A fun little murder mystery film with personality, The Thursday Murder Club is packed with amazing actors and a whimsical tone.
Netflix films can be a little bit hit or miss these days. It feels as if they are sometimes more interested in pumping out products, regardless of quality, just to have something new on the platform. Sometimes they’re really enjoyable (like KPop Demon Hunters or Crip Camp) and sometimes they’re seriously lacking (like Untold: The Liver King). Luckily, just from a quick glance at the cover, this one looked interesting.
The Thursday Murder Club is about a group of seniors living in a retirement community who meet each week to try to solve cold case murders. When their home is threatened by a shakeup in the ownership, murders begin taking place around them, and they have a much more personal reason to try to solve the crimes.
First and foremost, the cast is exceptional. Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley, Tom Ellis, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, and David Tennant (my favorite Doctor Who doctor) are just some of the highlights. These are people you know and love from many other movies, and it’s great watching them enjoy themselves together. For some of them, you feel as if they continue the relationship whether the camera is on or off – they’ve known each other for years.
Secondly, this is a murder mystery, but it is light and cute and endearing. It’s far more similar in tone to Knives Out or Clue than it is something like Rear Window, and the score backs up the airy feeling. I particularly love the choice of, “Oh Very Young” by Cat Stevens as the closing song.
Thirdly, I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. There are a lot of tongue-in-cheek moments as well as outright classy silliness. For example, a flower shop owner has their hands covered in streaks of blood as they trim thorny roses. The implied violence is light, and yet you find yourself wondering if they feel tough while snipping flowers.
This film is based on a book series of the same name, so I’m curious if there will be more installments. Overall, though, this is a charming and funny film with an absolutely stacked cast and likeable characters. Even the bad guys aren’t quite what you’d expect. Give it a watch. It’s perfect for an afternoon or evening viewing when you need something on the sweeter side. Plus, there’s cake.
Netflix films can be a little bit hit or miss these days. It feels as if they are sometimes more interested in pumping out products, regardless of quality, just to have something new on the platform. Sometimes they’re really enjoyable (like KPop Demon Hunters or Crip Camp) and sometimes they’re seriously lacking (like Untold: The Liver King). Luckily, just from a quick glance at the cover, this one looked interesting.
