User Reviews

Look, if I were interested in a Nancy Drew book, what I would do is pick up a book and read it. I'm not. Ever since I can remember I read people trashing movies because it wasn't like the book. I'm sorry - in the digital age we can no longer watch movies on flip books, however I'm sure you can still find a few short silent films in book form. When Lord of the Rings came out, people complained. When the third one won an Oscar - "The book was better." When I watched To Kill a Mockingbird, "the book was better." Now a bunch of people are upset, yet again, because Nancy Drew wasn't like the book. I'm not saying Nancy Drew is going to win any Oscars - if anything it'll be one of those Nickelodeon Blimps or Kids Choice Awards. I'm saying give film a break. It's film, not paper. As a movie, I found Nancy Drew quite enjoyable - featuring cameos from Bruce Willis and Adam Goldberg (The Hebrew Hammer) and supporting roles featuring Tate Donovan (Jimmy Cooper on the O.C.) and Rachel Leigh Cook (She's All That). This is the first time I've seen Emma Roberts in a movie and, frankly, I enjoy her work more than most of Julia and of Eric's; her character stays consistent throughout the film and reacts well with conflict. A lighthearted movie in the spirit of Harriet the Spy is nice now and again.

I give it ten stars because I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, would love to see it again, and will probably buy it upon DVD release.

To begin with, this movie has nothing to do with the Nancy Drew books, other than starting with a picture of some of them on a bookshelf. I am reminded of the opening scene in The Player, when writers are pitching their ideas to producers: I can see the writer saying "Okay, Nancy Drew, only UPDATED - she's a valley girl, reads fashion mags, and still sleuths, but we'll dumb it down so nobody will feel challenged by anything." Guys, it wasn't necessary to change it into the present time to reach your audience. But since you did, why not make it a little less white-bread, stereotype, LA scene? And why make Nancy Drew such an air-head? She doesn't actually do any thinking in this plot, and to make sure that no one in the audience has to think either, she explains everything, always.

There were all the original stories - really excellent mysteries with real clues, a real mystery, and Nancy Drew has to figure things out to solve the crime. Wouldn't that have been more successful? I don't think this plot is derived from any actual stories - the original writers would have been too embarrassed to propose it.

The plot is lame, the dialog is "Dick and Jane" meets Valley Girl, the acting is unremarkable - certainly there's nothing to challenge anybody here. And what is with the Corky character? Why is he in the plot? My biggest disappointment is the character of Nancy Drew. The original character was smart, independent, resourceful, and admirable. This character is none of those things: here she is vain, egocentric, juvenile, and not especially bright. Why is she wearing clothes out of the 50s? It is as if the writers couldn't decide whether to update it or not - and some things got left over from the original version. Certainly, it doesn't make any sense.

If everybody who is thinking of seeing this movie reads a couple of the Nancy Drew books instead, the world will be a much better place.

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 ...

Nancy Drew - How this film escaped going straight to the Bargin Bin at your local Walmart is the biggest mystery this film had to offer. Teen detective Nancy Drew (Emma Roberts) goes from her small town (where the biggest mystery is a stolen library card or who took Mrs. Jenkins brownies) to L.A. At least I think it's L.A. There's nothing that really signifies it as L.A. and no real initiative to make this "fish out of water" experience clever or new.

Am I the only one that thought there would be more black people and gunfire? Annoying as he can be, Chris Tucker (who depressingly has Rush Hour 3 coming out some time soon) would have really livened this movie up. Anything would have. The movie is only 99 minutes long, but it drags like old people (the word I'm looking for rhymes with truck). There are way too many lame montages. Bruce Willis makes a cameo, which makes this officially the worst movie he's ever been in. Armageddon and Die Hard 2 fans must be thrilled.

If there was one big thing (and it's a BIG thing) that this movie lacks, it's credibility. Everyone but Nancy is a blithering moron. No one uses guns, and even non-action fans will find they'd like SOMETHING to happen. I really wanted Nancy to be beaten up, at least once. Something to take that Ray of Sunshine crap away and make her act like a human being. Nancy Drew plunges headfirst out of a moving vehicle and survives being within 10 feet of a bomb going off. Even Roger Moore was semi-credible as 007.

Never mind that her 'friends' are a couple of Clueless rejects, It was a huge mistake to take Nancy Drew out of her era. Here, she's a teenage girl in 2007 with some strange affinity for the 50s, when a woman knew her place. She knows CPR, can perform a tracheotomy, knows how to decorate, never says or does the wrong thing, steals a few tricks from MacGyver, and always drives below the speed limit, even in a car chase. I could call it camp, except we're asked to follow her along on this feeble half-baked mystery that Scrappy Doo could crack and we're supposed to care as she constantly puts her life in danger. There are so many inexcusable sh!t-headed jumps in logic where this mystery is concerned. Why were the badguys trying to keep Nancy from finding the will if they had no idea where it was hidden? Her dad (Tate Donovan, who dresses like Humphrey Bogart, yet has a cellphone) seems more concerned (when he's not on the f*cking phone, what a lame script job) about her not sleuthing anymore than the mystery she's involved in. Max Theriot gets the thankless privilege of being Supergirl's girl.....I mean boyfriend. I could see some talent in him, but the script gives him nothing to do.

Even Corky, the cute chubby sidekick and one or two cute moments can't redeem this cheap piece of crap. The music is elevator quality. The script is below Disney Channel quality. The slo-motion was hilarious for the one of two action scenes. It's all too dumb to be taken seriously, not funny enough to be camp or parody, and too boring to hold anyone's interest. I was one of maybe 20 people in the audience, but oh for the love of all that is holy avoid this movie when your kid asks you to rent it in about two weeks. If you have a g/f or female presence of some sort that asks you to come along, play other movies in your mind when you watch, as I did.

This gets an unredeemable F.

I have to say that this was not very exciting but talk about fashion and weird ways to solve a mystery. A little too simple, Nancy Drew (Emma Roberts) uses IMDb... that's fantastic! I really liked about that part of the movie...

Corky (Josh Flitter) is however extremely hilarious... and Ned Nickerson (Max Thieriot) seemed really hopeless... he should have been more angry with her for how she has treated him...

Alright, this movie is tour and fashion in disguise. Anyhow, I recommend this movie, just for summer fun. Encore Nancy, just for fun. More teen spy movies by Emma Roberts.. Spymate... remember? She's becoming good at this tricky detective work.

It is nothing like the books. I mean, did they even read them? The star (Emma Roberts) said that nobody she knew read the books before the movie, though she is a "big fan" of them now. Sure, they're making her famous, but she didn't say she had *read* them, just that she is a big fan.

The gap between the integrity and intelligence of the books and the dumbness and juvenile nature of the movie is enormous.

Besides, the movie just doesn't make sense. Why does she dress the way she does and still read fashion magazines? What happened to Nancy Drew's intelligence? Don't bother to see the movie - read the books instead!!