When I heard that a Nancy Drew movie was being made, I had envisioned something along the lines of Veronica Mars on the big screen. Of course, I knew that it wouldn't be anything like that, but the Kristen Bell character is similar to what I think a new version of Nancy Drew would be like. What we got was a movie that wasn't quite sure how to handle the character or how to deal with the tone. The end result is a movie that is not terribly bad, but it smacks of a missed opportunity.

The story, which had the working title of Nancy Drew: The Mystery in Hollywood Hills, has the young sleuth moving, temporarily, with her father to Los Angeles for some unspecified job-related reason. Nancy got to select where they were going to live, and true to form, she has chosen this old neglected mansion, which plays host to an unsolved Hollywood mystery. The spacious home was once owned by Dehlia Draycott, a top Hollywood actress who had disappeared for a number of months, only to be murdered shortly upon resurfacing. The long unsolved mystery has tickled Nancy's sleuthing itch and she sets out to find out the truth behind the mystery.

Nancy Drew is not a deep movie, there is little in the way of character development. Actually, there's no character development — what you see is what you get. From the requisite introductory scene through to the final reveal of who was behind everything, you are clued in at every step of the game. Of course, I was not expecting this to be the next Double Indemnity, nor was I expecting to be drawn in by its conventions, since I am clearly not within the target audience. I was just hoping to watch a movie that knew what it was, rather than the scattershot result.

The tone of Nancy Drew seems like a cross between The Brady Bunch Movie, Scooby-Doo, and low rent film noir. While the movie is set in the present day, Nancy is perpetually locked in the 1950s, attitudes, clothing, and all that goes with it. This would certainly open things up for a little comedic bite, but no, not going to go that route, which is a good thing, as I never really pictured her as a comedic target. Then there is the mystery, which does not have a lot of depth and is easy to follow, and the way Nancy and her little gang go about unraveling the clues is not unlike your typical Scooby mystery. During the final third, as the pieces all fall into place, it takes a brief darker turn which seems to be clearly inspired by '50s-era detective stories.

For all of its faults, I did find it somewhat endearing. It wasn't entirely dumb, it wasn't boring, and had a nice colorful look that the young girls at the screening seemed to really enjoy. The performances were decent, if unspectacular. I found myself lulled by the upbeat way in which the movie bounced along. Would I have preferred a movie that was a bit more serious? A bit more focused? Maybe a mystery that felt a little more substantial? Yes on all accounts. Still, It was inoffensive and delivered what the target audience desired. Just, be warned if you are outside the 7- to 13-year-old girl range.

Bottom line. It was an enjoyable diversion that, while nowhere near being perfect, was still enjoyable enough. There was also the cameo by Bruce Willis which may have been the best scene in the film. Not the train wreck I was expecting, but definitely a missed opportunity for something more.

Mildly Recommended.

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about entertainment when he isn’t sitting in a movie theater. He is known around the office as the “Movie Guy” and is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Interests include science fiction, horror, and metal music. His writings can be found at Draven99’s Musings, as well as Film School Rejects.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 at 6:13 am and is filed under Celebrity Gossip, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

In high school, the week before school ends is always known as "Hell Week." This is because all the teachers realize they have to cram in another chapter of the textbook, give a couple of tests, and prepare us for the dreaded finals. I have just survived another Hell Week. Well, after I survive something like that, I am totally ready for something fun. So, I saw Nancy Drew with my family.

Nine out of ten girls have read the Nancy Drew series. I read the Notebooks, which was the junior version. They are the only thing I remember reading in elementary school. I probably would have read the series, but I got turned off from reading after some of the required books in school. I don't care if it's a classic, I hated To Kill a Mockingbird! A lot. I remember wanting those adventures Nancy Drew had! Let's face it, life can be pretty boring and Nancy Drew spends her day deactivating bombs. I mean, I'm not daredevil, but compared to Geometry, I'd rather be there!

Nancy Drew (Emma Roberts) is a teenage girl who was never ordinary. She has an addiction to solving crimes and wears penny loafers. Nancy is forced to leave her home in River Heights, with her friends, including her love interest, Ned (Max Thierot), to move in Los Angeles with her father (Tate Donovan). She promises her father she will not solve any mysteries in L.A., because it's much too dangerous. Her father got a job offer from Dashiel Zachery Biedermeyer (Barry Bostwick), a high profile lawyer.

Well, as expected, Nancy disobeys her father. She was allowed to pick the house, so she picks one with a mystery that hasn't been solved for years. Of course, it includes a creepy caretaker played by Marshall Bell. The mystery centers around Dehlia Draycott (Laura Harring), a movie star. Dehila disappeared for five months. When she reappeared, she holds a party, but is killed before she could even greet the guests. Nancy just can't resist to solve the mystery after she finds a mysterious note involving her will.

Well, Corky, a twelve-year-old boy, played by Josh Flitter, befriends her. Corky was involved with a joke aimed to embarrass Nancy and decides to hang out with her instead. Behind the prank was Inga (Daniella Monet) and Trish (Kelly Vitz). Inga is Corky's sister, but he speculates she is also the devil. The two girls aren't very nice to her, despite the fact that Nancy really tries to fit in. Someone also drives Nancy's car and makes a surprise visit into town to help solve the mystery.

Somebody is trying to kill Nancy. Leshing, the caretaker, warned her whoever messed with the case, always finds trouble. Nancy doesn't listen. She receives threatening phone calls. Then, someone tries to run her and Corky over. Someone puts a bomb in her precious car. Nancy considers letting go of the case, but then remembers that people tried to kill her and she wasn't going to let them scare her.

The acting is really good. Emma Roberts is perfect for Nancy Drew. She was in Aquamarine recently and did really well on that also. I think she is more successful on the big screen. She starred in the Nickelodeon show, Unfabulous, for two seasons until it got the ax sometime last year. She was good, some of the supporting cast were not, so the show was not very good, in my opinion.

Speaking of the supporting cast, they did well too. Daniella Monet (Inga) seems to play the bitchy teenager a lot and is quite good at it. I'm not quite sure that she could pull off Nancy. After seeing her play the mean girl, I just could never see her as sweet Nancy Drew.

I remember seeing Max Thierot (Ned) in Catch that Kid and I hadn't seen him since, which really depressed me. I see his costar, Corbin Bleu, who I am absolutely in love with, all the time. Corbin went on to High School Musical and released his album last month.

I liked Marshall Bell (Leshing) a lot, although he scares me. Josh Flitter (Corky) was pretty good too, but he annoyed my mother. It's rare to see a movie that you can't complain about an actor, which is my favorite thing to do.

Kay Panabaker (Summerland, Read it and Weep) makes a brief apperance as George, Nancy's friend in River Heights. George, although huge in the books, is practically non-existent in the movie. I had a huge fight with my sister whether or not that was Kay Panabaker and I won! In the movie, Kay Panabaker has shorter hair. It was weird. I never win. My sister always recognizes actors and I can't.

The one and only complaint I have about the movie is the beginning. I didn't feel it. It was Nancy solving some case in River Heights. I thought it was a weak beginning. I hate when movies start like that. I hate when shows and movies start in the middle of stories. I felt like I came in the last twenty minutes of some movie.

Admit it. Everyone likes solving mysteries before the ending is revealed. Well, I can never do it. My sister can do it as soon as the criminal walks on the screen. It's amazing. Drives me mad. Well, Amanda, again, reached the conclusion early. My father, who is dense like me, figured it out. I could tell you why he figured it out first, but it would give it away. I, of course, figured it out when the bad guy started chasing Nancy. That's how I am.

I would recommend this movie. Now, granted, I like most movies, but that's because I don't see that many in theaters. My father liked it though! Now if a forty-year-old man liked it, it must be good, because it is something that you would expect a forty-year-old man to like. He didn't want to see it either. He wanted to see Knocked Up, but my sister's a prude and wouldn't allow it. Since he vetoed Fantastic Four, which is too bad, because Chris Evans is hot and I would love spending two hours looking at him. Heh. As a result, my father was dragged to Nancy Drew. Anyway, the point is Nancy Drew has romance, suspense, and, obviously, mystery and was totally worth ten bucks (or nine, because I have a student discount). Everyone should see it, because it was awesome.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 16th, 2007 at 5:55 pm and is filed under Celebrity Gossip, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.