HANDSOME: A NETFLIX MYSTERY
US, 2018, 80 minutes, Colour.
Jeff Garlin, Steven Weber, Christine Woods.
Directed by Jeff Garlin.
This is a very slight murder mystery produced for Netflix – not with the same quality as Murder Mystery with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.
The success for this film as a very slight time-passer is the response to star, writer, director, Jeff Garlin. He is a rather large Detective, supervising a squad of mixed talent and untalent. And he has his own problems in relationships – and with food.
What makes a difference is that the smarmy actor played by Steven Weber announces to everyone at the opening of the film that he is the killer. So, the audience has to be alert to his presence, the plausibility of his being a murderer, what he did, how we did it, how he was exposed.
The plot involves a babysitter who is something of a flirt, who is murdered, her body rearranged on the actor’s lawn like a Star of David. There are quite a number of clues which Handsome and his squad follow-up, some comic turns, and a final set up where Handsome infiltrates the actor’s house, uses a clue about the distinction between creams and lotions (the difference is water in lotions), taunting the actor about a poor early performance – which is what the babysitter did and led to her murder.
A very average time-filler.
1. A brief murder mystery? Made for Netflix audiences?
2. Audience enjoyment, the murder situation, the setup, the investigation and the clues, the range of police staff and their interactions with handsome? Handsome himself? The solution? The need for audiences to identify with Handsome and his idiosyncrasies?
3. The actor, the beginning and his identifying himself as the murderer? The effect for the investigation and audience reaction?
4. Handsome, his size, manner, refusing cookies, his weight, taking them home, giving them to the neighbour? His skills? His problems? The range of his team and consulting, their offering hypotheses, ridiculous, suggestions? Their involvement?
5. The babysitter, his encounter? Her being murdered, the body on the lawn, the Star of David?
6. The investigation, the range of suspects, the movie background, stars and celebrities, advertising, the differences between creams and lotions? This being important for the plot solution?
7. The character of the actor, his vanity, creams and lotions, his body, the murder weapon? The flashback, the babysitter and the sexual
encounter, her laughing at his performance, his anger? His being taunted by Handsome about his performance and his anger?
8. The setup, the interview with the actor, going to his room, the challenge, the locked door, the police entry, his being trapped?
9. A slight time-passer?
