Murder Mystery 2 plunges the Spitz’s back into a major mystery, and the further insights into their lives have made the original movie's ending much sadder. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston return as Nick and Audrey Spitz, who, after their successful mystery solving in Murder Mystery, have become detectives for hire. The opening of Murder Mystery 2 shows the Spitz’s skills do not quite live up to their previous accomplishments, as they wrongly accuse a man of cheating and are low on funds.
Murder Mystery 2 takes a turn when the Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar) is kidnapped from his wedding, and a man is killed as a distraction. The sequel brings in some familiar Murder Mystery faces with Akhtar, John Kani returning as Colonel Ulenga, and Dany Boon as Inspector de la Croix, but Murder Mystery 2 also has a whole new set of characters and suspects. Murder Mystery 2 retains the hilarity of Sandler and Aniston as the married detective duo as well as providing a new wild mystery, but aspects of Murder Mystery 2 have impacted the original movie.
Murder Mystery 2 Shows Things Got Harder After The Original Movie Ending
Murder Mystery 2 shows that things got a lot harder for the Spitz’s after Murder Mystery’s ending, despite them solving the case themselves. Murder Mystery 2 opens with Nick and Audrey on what seems like a successful undercover case until it turns out they falsely accused a man of cheating on his wife, who hired them. He was actually planning a surprise party. This leads to the revelation that their detective business is not doing well, and they’re struggling for money.
Also, before the Maharaja invites them to his wedding, Audrey and Nick are shown to be struggling with work and it taking over their lives and marriage. Their success and happy ending in Murder Mystery is shown to have put pressure on them and made their lives harder afterward. Also, Miller (Mark Strong) reveals their detective company is on the verge of bankruptcy and observes the strain it has had on their marriage, which implies it is even harder than shown at the beginning.
Why Murder Mystery 2 Needed To Make The Original Ending Sadder
The insight into Nick and Audrey’s life made the original ending of Murder Mystery sadder, but it needed to for the sequel to work. The Spitz’s life becoming harder made them more three-dimensional as characters, making them more realistic. Nick and Audrey’s struggle, but determination to succeed, made the audience root for them and especially want them to beat Miller after he dismissed them. Nick and Audrey’s goal of becoming legitimate is also much more engaging than having an easy life where success falls at their feet.
Also, it would have been very unrealistic for the Spitz’s to go from amateur detectives who solved one case to extremely successful ones with a booming detective business. Plus, it would have impacted the plot a lot. Miller underestimated the ability of the Spitzs to figure out his plan, ultimately leading to his being caught. Their characters being underdogs made their success much more rewarding, as well as giving them a bigger character arc which can now extend further if a follow-up to Murder Mystery 2 is to be made, as they still have not achieved their goals.
