'The Wrong Missy' movie review: Salvaging a Mediocre Comedy
Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions is essentially a happy place. The movies made under this banner dish out the same tropes and in very similar set-ups. Whatever be the central plot, there is usually a get-together at an expensive retreat, a few lies, a few goof-ups, a comedy of errors, cameos by big names, and of course, the staple below-the-belt humour. The Wrong Missy has all this and a superb Lauren Lupkus in the titular role. However, the film isn’t able to do justice to Lupkus’ manic energy.
A planned blind date gone wrong, an accidental date gone right, and a classic goof-up due to both dates being named Melissa/Missy is the bedrock of everything that goes awry in Tim Morris’ (a surprisingly bland David Spade) life. While Lupkus as the blind date Missy is the antithesis of a calm and composed Morris, Molly Sims as the other Missy, is his dream girl. They have the same taste in books, laugh at the same jokes, are both teetotalers, and are both nursing a heartbreak. But one text to the wrong Missy makes Lupkus join Morris at his company’s retreat. Of course, what follows is a classic Happy Madison chain of events. There are multiple embarrassing moments for Morris. There is the most random projectile omiting scene involving blood, and sharks. There is a drunk escapade and falling off a cliff that somehow doesn’t hurt anyone.
Despite all these set-pieces, the film fails to elicit more than a cursory laugh, and it is only Lupkus who manages to keep us amused. While everyone else seems to be operating on a straight plane, Lupkus is on a tangent with no limits. She’s someone who majors on saying inappropriate jokes, has no sense of personal boundaries, performs non-consensual sexual acts, ropes in Morris’ ex (Sarah Chalke) for a threesome, hypnotises Morris’ boss to facilitate a promotion, and what-not. Although Lupkus thoroughly sells the hugely unlikeable (at first) Missy, the portions where she reins it in ring too false.
The principle of how the right fit is not always the best fit is the stuff of romcom legends. It is but the staple of many Hugh Grant or even Adam Sandler films. However, here, the half-hearted writing and a clearly out-of-sorts Spade don’t do any good for the film. Spade seems lost without the usual coterie around him. The romance falls flat especially since for the most part of the film, Morris finds Missy not pretty enough, not sensible enough, not civil enough, and not worthy enough to be seen with. To be honest, she lives up to each of these labels. Oddball pairings work only when despite these differences, they have something to fall in love with each other. Here, there is nothing. This Wrong Missy got the Missy right, but unfortunately, gets almost everything else…wrong.
The Wrong Missy
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Platform: Netflix
Director: Tyler Spindel