Christmas: annually, the day serves as a showcase for the best movies of the year. Often, smash hits, including the funniest, best produced, or best acted films, premiere on this holiday, achieving massive critical and financial success. This year, anyone who watched the film Holmes and Watson was unfortunate to see a movie that shared none of these characteristics.

Starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, many expected Holmes and Watson to reach the level of hilarity of past projects featuring the two actors, including movies like Step Brothers and Talladega Nights. However, the Christmas day release fell far short of expectations, crashing and burning spectacularly.

Spanning only 90 minutes, Holmes and Watson lacked both length and imagination. Much of the attempted comedy in the film came from stale, recycled political jokes and failed slapstick humor.

Additionally, outside of Ferrell and Reilly, the cast lacked chemistry and amusement skills, creating a dry set of actors for a comedy film.

When I attended the movie on Christmas Day with my brother, we were both disappointed. Throughout, there were only a few scenes which earned genuine laughter, and these chuckles often quickly dissipated.

In my opinion, the sole high point of the movie was the costuming and sets. As the movie is set in 1800’s London, a large amount of effort was put into accurately staging the homes and designing the costumes. Ferrell, in particular, is consistently decked out in well-designed and appropriate outfits for the designated period.

Critics and other moviegoers appear to agree that the film is a flop. During its first week, the film only grossed $27.4 million, against a budget of $42 million, and there have been numerous reports of audiences walking out of screenings early in disgust. Rotten Tomatoes holds an approval rating of 8%, and Holmes and Watson has been universally panned by critics.

Holmes and Watson is the perfect example of a Christmas Day flop, and marks a sad, low point in Ferrell’s and Reilly’s illustrious comedy careers.