Okay, I am such a teenage girl. I loved Nancy
Drew. It may not be the best kids movie ever but it did enough
things right to keep me involved.
Movie Review: Nancy Drew
The classic teenage detective gets a modern twist when Nancy (Emma Roberts)
spends the summer in Hollywood solving the mystery of a murdered movie star
and her long lost heir. Bad guys chase her but she gets to the bottom of
things.
Admittedly, everything is big and broad. They are talking down to kids but
with the best intentions. The adults are total hams like Barbara Barbaras
the realtor and the bumbling buffoon of a dad (Tate Donovan). The bad guys
are all cute and lovable, played by Chris Kattan and the like. Nancy evades
them with adorable tricks like posing as a church statue and descending
from the roof Batman style.
But this style also applies to Nancy's overachieving. In her new school,
she dominates the shop class, theater auditions and track team. She's ultra
friendly to everybody. This is behavior young kids should learn. It validates
individuality, brains and ambition.
There are awesome cameos from major Hollywood stars to quirky character
actors. It just warms my heart to see all of them support this empowering
girls' adventure.
The action is cute to put little kids in standard
action situations. A van chase, a slow motion explosion and other staples
are totally common, but just putting Emma Roberts in them is adorable. Nancy
Drew is like a modern Goonie with stunts and smarts, or a teenage Spy Kid
if you prefer.
The mystery fooled me. I thought it was obvious who the guy was but it turned
out to be someone else. The film's jazzy score keeps it feeling like an
old school detective movie despite the modern Hollywood update.
You should have a talk with your kids about the appropriate use of CPR.
Or send them to a real class so they know the difference between an emergency
tracheotomy and the Heimlich maneuver. Walking around Chinatown alone at
night (or any time of day) isn't good either but that's the fantasy part.
Nancy Drew is the best chick flick since The Notebook.
I still abhor the term chick flick but if you're gonna use it, at least
let me support something that might counterbalance the sexism of the phrase
with some good values for real girls.
Add to Heffee!
