Nancy Drew - Girl Detective

It's not a great film, but much better than expected and fans of cheesy teen films should find something here to enjoy, though it does struggle at times when if falls into the typical small town girl being taken advantage of the cooler kids from the big city. I've noticed some people objecting to Emma Roberts being cast in the title role, but she comes off quite capable and smart, and she's likable and young enough if the studio would decide to make this into a franchise she could do quite well. And Josh Flitter is a good comic foil for this type of film. Not great, but better than your average Hollywood fare. You can come read the full review Friday morning at RazorFine.

The kids I took to this movie loved it (four children, ages 9 to 12 years; they would have given it 10 stars). Emma Roberts was adorable in the title role. (Expect to see more of this next-generation Roberts in the future.) After being over exposed to the likes of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton, it was refreshing to see a girl who didn't look like she worked the streets. Also enjoyed seeing a supporting cast that included Tate Donovan, Rachel Leigh Cook, Barry Bostwick, and Monica Parker (with a cameo by Bruce Willis). Final takeaway: Cute film.

(Note: I did not read the book series, so my comments are based on the merits of the film alone.)

OK heres what I say:

The movie was excellent. I am a huge Nancy fan and I have read all 1-56 original books and I went on to read more. I am now on 96. Beware of villains giving this movie a lower grade than it should have. All clues point to a wonderful movie! I loved the whole thing. So what Nancy is in current time. She is still old fashioned like she is in the books! People who haven't read more than 5 books are complaining about the view of Nancy. I have read all of them and I think Emma is perfect and that Nancy was perfect. I found parts of the movie spooky. I loved the exciting car chases and get aways. I loved the clues. I solved the mystery myself! It was really wonderful. I suggest you go see it since people who have been complaining know nothing of A what a good movie is and B about Nancy Drew. Go see it. It may not be Oscar worthy but its really a good movie.

I'm a 16 year old teenager who took my 10 year old sister to Nancy Drew this morning. She's been bored sitting around the house all summer, so my mom suggested I go with her to see the first showing. I took her, not expecting much, thinking I could just sit back and not care what was going on. I've never read the Nancy Drew books, but my younger sister has and plays the computer games. She absolutely LOVED it, and I was surprised with myself when I found that I was paying attention, enjoying the movie.

The plot is a bit weak, but functional. The characters are fun to watch, especially the Californians. I thought some of her methods were a bit far-fetched (I found myself thinking-- What teenage girl carries that around with her 24/7?), but then again, it is a creation of Hollywood. It's not Oscar quality at all, but it's a fun one just to kick back and enjoy.

As a grownup in my mid-40s, I am not even close to any of "Nancy Drew"'s key demographics, but I was pleasantly surprised by the film this afternoon; so, I could tell, were the pair of sixtyish silver-haired ladies down the row from me. The older man who left the theater just ahead of me specifically praised the film to the 20-ish female usher (who said she'd seen the film the previous evening and quite liked it).

More to the point, however: In the row just ahead of me, there were nine -- count them, nine -- ten-year-old girls lined up next to each other, passing popcorn and hot dogs and candy back and forth and giggling through the previews.

Once the film began, they promptly settled down to watch....

....and didn't so much as peep till the closing credits began to roll.

This is not a perfect film; it doesn't quite pay off its high school subplots, it's not quite confident enough of its own tone, and its thugs are just a hair too far over toward critically inept at times. But the adaptation of the source material is essentially respectful, the plot hangs together fairly well, and it treads deftly between the sins of excessive cheesiness and excessive modernization. Last but not least, Emma Roberts carries the movie with startling grace -- Josh Flitter's superb timing notwithstanding, this is Roberts' movie, and she pulls it off beautifully. Her Nancy Drew is very much the direct ancestor of Kristen Bell's Veronica Mars, and the film is also a lineal descendant of Jodie Foster's early and underrated "Candleshoe".

In today's marketplace, it's a rarity: a family movie that respects its viewers' intelligence. As such, it won't be to everyone's taste -- but for what it is, it is the best movie of its kind in decades.