Sherlock Holmes and Watson is a less qualified comedy, with Will Farrell and John F. Kennedy working together again. C. Reilly didn't make people laugh as much as they did before.
Good performance in the past does not necessarily mean success in the future, and unfortunately, the new film "Sherlock Holmes and Watson" confirms this. Will Farrell and John C. Reilly has previously collaborated on two great comedies — 2006's Talladega Nights: Ricky Bobby's Ballad and 2008's Non-Brothers. Both films were directed by Adam McKay.
Their latest collaboration, Sherlock Holmes and Watson, written and directed by Itan Cohen, was intended to be a bold comedic adaptation of the most enduring literary work of British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, retelling the story of the Victorian super-detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion and assistant Dr. John Watson. However, this rushed film is completely on par with the two films mentioned earlier. Although the idea for the film was made early on (sasha Byron Cohen and Farrell were both more than a decade ago when they first received the proposal), the final presentation was like a half-finished product, frustrating to miss the opportunity. The film could have been, and it should have been, a very interesting film — even if it wasn't a classic, it would have been a joy to watch. But this is not the case, even with the most tolerant eyes.
Farrell plays Holmes, an arrogant genius who strips away his emotions only to perfect his keen powers of observation (as can be seen from the childhood clip shown in the "Cold Opening" at the beginning of the film). The person who helped him in the investigation of the case was Dr. Watson (John Watson). C. Reilly). Holmes's biggest rival is Professor James Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes), but when the man is tried for a series of crimes, Holmes bluntly points out that this man is not the real Moriarty, but a man who defends him, a result that greatly frustrated Inspector Restred (Rob Brighton), who has been painstakingly investigating for a long time to bring down Moriarty.
When Holmes and Watson find the body in a birthday cake, a message appears that Queen Victoria (Pam Ferris) will be killed in two days. They felt that the threatening message might come from Moriarty, and Holmes thought he was still at large. The two began to investigate. Along the way, they meet many different people, including Doctor Grace Hart (Rebecca Hauer) and her American travel friend Millie (Lauren Lapcus), Underground Boxing Club owner Gustav Klinger (Steve Cogan), and Sherlock's brother Mikcroft (Hugh Laurie, who only guests in a funny scene). This chaotic investigation tests Sherlock's friendship with Watson.
Trailer for Sherlock Holmes and Watson
In Sherlock Holmes and Watson, some of the comedy sections are very popular—the most obvious is the one where the killer bee appears; and when the queen visits, Holmes and Watson make a mess, thinking that they have accidentally killed the queen, and then try to stuff the unconscious queen into the trunk. In a sense, such bridges transcend cultural and linguistic differences and are understood by audiences around the world. But these bridges are not driven by the plot, nor can they be rooted in the fate of the characters. They seem to exist as if to fill in the time, making it feel dull and lengthy (especially the Queen's scene).
Another plot that is neither exciting nor meaningful is to mimic other movies or pop culture (for example, there is a scene that simply imitates 1990's "Man In Love") – it is simply a desperate struggle. There are also several scenes in the film that are clearly about the American political system. In the film, Dr. Hart explains how the separation of powers prevents a lonely braggart from ascending to the U.S. presidency through populism. This kind of bridge section is probably difficult for audiences in other countries to understand, and in any way, the bridge section itself is not interesting.
The biggest problem with Kohen's films is the lack of a strong plot to show the relationship between the protagonists. There is a reminiscence scene in the film, Holmes has to fight for a name in everything, forcing Watson to engage in the title of a "joint detective" with no practical effect, and Watson is tired of this. Farrell and Reilly are good at this kind of scene, prone to chemical reactions, especially in Talladega Nights: Ricky Bobby's Ballad. But "Sherlock Holmes and Watson" only intermittently shows such a bridge section when the plot needs to become intense.
In addition, in this film, Holmes releases repressed emotions, but the process is not deep enough, not exciting enough (even by the standards of comedy), and cannot be compared with the previously mentioned works of McKay. "Talladega Nights: Ricky Bobby's Ballad" and "Non-Brothers" do well because the relationships between the characters and the most fundamental conflicts in the film are clearly presented and are highly compatible with the core emotions. The fact that both of them are increasingly stupid and conceited (such as the scene in "Non-Brothers" where Brennan and Dale go to an interview to find a job, or the fact that both of them break through to unite because they both hate Brennan's brilliant brother Drake) adds more spice to these episodes. Conversely, at the end of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Billy Zane suddenly appears and makes a cameo appearance of himself! Just to tell a joke about Titanic. It can be seen that Ke Heng is already in a hurry to go to the doctor.
There is a very famous saying in English, "The third time is the charm", but this sentence definitely does not apply to "Sherlock Holmes and Watson", unfortunately. Farrell and Reilly themselves have a good chemistry and have saved a few scenes in the film. But overall, the film has no features and lacks deep meaning. To regard it as an unofficial trilogy along with Talediga Nights: Ricky Bobby's Ballad and Non-Brotherhood is probably a grievance against two other works. Hopefully, in the future, audiences will see another better work starring Farrell and Riley, so that the shadow left by this film can be washed away.
Other media comments:
"Even if there are some smiling moments in Sherlock Holmes and Watson, on the whole, if the ticket price of this movie is not discounted, it is estimated that no one will see it." — Josh Terry, Desarius News
"The failure of Sherlock Holmes and Watson was due to the fact that the director had no idea of controlling the plot at all." — John Fink, The Film Stage
"Sherlock Holmes and Watson is not so much a useless failure as a bad card with good intentions. The audience gets frustrated because everyone could have done better. — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times