Holmes & Watson Review: 2 Ups & 6 Downs

5. The Neutered PG-13 Rating

When a movie is basically sold as "Step Brothers but Sherlock Holmes", it would certainly help if that movie had the same audience rating as its inspiration.

After all, where would Step Brothers be without an R rating? We wouldn't have the F***in' Catalina Wine Mixer or many of the movie's other unforgettable gags, yet Holmes & Watson instead tones things down for a family-friendly PG-13 rating.

Given the movie's often-jarring editing, one suspects it was shot with an R in mind and trimmed down in the desperate hope of salvaging its box office, but the result is a disappointingly tame film that can't even coast on basic vulgarity or shock value.

Considering the comedic potential in exploring the depravity of Victorian London - namely Holmes' well-noted love of cocaine, which is only fleetingly referenced here - it seems like a wildly missed opportunity to aim towards the family demographic.

A bad movie is still a bad movie at the end of the day, but at least with some profanity, nudity and violence, Holmes & Watson might've felt a little less safe and stale.