For generations of fans worldwide, the name Nancy Drew is synonymous with adventure. This young amateur detective has a mind of her own, a passion for solving mysteries and a reputation for getting into and out of some very tricky situations.
This summer, "Nancy Drew" brings the timeless heroine to Los Angeles, where she is faced with a fresh set of challenges and her most baffling case yet.
All of that being written, however, the movie peaks after a clever opening sequence (original illustrations from the classic novel series), and brings nothing new to the genre. Worst of all, most of the picture has her reading, sitting, searching for secret passages, listening to strange sounds in the night and getting picked on by schoolmates.
"My Dinner With Andre" has more action scenes than this supposed whodunit.
Nancy (16-year-old Emma Roberts, "Aquamarine"), like the cast of the "Brady Bunch" films, is hopelessly trapped in the 1960s, with pleated skirts, matching sweaters, knee socks and penny loafers. The folks in her hometown of River Heights (state unnamed) think she's clever, resourceful and cute-as-a-button (so do I).
But complications arise when her father, Carson Drew (Tate Donavon, "Good Night, And Good Luck"), is temporarily transferred to Los Angeles.
In the cliché Hollywood high filled with punks, sluts, potheads, zipoids, emo's, scumbags, jocks, gangstas, and other assorted losers, Nancy just doesn't fit it (who would?).
Soon, after moving into the huge, haunted, creepy, rented mansion, another mystery seems to be in the making. Unfortunately, the solution to said enigma can easily be deduced by anyone over the age of 12, and I count myself in that category.
And, in spite of stern dad's admonition about "no more sleuthing," Nancy teams up with a fat freshman, Corky (Josh Flitter, who played the goofy caddy in "The Greatest Game Ever Played"), and tries to discover the secret of a Catherine Zeta-Jones-type film star who died under suspicious circumstances in 1981.
When she does uncover the "horrible truth," though, the movie becomes a maudlin domestic drama with an empowering message for single moms. Kind of heavy for the demographic it purports to target.
Showing up for mild support is Barry Bostwick (who once played George Washington in the 1970s and was then the addled mayor in the TV series, "Spin City"), as a bigwig lawyer; Max Thieriot (Ned Nickerson, "The Astronaut Farmer"), as Nancy's hang-dog boyfriend too dopey to realize she's just in it for the crime solving; Marshall Bell ("Capote", Stand By Me") as a crazed caretaker; and Chris Kattan ("Corky Romano," former "SNL" cast member), as a sappy crook.
Bruce Willis and Adam Goldberg even make completely unnecessary cameos in a sequence that leads absolutely nowhere. Still, it is the movie's most interesting moment.
Young girls, however, should get a kick out of seeing one of their own triumph over the odds and bad guys in the end, so I suppose it can't be all bad. And it is nice to see Hollywood think of the Suger & Spice set instead of sending us yet another film made exclusively for 14-18-year old boys.
Thank goodness for the small things ...
This summer, "Nancy Drew" brings the timeless heroine to Los Angeles, where she is faced with a fresh set of challenges and her most baffling case yet.
All of that being written, however, the movie peaks after a clever opening sequence (original illustrations from the classic novel series), and brings nothing new to the genre. Worst of all, most of the picture has her reading, sitting, searching for secret passages, listening to strange sounds in the night and getting picked on by schoolmates.
"My Dinner With Andre" has more action scenes than this supposed whodunit.
Nancy (16-year-old Emma Roberts, "Aquamarine"), like the cast of the "Brady Bunch" films, is hopelessly trapped in the 1960s, with pleated skirts, matching sweaters, knee socks and penny loafers. The folks in her hometown of River Heights (state unnamed) think she's clever, resourceful and cute-as-a-button (so do I).
But complications arise when her father, Carson Drew (Tate Donavon, "Good Night, And Good Luck"), is temporarily transferred to Los Angeles.
In the cliché Hollywood high filled with punks, sluts, potheads, zipoids, emo's, scumbags, jocks, gangstas, and other assorted losers, Nancy just doesn't fit it (who would?).
Soon, after moving into the huge, haunted, creepy, rented mansion, another mystery seems to be in the making. Unfortunately, the solution to said enigma can easily be deduced by anyone over the age of 12, and I count myself in that category.
And, in spite of stern dad's admonition about "no more sleuthing," Nancy teams up with a fat freshman, Corky (Josh Flitter, who played the goofy caddy in "The Greatest Game Ever Played"), and tries to discover the secret of a Catherine Zeta-Jones-type film star who died under suspicious circumstances in 1981.
When she does uncover the "horrible truth," though, the movie becomes a maudlin domestic drama with an empowering message for single moms. Kind of heavy for the demographic it purports to target.
Showing up for mild support is Barry Bostwick (who once played George Washington in the 1970s and was then the addled mayor in the TV series, "Spin City"), as a bigwig lawyer; Max Thieriot (Ned Nickerson, "The Astronaut Farmer"), as Nancy's hang-dog boyfriend too dopey to realize she's just in it for the crime solving; Marshall Bell ("Capote", Stand By Me") as a crazed caretaker; and Chris Kattan ("Corky Romano," former "SNL" cast member), as a sappy crook.
Bruce Willis and Adam Goldberg even make completely unnecessary cameos in a sequence that leads absolutely nowhere. Still, it is the movie's most interesting moment.
Young girls, however, should get a kick out of seeing one of their own triumph over the odds and bad guys in the end, so I suppose it can't be all bad. And it is nice to see Hollywood think of the Suger & Spice set instead of sending us yet another film made exclusively for 14-18-year old boys.
Thank goodness for the small things ...