Told from the point of view of a ridiculously theatrical art dealer, “Mortdecai” is a fast-paced story of the search for a stolen Goya painting. Charlie Mortdecai, played by a particularly stagy Johnny Depp, is painfully stuck in another era, dressing in flamboyant outfits and speaking in metaphors. He somewhat reluctantly embarks on a journey across Europe to retrieve a painting that allegedly contains codes to a loaded bank account.
At first, it is impossible to tell the time period in which this movie is taking place, but it becomes obvious that Mortdecai and his equally dramatic wife, Johanna, played by an aging Gwyneth Paltrow, are oddballs in a modern setting. Their utterly bizarre banter accurately reflects the preposterous British stereotypes that are used throughout the movie.
This Pink-Panther-style film is chock full of various antics and slapstick comedy. There are countless characters, each succumbing to marginally inappropriate stereotypes about their nationalities, who make momentary appearances as Mortdecai and his “man-servant” Jock (Paul Bettany) transect Europe, connecting clues and getting into trouble.
All the interactions and conversations that take place in this movie are absolutely absurd; there isn't a moment that the audience can learn to fall in love with a character, feel empathy or get attached to any one setting. You try to solve the mystery as the story moves along, but in doing so, there is no time or opportunity to get any emotional encouragement.
But who was this movie made for? Not kids, due to some raunchy humor and an R-rating. And certainly not the average adult looking for an intellectually stimulating heist film, because the whole plot is predictable and flat. The film fails entirely at pinpointing an audience, unless you count the occasional silly hipster looking for a cheap laugh.
What the movie does succeed in is establishing continuity. From an overarching mustache motif to the inclusion of endlessly illogical conversation, there are really no surprises in the plotline. The only unpredictable aspect of this movie is how a post-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean Depp seems to have gone so far downhill.
The roundabout storyline and incorporation of endless random characters make this movie hard to take seriously. Not to mention all the colors are unnecessarily saturated, making it borderline cartoonish. This movie was the live-action version of a Looney Tunes cartoon, ludicrous injuries and repetitive background music included.
There are undoubtedly times when a forgiving audience will laugh out loud, but when it comes to enjoying this movie on a deeper level, there’s no chance. The story had incredible potential to explore the complexities of the shady art industry, while still focusing on humor, but the juxtaposition between constant joking attitude and reference to a completely unrelatable lifestyle made it something that critics won’t take seriously and the general public can only laugh at.
Looking to kill time? “Mortdecai” works perfectly if you’re searching to watch something that you don’t have to think about. Basically, if you and your date need a lighthearted movie to see without risking any emotional attachment, pick this one.