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djonnAs threatened elsewhere -- and because I am, I admit, a Teen Sleuth Junkie™ -- I caught a showing of Nancy Drew this afternoon.
And was, rather to my surprise, impressed.
Despite the fact that this was made under the Warner Bros. umbrella, what we have here is a spiritual heir to the classic "Disney repertory" tradition of family films. And if its cast isn't quite as self-assured or its script quite as polished as that of, say, Candleshoe or Bedknobs & Broomsticks, this is nonetheless a remarkable movie, and one that deserves to do well.
Now that I think of it, Candleshoe is a remarkably apt citation. Like Nancy Drew, it's a straightforward crumbling-mansion mystery. Its star is a relatively new teen actress (though Emma Roberts has to carry the present film to a much higher degree than Jodie Foster had to carry Candleshoe). And both films are adaptations of literary material, though the Michael Innes novel from which the Disney film is taken is not at all well-known (and the film version is an extremely free rendering).
Back to Nancy Drew, though. The previews make much of Nancy's "retro" look, emphasize the high-school aspects of the film (which don't actually occupy a lot of screen time), and attempt to suggest that the film is much campier than it actually is. In fact, though the "retro" elements are a definite character quirk, they are an accent rather than a shtick. The main plot is, in fact, a mystery -- nothing too intricate, but with enough depth to keep the film moving along at a fair clip. There is solid and varied sleuthing; indeed, more than one key clue is unraveled by (gasp!) pure, unadulterated legwork. The teen-comedy elements are mostly an early sidelight, and are ultimately squashed flat when Nancy's called on to perform an emergency tracheotomy (yes, that sounds like a scene that should go disastrously wrong on all sorts of levels, but trust me, in context it's set up and executed to exactly the right effect).
Despite a good deal of publicity and early comment asserting that Josh Flitter steals the film as a precocious 12-year old who appoints himself Nancy's sidekick, this is very much Emma Roberts' movie -- and she pulls it off very well indeed, coming across as self-assured yet sensible and occasionally introspective, notably in a brief but sensitive scene with Rachael Leigh Cook. Flitter's great virtue is that he actually underplays his part to superb effect, a rare feat for an actor his age. And Marshall Bell, as the eerie caretaker of Nancy's rented Hollywood mansion, is very well cast. By contrast, Tate Donovan's version of Carson Drew seems oddly harried (though this is partly a script issue). Max Thieriot does the best he can with visiting boyfriend Ned Nickerson, but he's badly hampered by (a) being too young and skinny, and (b) a script slanted heavily in favor of Flitter's character.
Much like those '70s Disney films, Nancy Drew's last third makes a sharp turn from amiable lightness into briskly paced action, and for the most part, the action sequences are solidly and credibly staged. There are one or two moments that almost cross the line into camp, and one situation in which it's fortunate for our heroine that the villains aren't a little more ruthless -- but in every case, the film steps away from the edge before losing its balance.
A word should be said here about the opening and first-stage closing credits, which are beautifully designed to emulate the simple black-and-white interior illustrations of the first two generations of Nancy Drew novels. These, as much as the handful of story elements directly lifted from the books, indicate that the filmmakers are very aware of the character's heritage.
The bottom line? While the script treats Nancy's history with a certain degree of playfulness, structurally and thematically the film is loyal to the Nancy Drew tradition. Cheerfully recommended for all Teen Sleuth Junkies™. for smart ten-year-olds of both sexes (give or take a couple of years), and for anyone in search of a genuinely family-friendly movie that treats both its viewers and its characters with intelligence and respect.
And was, rather to my surprise, impressed.
Despite the fact that this was made under the Warner Bros. umbrella, what we have here is a spiritual heir to the classic "Disney repertory" tradition of family films. And if its cast isn't quite as self-assured or its script quite as polished as that of, say, Candleshoe or Bedknobs & Broomsticks, this is nonetheless a remarkable movie, and one that deserves to do well.
Now that I think of it, Candleshoe is a remarkably apt citation. Like Nancy Drew, it's a straightforward crumbling-mansion mystery. Its star is a relatively new teen actress (though Emma Roberts has to carry the present film to a much higher degree than Jodie Foster had to carry Candleshoe). And both films are adaptations of literary material, though the Michael Innes novel from which the Disney film is taken is not at all well-known (and the film version is an extremely free rendering).
Back to Nancy Drew, though. The previews make much of Nancy's "retro" look, emphasize the high-school aspects of the film (which don't actually occupy a lot of screen time), and attempt to suggest that the film is much campier than it actually is. In fact, though the "retro" elements are a definite character quirk, they are an accent rather than a shtick. The main plot is, in fact, a mystery -- nothing too intricate, but with enough depth to keep the film moving along at a fair clip. There is solid and varied sleuthing; indeed, more than one key clue is unraveled by (gasp!) pure, unadulterated legwork. The teen-comedy elements are mostly an early sidelight, and are ultimately squashed flat when Nancy's called on to perform an emergency tracheotomy (yes, that sounds like a scene that should go disastrously wrong on all sorts of levels, but trust me, in context it's set up and executed to exactly the right effect).
Despite a good deal of publicity and early comment asserting that Josh Flitter steals the film as a precocious 12-year old who appoints himself Nancy's sidekick, this is very much Emma Roberts' movie -- and she pulls it off very well indeed, coming across as self-assured yet sensible and occasionally introspective, notably in a brief but sensitive scene with Rachael Leigh Cook. Flitter's great virtue is that he actually underplays his part to superb effect, a rare feat for an actor his age. And Marshall Bell, as the eerie caretaker of Nancy's rented Hollywood mansion, is very well cast. By contrast, Tate Donovan's version of Carson Drew seems oddly harried (though this is partly a script issue). Max Thieriot does the best he can with visiting boyfriend Ned Nickerson, but he's badly hampered by (a) being too young and skinny, and (b) a script slanted heavily in favor of Flitter's character.
Much like those '70s Disney films, Nancy Drew's last third makes a sharp turn from amiable lightness into briskly paced action, and for the most part, the action sequences are solidly and credibly staged. There are one or two moments that almost cross the line into camp, and one situation in which it's fortunate for our heroine that the villains aren't a little more ruthless -- but in every case, the film steps away from the edge before losing its balance.
A word should be said here about the opening and first-stage closing credits, which are beautifully designed to emulate the simple black-and-white interior illustrations of the first two generations of Nancy Drew novels. These, as much as the handful of story elements directly lifted from the books, indicate that the filmmakers are very aware of the character's heritage.
The bottom line? While the script treats Nancy's history with a certain degree of playfulness, structurally and thematically the film is loyal to the Nancy Drew tradition. Cheerfully recommended for all Teen Sleuth Junkies™. for smart ten-year-olds of both sexes (give or take a couple of years), and for anyone in search of a genuinely family-friendly movie that treats both its viewers and its characters with intelligence and respect.
