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If one expects consistent laughs and even possibly tears swelling up and stomach clutching, don’t expect to get that from “Holmes & Watson”. The film stars two big actors, Will Ferrell as Sherlock Holmes and John C. Reilly as Dr. Watson.
The movie puts a twist on the classic tale of Sherlock Holmes and his best friend Watson. It focuses on Ferrell as one of the most well renowned detectives in England, his biggest case having to protect the Queen after a threat is made. He has to investigate alongside his friend, Reilly, who also plays a major role.
Although there were pitfalls, there was one part of the humor that was gut-wrenching at times. The film picked at the current political and social climate in this country. For example, there were several instances that talked about America’s history as a “jury of white property-owning men”. This type of humor, connecting back to the past as well as present day politically was definitely admirable, but it seemed to be one of the only positives about the film.
Using the well-known trope of Sher lock Holmes may already have been a tough feat in and of itself, given how modernized and globalized the character and story of Sherlock Holmes is. This may havemade it even more apparent that the lmshould be funny, grab at jokes or gimmicks whenever possible, but the film certainly lacked in that area.
In previous films, such as “Step Brothers”, “Talladega Nights”, and “Anchor- man”, the pair were more than laughable, their performances molded their own unique sense of comedy together to form hilariously made films.
“Step Brothers” is a film that has also taken over pop culture, and is very well known with young adult audiences, so those who have seen that film may have been or will be sorely disappointed to see “Holmes & Watson”.
Unlike in the other classics Ferrell and Reilly made together, this film wasn’t consistently funny. Sure, there were some jokes, some more inappropriate while others milder. For example, there were parts in the film that seemed rather stagnant and disconnected from the rest, such as when both of them are thrown into a wrestling ring to fight for their lives. This part had some bits of humor, but the jokes were very strung-out, therefore the effect was poor.
Going into the film, there may have been high expectations for laughs, but unfortunately the film does not live up them. The content and the idea were generally good, but the humor was so uneven.
Given the assortment of other films this duo, “Holmes & Watson” isn’t the best option to choose from the list.