I’ll start by saying, I laughed out loud, maybe two or three times. This is not good. The cliff diving scene is one of them only in the visual execution of said dive. This low quantity of laughs is pretty typical of my experience with the Sandler-verse. More on this later.
We also have our standard cavalcade of cameos and Sandler regulars, including Rob Schneider, Nick Swardson, Sarah Chalke, and Jorge Garcia. Jackie Sandler, wife of Adam, is particularly good as the conniving office adversary Jess. Why Sandler never foregoes a chance to put a fair amount of guest appearance in his movies is a mystery.
Like his other films, my frustrations with The Wrong Missy came in the low tally of laughs, the general silliness/ childish humor, and its standard, predictable plot. Following the Sandler formula yet again, the movie only has three or four big comedic moments worth talking about at the water cooler, but in the end, I wanted more clever jokes and less wacky humor.
“I may not have liked the story, but I sure liked these characters…”
So, why do these films do so well at the box office and in streaming views? As much as I didn’t like the movie overall, I didn’t hate it either. That is because of the characters, folks. I may not have liked the story, but I sure liked these characters, even if only mildly. In this film, David Spade continues to show he can be our emotional link to the story from beginning to end. Anyone who follows the L.A. comedy scene knows how good Lauren Lapkus is as a comedic actor, and The Wrong Missy is the break she deserves to garner notice by the world. I may have found Missy annoying and was put off by her aggressive oblivious nature, but Missy is a well-developed character with an excellent performance by Lapkus.
Ultimately, The Wrong Missy is yet another film of wacky, somewhat likable characters all run through the sadistic wringer of comedy in a story that survives on a handful of over-the-top cringeworthy moments. In a way, that’s how the Three Stooges and the Marx Brother made their claim to fame. In the end, it’s all a matter of taste, which is why millions of fans care a rat’s asteroid about what we critics think.
"…that's how the Three Stooges and the Marx Brother made their claim to fame."
