Nancy Drew

Review by Clint Morris

There’s a reason why renting DVDs from your local library has become so popular – all the good books are on loan … to Hollywood producers!

With new cinematic transfers of the Peter Pan, Lord of the Rings and Narnia hardcovers on an undeviating loop in the crèche its no surprise to see Warner Bros has resurrected the queen of the Penny Loafers.

Question is - is the source material a little too dog-eared for today’s youngsters?

Antecedent to Veronica Mars (and watching the movie it’s clear just how much of an inspiration the classic literary series had on Rob Thomas’s beloved series), Nancy Drew was a blue roadster-driving teenager, the daughter of a detective, who was hooked on solving her town’s mysteries. With the aid of her friend Ned she usually had the case solved within the day.

Nancy Drew was one of the 1930s most popular literary characters – and, well, she probably should’ve stayed there. In the 30s, that is. Though a fun-enough jaunt for ten-year olds Andrew Fleming’s contemporised (they’ve thrown in the Smallville references; the pop tunes and the Bruce Willis cameo to remind you it’s set ‘now’) Nancy is a little too anachronistic for today’s pernickety and seen-it-all-before cinemagoers.

In this take, Drew (Emma Roberts; daughter of actor Eric Roberts, niece of Julia Roberts) and her father (Tate Donovan) move to California from their sleepy unimpeachable middle-of-nowhere town. Before arriving in the city of angels, Dad makes daughter promise that she’ll retire her unadvertised private detective business.

Little does Dad know that his suitably well-attired (she’s a fish out of water in L.A on many levels) daughter has organised for the duo to rent the house of a dead movie star (Laura Harring) while they’re in California – a movie star whose death was never solved.

With the help of an old friend, Ned (Max Thieriot), and a new friend, the amusing Corky (Josh Flitter), Drew gets to know the underbelly of Los Angeles and in turn, of course, solves her first Californian crime.

I don’t know about this.

But I hear your ask, ‘Why’s Veronica Mars so popular then? Isn’t it the same thing’? The answer is no. You see – and despite its small screen restrictions – the scripts for Veronica Mars are always intriguing, imaginative, funny and, predominantly, universally enchanting. Whether you’re twelve or thirty-five, you’ll enjoy it. Warners has neglected to take into consideration that older demographic here – with Veronica Mars now on the way out there could have been a real opportunity here – and skewed the film to the Casper and Lizzie McGuire crowd. In short, if you’re commonly told you’re ‘too small to go on this ride’ you’ll enjoy it.

Not to say the film’s a complete waste of time, it isn’t, it’s reasonably well done – the performances (Roberts and particularly, newcomer Flitter as the chubby clown, Corky, are quite good); the locations (they’ve made good use of some of Hollywood’s landmarks) look good; the music is toe-tapping good and there’s been a reasonable attempt to make things ‘hip’ and ‘cool’; it’s well, just not funky or fun enough.

My only question: Nobody watched a teenage sleuth on TV for free - will they want to pay to see one?

2.5 out of 5

Nancy Drew
Australian release: 28th June, 2007
Cast: Emma Roberts, Tate Donovan, Barry Bostwick, Laura Elena Harring, Josh Flitter
Director: Andrew Fleming
Website: Click here.