Murder Mystery, Adam Sandler’s latest film for Netflix, isn’t too terrible. It’s on the affably goofy (rather than obnoxiously crude) end of the Happy Madison productions spectrum and, as such, is 100% pure, uncut, middle-of-the-road Sandler. Unsurprisingly, it is a massive hit for Netflix.
More surprisingly, but maybe just as inevitable, is who the film is a hit with: QAnon followers. Yes, as The Daily Beast’s far-right-interpreter Will Sommer has detailed in his newsletter, QAnon’s true believers have latched onto Murder Mystery as the latest proof of QAnon’s power and influence.
For those blissfully unaware, QAnon is the premier 4chan-based conspiracy for MAGA-loving boomers who have absorbed a fatal dose of internet radiation via their frontal lobes. A mysterious Svengali named “Q” delivers gibberish transmissions to his followers that prove, in gobsmackingly obscure ways, that all of Donald Trump’s various bungling and legal woes are a cover for the fact that he is in truth working in league with numerous federal agencies to bring down the sinister cabal of Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, et al.
But what does Adam Sandler bumbling around on a yacht have to do with QAnon? Sandler’s apolitical, low-energy outings ask so precious little of the viewer that they already make sense as MAGA kibble, but there’s more to it than that. As Sommer points out, many of QAnon’s true believers have noticed what can only be interpreted as a clue appearing in the film, over and over again.
“New movie, Murder Mystery with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Q is everywhere. See photos below,” writes prominent QAnon figure @qanon76. “Take this as a sign, a further indication that Patriots are ultimately in control.”