The Happytime Murders Fix
Suspecting someone is killing off the Happytime Gang cast to receive a larger share of the royalty money when the show becomes syndicated, the two track down former Happytime Gang cast-member Lyle in a puppet drug-den, where it is revealed that Phil saved Edwards by getting her an emergency puppet liver transplant. Lyle is killed in a drive-by shooting in front of Phil. After having sexual intercourse with Sandra and escaping the FBI, Phil goes to see Jenny, the only human Happytime Gang cast-member and his former girlfriend, at a puppet strip club where she works. Phil is unable to protect her when her car explodes. The police see Phil leaving the scene and believe him to be responsible for the murders.
The Happytime Murders
In THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS, private detective Phil Philips (Bill Barretta) lives in a world in which puppets aren't viewed as humans' equals. Phil was once a cop, partnered with Detective Edwards (Melissa McCarthy), until a mishap cost him his job. Then a pretty puppet, Sandra (Dorien Davies), walks into Phil's office and hires him to look into a blackmailing. His first clue brings him to an adult video shop, where a masked killer shoots everyone in sight, including the bunny Mr. Bumblypants (Kevin Clash), who was once on the popular 1980s TV show The Happytime Gang. Phil learns from his brother, Larry (Victor Yerrid), that the show is going to be syndicated, which will bring in new cash for the cast. But then Larry is also murdered. As Phil investigates further, now reluctantly re-paired with Detective Edwards, other members of the Happytime gang meet their ends, with Phil nearby each time. Can Phil and Edwards solve the mystery before Phil gets blamed for the murders?
From the Studio:No Sesame. All Street. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS is a filthy comedy set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human (Melissa McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.The Happytime Murders loosely references the 1980's TV series, The Muppet Show.
STX will release The Happytime Murders in theaters this summer, arriving August 17 alongside Sony's Alpha starring Kodi Smit-McPhee and Three Seconds starring Clive Owen. Warner Bros.' Crazy Rich Asians, starring Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh, was originally slated to debut on that date, but it was recently pushed to a Wednesday release on August 15, just a few days before The Happytime Murders. This report on the lawsuit from Variety doesn't specify whether or not the Sesame Workshop is seeking any damages, or trying to stop the release of the film outright. The Happytime Murders stars Melissa McCarthy as an LAPD detective, who reunites with her former partner, a puppet who has now become a "puppet-eye," to try and solve a string of grisly murders of former cast members of a hit 1980s TV series known as The Happytime Gang.
Philips teams up with his former partner, Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy, hilariously unhinged), to solve the murders. Edwards is part puppet -- long story short, she has a puppet liver -- and is addicted to snorting sugar, the cocaine of the puppet world. 041b061a72