and tepid direction is what brings the film to a screeching halt. Even the presence of such great actors like Ralph Fiennes, Kelly Macdonald, Rebecca Hall, Steve Coogan, and Rob Brydon can’t elevate this atrocity above a cesspool fill line.
The movie tries desperately to be “Airplane” or “The Naked Gun” for a new generation but the jokes and gags fall flat, with most inducing groans of mortification and flat-out embarrassment. Some have even stated that it is the worst film ever made, taking the top spot from the 1987 Warren Beatty/Dustin Hoffman debacle, “Ishtar.” And while that is up for debate, I sincerely hope John C. Reilly chooses his future projects more carefully because as it stands right now, he has the distinction of being in the best movie of 2018 (“Stan & Ollie”) and the worst (“Holmes & Watson”). Quite an achievement but not one I think many actors would envy.
Available on Digital HD March 26th and on Blu-ray & DVD April 9th
