Holmes & Watson

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2:09

Holmes & Watson

PG-13

2018

1h 30m

Comedy

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

10%

Tomatometer

80 Reviews

26%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson join forces to investigate a mysterious murder at Buckingham Palace. It seems like an open-and-shut case as all signs point to Professor James Moriarty, the criminal mastermind and longtime nemesis of the crime-solving duo. When new twists and clues begin to emerge, the world's greatest sleuth and his trusted assistant must now use their legendary wits and ingenious methods to catch the killer before the queen becomes the next victim.

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Critics Consensus

The lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson than does Holmes and Watson.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Feb 21, 2020

Watching this feels like getting elbowed erratically in the ribs.

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Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

Jan 16, 2019

It is indescribably bad.

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Robbie Collin

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

Jan 12, 2019

All it's doing is, more feebly, what Robert Downey Jr. was doing ten years ago.

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M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Aug 17, 2022

1/5

If you walk in late for Holmes & Watson, no worries. Rest assured the same three jokes will be repeated over and over for the entire 90 minutes.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 3, 2022

0.5/4

The entire thing is embarrassing and difficult to endure.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 10, 2020

1.0/4.0

One of the worst films of 2018.

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Aighluv S

@RT32075404 Jun 20, 2026

Movies like these makes me question "Was Will Farrel ever funny?" Then I go watch the Anchorman and I realise yes he was, now he just doesn't care.

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Nathan J.

@TribianiRamoray May 23, 2026

Rated: 3.5/10 ⭐️ Finishing my Sherlock Holmes Day binge, hoping for some Step Brothers style laughs. I wanted to love it, but it honestly felt like a big miss that completely wasted the cast. What Worked: • Hugh Laurie as Mycroft brings a bit of actual British wit that I really appreciated. • The Victorian sets and costumes look decent, giving it a nice visual polish even when the script falls flat. The Friction: • The jokes missed the mark for me. Relying on dated pop culture references really dragged the momentum down. • Ferrell and Reilly’s usual chemistry felt super forced here. I honestly just wasn’t feeling it. • Slapping the Sherlock name onto a sloppy script felt like a cash grab to me. Verdict: Watch if you need mindless background noise. Skip if you want actual laughs or respect the Sherlock legacy.

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Adonal A

@Raiderfan247365 Jan 24, 2026

The hate for this movie is just wild. This is literally me and my wife's favorite movie. It's a dumb comedy and it succeeds at that. The back half of the movie isn't great but that's is true for most comedy movies.

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Lloyd S

@Lloyd93 Dec 7, 2025

Bit funny except when they beat the queen. Terrible movie overall.

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Darryl W.

@Metalhead1686 Nov 30, 2025

This "comedy" didn't make me laugh once. It was horrible from beginning to end. Will Ferrel and John C, Riley usually make hilarious movies together, but this one was a massive dud.

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Steve E

@RT60530561 Nov 29, 2025

I avoided this movie for years due to the bad reviews . It popped up on Amazon so thought I'd see what all the hate was about. Sure , it's not great but I actually found it amusing if you’re in the mood for a silly comedy. Some clever satire and a few laugh out loud moments. Good production values. The story is a bit weak , passable though. But the hate for this is mind blowing! People are being ridiculous when they say that it’s the worst movie ever. There are SO many dumb comedies this movie).

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Etan Cohen

Director

Will Ferrell

Sherlock Holmes

John C. Reilly

Dr. Watson

Rebecca Hall

Grace Hart

Rob Brydon

Inspector Lestrade

Steve Coogan

Gustav Klinger

Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - Kissing Ass

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - The Defendant Is a Wanker

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - Morgue Love

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - Selfie With the Queen

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - Watson Saves the Day

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - Not The Bees!

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - I Poisoned You

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - Drunken Hijinks

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - The First Drunk Text

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Holmes & Watson: Official Clip - Sick Bucket

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Synopsis

Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson join forces to investigate a mysterious murder at Buckingham Palace. It seems like an open-and-shut case as all signs point to Professor James Moriarty, the criminal mastermind and longtime nemesis of the crime-solving duo. When new twists and clues begin to emerge, the world's greatest sleuth and his trusted assistant must now use their legendary wits and ingenious methods to catch the killer before the queen becomes the next victim.

Director: Etan Cohen
Producer: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Clayton Townsend
Screenwriter: Etan Cohen
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Gary Sanchez Productions, Mosaic
Rating: PG-13 (Drug References|Crude Sexual Material|Language|Some Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 26, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $30.5M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS, Datasat
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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