Written by Tom Moore
Is there a more iconic duo than that of the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson? Probably not, as you can truly never go wrong with the world’s great detective and his incredibly intelligent partner in crime.
Holmes and Watson have easily become one of the recognized names across multiple forms of media and have been played by the likes of many great actors. Whether you’re fonder of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law or Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, there’s already plenty of great content surrounding these two iconic figures.
I mean seriously, name me a more iconic duo. I’ll wait.
Well, sure, I can see that.
I mean after all, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly did create the “Shake and Bake” back in Talladega Nights and had such amazing lines in Step Brothers that I still quote them with people to this very day. However, these guys when it comes to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson — I just don’t see Ferrell and Reilly fitting together as the iconic duo.
Well, someone clearly thinks I’m wrong, because the world was given Holmes and Watson, a film that attempts to combine both the intelligent wit and crime solving skills of Holmes and Watson with the child-like and idiotic humor of Ferrell and Reilly. The result is not good.
Holmes and Watson just isn’t able the two duos together solidly enough to make them feel like they can cohesively coexist. Since Ferrell and Reilly are playing two incredibly iconic characters, they can’t do anything too outlandish as to not upset either fan-base. So they come off as more reserved, and humorless throughout the film. Sure, there were moments I found myself laughing but it surely wasn’t enough to save this film.
Holmes and Watson almost feels like a late ’90s Adam Sandler flick in all of the worst ways with weird cameos and references from other films, like The Elephant Man and Titanic, that just aren’t interesting and feel out of place. There are some shining moments where it parodies the deep and calculated thought process seen in more recent iterations of the Sherlock. That leads to a couple laughs, but again, these are too few and far between to mean anything.
Even seeing the likes of talented actors like Hugh Laurie, Ralph Fiennes, and Rebecca Hall in Holmes and Watson felt disappointing. Even they struggled to turn my disinterested face into a happy one.
The jokes throughout Holmes and Watson generally do not hit their mark, and the ones that do barely have any impact. This fact leads me to say that Holmes and Watson is completely unmemorable. It’s truly disappointing that any film featuring Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Waston, John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell could be dubbed unmemorable.
Holmes and Watson is far from being even remotely close to the best Sherlock Holmes story and even farther from being the best outing for either Ferrell or Reilly. It’s a film that fails on two fronts as it doesn’t deliver on the crime-solving fun of a Sherlock Holmes story and the hilarious antics that come from the Ferrell and Reilly combo. It’s not something that disgraces either duo, but it’s something that either fan-base should skip as to not become disappointed in something they love.
Rating: 3 out of 10
