Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law; Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu; Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman; but how about Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly?
Yes, the beloved comedic duo – who found acclaim for their turns in both Step Brothers and NASCAR pic Talladega Nights – can currently be seen headlining Sony’s Holmes and Watson, a new take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s endearing characters that’s been kicking around since back in 2008.
With Ferrell donning the deerstalker hat and cracking cases alongside Dr. John Watson (Reilly), hopes were never high for the film to be a big hit, but with the reviews now in, it turns out that things are even worse than we imagined they would be. Holding a pathetic score of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes (seriously), it’s clear that this is one to skip and below, you can find just a sampling of what folks are saying.
As the movie stands, smuggling in booze to dispel the sense of dull routine could only help.
THR:
You can feel the flop sweat emanating from the third onscreen pairing of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. … Holmes & Watson features the duo parodying Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous characters to devastatingly unfunny effect. Numerous talented British thespians are wasted in supporting roles in this Christmas turkey that, not surprisingly, wasn’t screened in advance for critics. Although making them troop out to theaters Christmas morning is something of which even Ebenezer Scrooge wouldn’t have approved.
Usually, you’d have to watch the Golden Globes to see this much wasted talent. As it stands, the only compelling mystery about Holmes & Watson is how so many funny people have been squeezed into such an unfunny movie, a movie that isn’t nearly smart enough to recognize how stupid it should have been.
If there are any new jokes left to tell about Holmes, they’re nowhere to be found in the abysmal Holmes & Watson, which might be the worst feature-length film ever made about the ‘consulting detective’ from Baker Street.
Ouch! It’s pretty clear that this is going to be a big flop for Sony, and with the current drought of Sherlock Holmes content we’re facing, that’s definitely a shame. BBC’s Sherlock is on indefinite hiatus and though Robert Downey Jr. will soon return in Sherlock Holmes 3, that’s still a ways away from hitting theaters.
In other words, it’s going to be a while yet before we get some high quality entertainment featuring the iconic detective, though if you’re absolutely craving another encounter with the legendary character, you can always take your chances with buying a ticket for Holmes & Watson.