Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Naomi Ackie
Running Time: 118 minutes
Synopsis: At the Coopers Chase retirement home in England, residents Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), and Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) form an amateur club to solve cold murder cases. Elizabeth has mysterious connections in the enforcement world, Ron is a former trade unionist, and Ibrahim is a retired professor. They are soon joined by new resident Joyce (Celia Imrie), a retired nurse. A controversial plan to redevelop Coopers Chase and evict the residents seems to result in a murder, and the amateur sleuths team up with police constable Donna De Freitas (Naomi Ackie) to delve into the case.
What Works Well: This is a lighthearted Agatha Christie-adjacent mystery, riding on effortless star charisma and picturesque English countryside settings. The whodunnit elements are carefully crafted, with enough peripheral but essential characters and motivations to sustain the guessing game. The sub-plots encompass a cold case involving a woman stabbed and thrown from a window, Ron's son (a former boxing contender reduced to shadowy jobs), a falling-out between business partners, a Polish handyman, and another elderly resident (and former law enforcement official) now in a coma.
What Does Not Work As Well: Lighthearted also borders on lightweight and frivolous, and the few attempts to introduce a bit of jeopardy (Elizabeth has a couple of threatening encounters) don't convince. Fun and entertaining, but never more than that.
Key Quote:
Joyce (excited): Now we've got a real case to solve, isn't that wonderful!...obviously, RIP and all that.
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