REVIEW: Handsome: A Netflix Mystery Movie

I am having a difficult time formulating my thoughts around Handsome: A Netlflix Mystery Movie.  It is created as a comedic parody, and runs like a murder mystery.  It is about Gene Handsome, a detective who lives alone with his dog.  Handsome is good at what he does, near retirement, and instructs up and coming detectives about how to do the job.  When a murder occurs, we get to see Handsome put his skills to the test as he sorts through the clues to find out who did it.

It is not like a modern day mystery film, as it reveals its murderer to the audience in a wall-breaking scene at the beginning.  So, what are we left with as the audience?  There is no mystery for us to solve, and we are left with needing to be entertained by the good detective to keep our own interest in play.

The movie runs more like an older television murder mystery show than it does a proper movie.  I haven't watched a lot of those older television shows, so perhaps this movie went right over my head. It could be that this is a deliciously entertaining movie that hits all of the beats and plays with them in a fun way.  I wouldn't know, though.  So, as it is, I must look at it for what it brought to the table for me.

The comedy, and there is plenty of it, carries most of the weight of the movie.  Having said that, this is not as clever in wit as I would have expected from Jeff Garlin, who I have loved since I first saw him in Curb Your Enthusiasm.  The man can deliver the goods, but there is just not a lot to deliver in this movie.  Garlin co-wrote the script with Andrea Seigel, and he directs it as well.  The jokes of the movie can go from broad to lazy, but they never fall into the realm of complete stupidity that you would get from a lot of modern comedies.  This makes it bearable, and there are times that I laughed, although those times were few and far between.

So, if the comedy isn't that outstanding, where does that leave the detective plot?  As I mentioned, the murderer is revealed right away, so there is a great deal of strength that is needed from the policing and investigating side of things to make this story work.  The murder victim is the baby-sitter for a new neighbour of Handsome's, so this one has him working close to home.  There is a nice element about this, because it brings him into contact with his neighbour Nora (Christine Woods).  The two share some moments together where we get to see the unguarded side of Gene Handsome.  Not that he is a particularly guarded individual, but it is a look into his life and where he ended up.

This is key to the success of Handsome: A Netflix Murder Mystery.  We need to identify with the main character, or else it all goes down the toilet.  With the fun of solving the mystery out of the audience's hands, there needs to be something for us to hold onto, and unfortunately the laughs are not enough.  We need to be glued to the protagonist in this one.  They try hard for that, and it is met with some success.  Unfortunately, there is just not enough here to completely grab on to.  The character is likeable enough, and there is some depth to him, but it wasn't the kind of character that really stands out.

It really is a shame, because Garlin is incredibly talented and there are moments in the movie where it shows he is really skilled as a director.  It is just not a complete package, though.  It is far too inconsistent in its delivery.  If you are up for a murder mystery that takes all of the fun out of it, this one may be for you.  For me, I will reserve my full judgement until I see another offering from Garland, believing in the meanwhile that he is capable of more than this.

In a World...

I am sure that pretty much everybody has seen a sports underdog movie at one point or another.  There are some great ones out there, there are some awful ones out there, and representatives from both qualities have a unifying factor in that there is usually a very similar format in play, and that there is some predictability that can happen.  While the movies can cover different sports and focus on different themes, most all will take the audience through the tried and true paces that properly build the emotional response when the underdog gets their shot (sometimes successful, sometimes not) at glory.  Of course, any movie genre that relies so heavily on formula is easy target for parody.

Actress Lake Bell makes her feature film directorial and writing debut, as well as playing the lead, in the movie, In a World… which is a film that lovingly parodies the format of the sports underdog stories, but instead places it in the dog-eat-dog world of movie trailer voiceovers.  Some people may instantly roll their eyes at that premise, as it would be easy to dismiss as lampoonery, but Bell brings a lot of heart, warmth, and fun to this movie, and instead of frolicking into the realm of the absolute ridiculous, it plays it fairly straight… for the most part.

One of the large strengths of this movie was the writing, which makes me extremely excited for what Bell is able to come up with next.  The humour is well inserted into the script, and the supporting cast is magnificent in their delivery.  While we don’t get to know all of the supporting characters past a few scenes, Bell made attempts to give them all quirks and personalities that brighten up the film.  Though it is fun parody with good comedy, there are some elements of seriousness inserted into the film, which keep it from being too light and breezy.  The characters in play all have their own motivations, dysfunctions, and issues that they are trying to work through, which takes this screw-ball idea and plants it in a group of people who you can identify with and root for.  There is also a strong element of female empowerment, a subject that is lacking from many movies, and can be handled poorly when attempted (Sucker Punch is the best example of that)

One of the great dynamics of the film is between Carol (Bell) and her father, Sam (Fred Melamed), who is a legend in the voiceover world and believes that it is a boys club and that women in the industry should stick with jobs such as vocal coaching.  Instead of focusing on helping his own daughter in her career, he assists the hot up-and-comer in the field, the rich and arrogant Gustav (Ken Marino), who has a similarly chauvinistic view of women in the workplace.  As the film rolls along, we see the difference between Sam and Carol in what is important in their lives, who they choose to spend their time with, and who they spend their energy assisting.  This aspect of the story helps to elevate the film from typical comedy to properly delivering the story of the empowered female.

It would be wrong of me to talk about the supporting cast, and not bring up the fact that this film has the always innocently delivered comedic stylings of Demetri Martin, who plays a sound tech who works with Bell.  Michaela Watkins plays Carol’s sister, Dani, who has her own issues to deal with, outside those with her dad, in her marriage to Moe (Rob Coddry).  There are also appearances from Eva Longoria, Jeff Garlin, Geena Davis, and Nicker Offerman.

What really leaves this film feeling special is the boldness and joy that Bell takes in taking an oddball concept, playing with quirky characters, but also not hiding from real-life issues that keep the characters from becoming too cartoony.  It is a fine line to balance between serious and funny, one that many movies fall short one, and Bell is able to do extremely well, erring on the side of comedy over darkness.  This is what really highlights Bell’s talents and abilities, because she shows such a natural ability to tell a multi-dimensional tale, yet, as a viewer, I truly got a sense that I was also seeing a representation of her individual personality at the same time.

I have seen so many serious, emotional, and tear jerking movies in the last little while, and it was so nice to feel refreshed by being treated to a comedy that was both funny as well as being a great movie.  It is an extremely charming film that works to balance the comedic aspect of the film with an element of serious reality, but Bell knows well enough to keep from allowing things to become too deep or too dark.  This is, after all, a film about the illustrious world of voice over talent.