Commitment-phobic Charlie finds himself smitten when he meets a pretty butcher named Harriet. After he steps in to help her during a busy shift, the two begin to date. Their relationship deepens, but Harriet remains something of a mystery. She doesn’t talk about her past much and she has terrifying night terrors. After discovering a few details of her past, Charlie becomes convinced that Harriet is actually Mrs. X, a woman who murders her new spouse on their honeymoon with an axe.
So I Married an Axe Murderer is a movie I used to watch all the time when I was younger. I don’t even know why, but obviously, I liked it! Watching again for this review, I anticipated every silly joke, so apparently, my memory isn’t as bad as I thought it was.
Mike Myers and Nancy Travis together are cute enough to have you rooting for their relationship, even though it’s possible Harriet is an axe murderer. Charlie can be quite a dumbass, but Myers softens his buffoonery enough that he’s more lovable than obnoxious. Harriet remains an enigma, but that’s necessary to keep the audience guessing as to her true motives when it comes to Charlie.
The film has a very strong supporting cast with Alan Arkin, Brenda Fricker, and Anthony LaPaglia, not to mention several fun cameos from various comedians. And, of course, Mike Myers in a dual role playing Charlie’s father Stuart. The definite highlights of the movie are whenever Charlie’s family is on screen… well, Charlie’s family or Alan Arkin attempting to play a badass superior to Anthony LaPaglia’s somewhat incompetent cop. Comedy gold right there.
I would say the downside of So I Married an Axe Murder is that the buildup to the climax drags a bit, and the movie feels like filler more than anything else. Like when studios take a short story and try to stretch it to fit a 90-minute feature film. Sometimes it just doesn’t work. The script felt a little disjointed to me as well, like it was a couple of different movies mushed together to create something coherent. Harriet and Charlie are, once again, very cute together, but unfortunately, there’s not enough chemistry between them to carry the movie solidly into the third act.
Despite the flaws, I still found it pretty funny and enjoyed myself watching it, so I’ll recommend it. If you get bored, at least you can close your eyes and pretend Shrek is Charlie’s father.
