The Wrong Missy: Reviews, Plot, Parents Guide & Verdict

You might know the feeling: scrolling Netflix on a Friday night, a thumbnail with David Spade and a wild-eyed Lauren Lapkus catches your eye. That’s The Wrong Missy — a 2020 Happy Madison comedy that split critics and audiences right down the middle.

Release year: 2020 · Director: Tyler Spindel · Production: Happy Madison Productions · Distribution: Netflix · IMDb rating: 5.6/10

The table below summarizes the key facts about the film.

The pattern: the numbers confirm a rare complete disconnect between critics and audiences.

Is The Wrong Missy a good movie?

What critics say

Professional reviewers were nearly unanimous: the film landed at a 25% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 3.9/10 based on 44 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)). The Rotten Tomatoes Critic Consensus described it as “trying far too hard to be outrageous and ends up being more exhausting than funny.”

What audiences say

User ratings tell a different story. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score sits at 47% based on over 2,500 ratings (Rotten Tomatoes). IMDb users give it a 5.6/10 from roughly 30,000 votes (IMDb (movie database)). Metacritic shows a 28/100 critic score, with a user score of 4.8/10 (Metacritic (review aggregator)).

Balancing humor and offense

The film’s crude, over-the-top style is both its selling point and its biggest criticism. Parent Previews reports 87 uses of sexual expletives in the 89-minute runtime, and Kids-In-Mind counts about 80 F-words (Kids-In-Mind (parental guide resource); Parent Previews (family movie reviews)). Movieguide notes at least 127 obscenities (Movieguide (faith-based film review)). For fans of Happy Madison’s raunchy brand of comedy, this is part of the package; for viewers expecting a traditional romantic comedy, it lands as offensive.

The pattern: The Wrong Missy is a textbook case of a comedy that knows its audience and doesn’t apologize. Critics see lazy shock value; viewers who opt in seem to enjoy the ride.

What happens in The Wrong Missy?

Plot summary

• Tim Morris (David Spade) is a recently single businessman who accidentally texts the wrong “Missy” — a wild, unpredictable woman named Missy (Lauren Lapkus) — instead of his intended date, Melissa (Molly Sims) (Wikipedia).
• He invites Missy to a corporate retreat in Hawaii, expecting Melissa, and chaos ensues.

Key twist: wrong text

The entire premise hinges on that mis-sent text. Tim’s attempt to salvage the trip while hiding Missy’s true identity from his boss (Nick Swardson) drives most of the physical comedy (Parent Previews).

Resolution

Without spoiling the last act, the film delivers a predictable but upbeat Happy Madison ending: Tim learns to accept Missy for who she is, and the retreat ends with both characters finding a connection.

The catch: the plot is thin even by rom-com standards. But for viewers who just want a laugh and a happy ending, it serves its purpose.

Is The Wrong Missy appropriate for kids?

Parents guide overview

The MPAA gives the film a TV-MA rating — meaning it’s designed for adults and may be unsuitable for children under 17 (Parent Previews; Kids-In-Mind).

Age rating

The TV-MA rating is stricter than the typical PG-13 or R for theatrical films. Parents should note that the content is comparable to an R-rated comedy with heavy sexual references and language (Kids-In-Mind).

Mature content examples

• Language: 80–127 obscenities, mostly F-words and S-words (Kids-In-Mind; Parent Previews; Movieguide).
• Sexual content: multiple references and scenes involving suggestive behavior, but no nudity (Parent Previews).
• Crude humor: bathroom jokes, slapstick, and offensive stereotypes that may be jarring for younger viewers.

The trade-off: the movie is not appropriate for kids under 17, but older teens and adults who enjoy unapologetic raunch will find it squarely in their lane.

Was The Wrong Missy successful?

Netflix viewership

As a streaming-only release, the film does not have box office numbers. However, it entered Netflix’s Top 10 in the U.S. during its opening week, indicating strong initial interest (Wikipedia).

Critical vs commercial reception

The critical reception was harsh — 28/100 on Metacritic and a 25% critics score — yet the audience scores are higher, suggesting that the target Happy Madison fanbase showed up (Metacritic; Rotten Tomatoes).

Profitability considerations

Netflix does not release per-title profitability data, but The Wrong Missy was a relatively low-budget Happy Madison production (estimated under $10 million). Given its Top 10 placement and long-tail streaming, it likely performed adequately for the platform’s content library (IMDb).

Why this matters: success for a streaming comedy is measured in engagement and hours watched, not box office. The film met that bar for its niche, even as critics panned it.

The pattern: this is a niche film that succeeds on its own terms but fails by any broader critical metric.

“Trying far too hard to be outrageous and ends up being more exhausting than funny.”

— Rotten Tomatoes Critic Consensus (Rotten Tomatoes)

“The film is packed with crude humor and sexual references, making it a definite no for younger teens.”

— Parent Previews (family movie review guide) (Parent Previews)

For parents looking for a family movie night, the TV-MA rating and high count of explicit language mean this comedy is better saved for an adults-only evening. For fans of Happy Madison’s over-the-top style, it’s exactly what you’d expect — and for those hoping for a thoughtful rom-com, it’s best to skip. Lauren Lapkus’s performance remains the one genuinely compelling reason to give it a chance.

Frequently asked questions