The Happytime Murders

**The Happytime Murders** is a 2018 film starring Melissa McCarthy, Bill Barretta, Joel McHale, Maya Rudolph, Leslie David Baker and Elizabeth Banks, directed by Brian Henson, written by Todd Berger and produced by Brian Henson, Jeffrey M. Hayes, McCarthy and Ben Falcone.

The film was a financial failure as it generated a loss of $66 million.

## Plot

In a world where puppets coexist with humans but are treated as second-class citizens, Phil Phillips was the first puppet cop on the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) before being fired. Now a private detective with a human secretary Bubbles, he is hired by puppet client Sandra White to find out who has been blackmailing her. Phil investigates a lead at a puppet-owned porn shop. While he checks their records in the back, an attacker kills everyone else present, including Mr. Bumblypants, a cast member of the beloved puppet television sitcom The Happytime Gang, which was due to go into syndication.

The LAPD arrives and Phil meets with his former partner Detective Connie Edwards. Twelve years prior, Edwards was being held at gunpoint by a puppet perpetrator. Phil tried to shoot him, but missed and hit an innocent puppet, killing him in front of his young daughter. Edwards testified against Phil and a law was enacted preventing puppets from being cops. In the present, Edwards believes it was a robbery gone wrong. Phil believes it was murder, since no money was taken. That night, Phil's brother Larry "Shenanigans" Phillips, a former Happytime Gang cast-member, is torn apart when someone lets dogs into his house. Afterwards, Phil reluctantly joins forces with Edwards to find the killer.

The two track down former Happytime Gang cast-member Lyle, only for him to be killed in a drive-by shooting in front of Phil. After having sexual intercourse with Sandra and escaping the police, 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.

Phil hides out at Edwards' apartment and they discover that former Happytime Gang member Goofer has apparently overdosed and drowned. They go to the house of the two remaining Happytime Gang members, Ezra and Cara only to find their mangled bodies. The FBI arrives and detains Phil and Edwards. Phil is shown Sandra in an interrogation room. She reveals that she and Jenny are married and claims Phil killed Jenny and the others to keep Sandra for himself.

Edwards is suspended from duty and enlists Bubbles to ask for help proving Phil's innocence. They break into Sandra's home and discover a hidden room containing plans for the deaths of the Happytime Gang stars and a conspiracy against Phil. Edwards notices a picture of the puppet Phil accidentally shot years ago, and realizes that Sandra is his daughter and out for revenge against Phil. Bubbles sees a tape recorder and presses the play button, which ignites a fire destroying all the evidence. Afterwards, Edwards breaks Phil out of jail to stop Sandra.

Phil and Edwards race to the airport, where Sandra is planning to escape with all the royalty money. Phil apologizes for killing her father, saying it has haunted him all the years since and asks why the Happytime Gang stars had to die. Sandra says she wanted Phil to suffer as payback. It is revealed that Jenny is alive, having faked her death, and is in cahoots with Sandra, but Sandra knocks Jenny out to take the money for herself after Phil reveals her true history. Sandra holds Edwards at gunpoint, putting her and Phil in the same position as twelve years before. Phil takes his shot and does not miss this time, killing Sandra.

Edwards' police superior Banning arrives to congratulate Phil and Edwards on cracking the case. He restores Edwards to active duty and convinces the mayor to lift the ban on puppet cops, welcoming Phil back on the force. Phil asks Bubbles out on a date, which she accepts.