Picture: Giles Keyte/Netflix
From Amblin Entertainment & Director/Producer Chris Columbus, The Thursday Murder Club is the film adaptation of the 2020 hit debut novel from British television presenter turned author Richard Osman. After the novel went #1 during Christmastime in the UK that year, Osman went on to turn the novel into a series that will soon publish its fifth installment later this year.
Actor/comedian/screenwriter Katy Brand (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show) & writer/producer Suzanne Heathcote (Fear the Walking Dead, Killing Eve) co-wrote the screenplay as the template for Director Chris Columbus’ vision of the film. While Columbus is no stranger to Netflix viewers as the writer/director of recent holiday success story The Christmas Chronicles, he should most certainly be top of mind for movie fans of all ages for his legendary family-friendly films such as Home Alone, the first 2 Harry Potter films, and Percy Jackson & the Olympians.
With such notable talent on the page and behind the camera, the creators would be remiss if the cast didn’t match their standards. Leading the exceedingly accomplished & impressively deep cast are the Fab 4 of Oscar-winning actors Helen Mirren (The Queen, Red) & Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Sexy Beast) alongside 007 himself Pierce Brosnan and SAG Award nominee Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Diplomat).
The supporting cast also features Mickey 17’s Naomi Ackie, “Lucifer” himself Tom Ellis, Doctor Who & Loki standout Richard E. Grant, fellow “Doctor” David Tennant & Oscar/Emmy nominee Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes, Game of Thrones).
One can’t help but wonder if these skilled veteran craftspeople & performers came together so easily due to the extreme overlap in their previous work. Chris Columbus directed Brosnan in Mrs. Doubtfire, Brosnan is currently working as a married crime couple with Helen Mirren in “Mobland”, Mirren worked alongside Celia Imrie in Calendar Girls, & of course Brosnan went toe to toe with Jonathan Pryce in the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
But while Tomorrow may never die, multiple murders are in need of solving in the lives of “The Thursday Murder Club”, a smart & resourceful group of pensioners at the luxurious Cooper’s Chase Retirement Village who pass the time attempting to solve cold cases provided by a former law enforcement official/ former TMC member.
Picture: Netflix
For current TMC members – Elizabeth (Mirren), Ron (Brosnan), & Ibrahim (Kingsley) – and their new trial basis associate Joyce (Imrie), their casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn close to home as they find themselves in the middle of a real whodunnit involving the ownership group of their very own Cooper’s Chase.
While the collective talent assembled for the film is noteworthy & brilliant, the execution of the film itself, sad to say, is far more pedestrian & mild. Even with a story that gives dignity & ability to their veteran headlining cast, it’s hard to fully engage with a mystery that has no layers, villains with no bite, & a club of (mostly) amateur sleuths that don’t spend a lot of time actually working together.
The Thursday Murder Club is a breezy, passive, & largely drama-free “murder of the week” story that gives its audience constant explanations and resets in case you missed something (not that YOU need that of course). This type of movie has a place, and the audience for actors of a certain age in leading roles is largely underserved, so this film can be a welcome sight for many people and could do very well on the platform. Not here to yuck anyone’s yum.
But, if you have the expectation of a Knives Out-level twister or the wit of a good Agatha Christie novel adaptation, I would say aim lower. Performances from Mirren & Imrie as the mind & the charm respectively in the film are effective with occasional moments of delight, even if Mirren’s Elizabeth treats most everyone she meets as a lesser being, including Imrie’s Joyce. She seems genuinely shocked any time someone remotely impresses her, which is not often, and seems to not need her fellow club members as much as they need her. As this movie is based on a novel series, has big-name stars, & should do good numbers on Netflix, I am interested to see how the dynamic between the club members will present itself when it doesn’t have a case that involves saving their own homes.
With all my notes and gripes about lacking punch or convenient plot devices (digging up a grave first instead of non-sacriligious ground?!) or whatever Ben Kingsley was trying to pull off or the fact that the group doesn’t really solve the murder first or the flashback that never came of Elizabeth & Penny’s relationship to establish any semblance of emotion in the finale, The Thursday Murder Club will still succeed. The leading actors don’t disappoint, the plot is easy to digest, the murders are either non-violent or off-screen, and the levity & charm is just enough to make a movie night after work enjoyable. Just keep those expectations as low as the amount of wine left in your glass after a long week.
Watch The Thursday Murder Club If You Like
- Midsomer Murders
- The Marlow Murder Club
- Red
- Going in Style
MVP of The Thursday Murder Club
Celia Imrie as Joyce Meadowcroft
The Thursday Murder Club (L to R) Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie. Photo Credit: Giles Keyte / Netflix
While it may be easy to choose Helen Mirren here as she does most of the actual detecting & solving in the titular “club”, my choice is to go with the one person who brightened up most every scene she was in: Celia Imrie.
In a cozy whodunnit where the needle doesn’t go too high, Imrie’s Joyce seemed to provide some of the rare moments of spunk, levity, & joy. Her improv at the police station, her clapback at her daughter on the phone when her club needed her, and, of course, her baking skills all made the audience lean in.
It will be widely seen. It will satisfy its audience. It will get a sequel. But don’t think The Thursday Murder Club will be much more than a surface-level whodunnit that doesn’t challenge or excite.
