What Keith's Watching: Mortdecai (2015)

I went in not really sure what to expect from Mortdecai. It looked silly and stupid. And it was. On the outside it looked slapsticky and juvenile. And it was also exactly those things. But that's not to say I hated it. I actually kind of enjoyed it. In a weird, weird way.

Mortdecai is like a modern day Pink Panther only slightly less good. (Editor's Note: I am referring to the original Pink Panther, not the Steve Martin remakes. I have never seen those. Probably never will.) There's the added twist that Mortdecai is part a bubbling amatuer detective and part a criminal himself. And he's a complete wuss. He's a upper class Englishman who has a hired man servant/thug.

The plot isn't great, the acting is decent, and the characters are all over the top. Which is exactly how I think it was supposed to be. And that makes Mortdecai enjoyable. There is the sense that the movie came out exactly how they wanted it. It wasn't a movie that was unsure what it was going to be or that seemed to be trying too hard. 

It's probably not going to be for everyone. There are many many people that will watch it and think it stupid. There are many people that will wonder what the hell Johnny Depp was doing and recommend he goes back to making Pirates and Tim Burton movies. But really, I enjoyed it. I loved the ongoing gags with the mustache. I'd definitely watch it again. I probably won't buy it, but I will watch it again. And I suspect, that on another watch, my appreciation of it will grow more.

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