Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly proved themselves to be one of Hollywood’s most hilarious comedic dynamics with their unparalleled on-screen chemistry in Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, two of the funniest movies ever made. For their third co-starring vehicle, Ferrell and Reilly tackled one of the most iconic and endearing double acts in the history of literature: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. With painfully unfunny gags, a muddled and nonsensical mystery plot, and a bizarre lack of references to Holmes and Watson’s iconic legacy, Holmes & Watson arrived in theaters as a bitter disappointment.
Holmes & Watson isn’t just a forgettable laugh-free comedy; it was panned as one of the worst movies of the decade. It has an abysmal 10% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it swept the Razzie nominations, and there were reports of walkouts during theatrical screenings. According to Deadline, test audiences hated Holmes & Watson so much that Sony tried to sell it into the new-world bargain bin of the streaming-sphere – and not even Netflix would take it.
The sad thing is that this movie could’ve been really great. A comedic take on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries should’ve been a slam dunk. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have the classic dynamic of an eccentric comic persona and his strait-laced deadpan foil – it’s the perfect basis for a buddy comedy. But Holmes & Watson wastes the satirical potential of the characters’ dynamic by lazily presenting them as morons. Within the first few minutes, Holmes and Watson – supposedly the greatest minds in Victorian London – try to fend off a swarm of bees with gunfire.
The Perfect Source Material For A Buddy Comedy
The bromantic comedies of the Apatow era (some of which starred Ferrell and Reilly themselves) succeeded because their central friendships had a real arc. In Superbad, Seth and Evan try to secure booze for a party and end up confronting their separation anxiety. In Step Brothers, Brennan and Dale’s sibling rivalry morphs into brotherly love. Holmes & Watson is built on one of literature’s most timeless friendships and yet the title characters’ relationship arc is thinly drawn at best (and occasionally feels non-existent). The movie does set up an internal conflict – Holmes has to learn to appreciate Watson’s contributions – but it’s so generic and one-dimensional that it never resonates (even when Holmes breaks into song). The complicated friendship of a drug-addicted detective and the doctor who chronicles his adventures has so much more comedic potential than this movie bothers to explore.
Ferrell and Reilly’s hysterical interplay in their previous movies proved they could’ve brought Holmes and Watson’s unique relationship to the screen with panache if they had a better script to work from. In both Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, they played frenemies whose mutual respect is buried under layers of resentment. In Talladega Nights, they go from friends to enemies (without one of them realizing it), and in Step Brothers, they go from enemies to brothers. Holmes & Watson could’ve used some of those layers. It’s what makes these older movies so engaging and rewatchable in a way that Holmes & Watson simply isn’t.
A Weird Amount Of Anachronistic Humor
Although it presents itself as a Sherlock Holmes spoof, Holmes & Watson is more interested in referencing current events (circa 2018). There are more references to fake news and the alt-right than there are to Arthur Conan Doyle’s seminal source material. Holmes & Watson has a weird amount of Trump jokes. Having Trump-related humor at all was an odd choice for a Sherlock Holmes movie set in 1800s England, but Holmes & Watson’s anachronistic attempts to comment on the political climate are bland and on-the-nose. Holmes wears a red “Make England Great Again” hat and has a painfully drawn-out conversation about the U.S. Electoral system that could theoretically allow “some trumped-up charlatan” to rise to power. This weak political humor felt dated as soon as the movie came out.
Holmes & Watson also limits itself by specifically spoofing the Downey movies, despite the fact that there are countless iconic adaptations of the Holmes mysteries and the Cumberbatch series is currently the most relevant. Robert Downey, Jr.’s big-budget Sherlock Holmes movies were big hits a decade ago, but their visual hallmarks aren’t memorable enough for Holmes & Watson’s parodies to land.
This movie should’ve been more of an evergreen spoof of the character, with nods to all the previous versions. The filmmakers should’ve used The Lego Batman Movie as a guide. That movie is both a spot-on satire of the Batman mythos and a quintessential Batman film in its own right. Like Holmes & Watson should’ve done, The Lego Batman Movie uses self-parody to deconstruct a complex icon.
Could There Ever Be Another Sherlock Holmes Comedy?
Thanks to the resounding failure of Holmes & Watson, Hollywood will probably never attempt another Sherlock Holmes comedy. But it’s a fantastic premise that the movie didn’t make the most of. Hopefully, one day, when Holmes & Watson is a distant memory, a studio will develop another Sherlock Holmes comedy that’s actually interested in exploring his eccentric personality and his dysfunctional friendship with Watson instead of just making fun of selfies and fake news in a Victorian setting. It’s a great premise – it just needs a writer with a deep reverence for the original mysteries and an understanding of the importance of character in comedy.