The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club is a delightfully charming movie that hits all the highs of the cozy murder mystery genre without any of the negatives.

The tone of the film is a little lukewarm, and the visuals aren’t the most thrilling, but there’s a very welcome absence of condescension and sentimentality that is often used in the portrayal of elderly people on film, particularly when they engage in activities not typically associated with their age.

Aiding their investigations is an underappreciated policewoman appealingly played by Naomi Ackie. The proceedings are marshaled with affection by the director Chris Columbus.

Standing out among the cast are Pierce Brosnan, clearly enjoying his scruffy beard and potbelly, and Helen Mirren, who threatens to turn this into something sexier and scarier at every moment. Chris Columbus keeps things on the straight and narrow, however, directing as if this were an adaptation of Harry Potter Book 78.

Grab your nan, put the kettle on and enjoy some exceedingly fine thesps hamming it up royally.

The Thursday Murder Club never nails its tone, forever feeling like it’s still in rehearsal rather than down to the final edit.

Maybe this would hit the spot for a Sunday-night sofa slump but it’s more patronising than perceptive when it comes to portraying ageing. As disappointing as a stale scone.

If you enjoy a great cozy mystery series, this movie with its great cast, all at their best, is sure to please you.

The Thursday Murder Club is exactly the kind of film that works best when you do not expect too much from it. The premise is simple and charming: a group of elderly residents living in an elite English retirement community spend their time solving old, unfinished police cases. Then, at some point, a real case lands in their hands, one that is not only about murder, but also about the future of the place they call home. The strongest part of the film is obviously the cast. Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, Jonathan Pryce, David Tennant, Tom Ellis, Geoff Bell and others. That is a genuinely impressive line-up, and from an acting perspective, there is very little to complain about. Everyone knows what kind of film they are in, and they carry it with a lot of charm. My problem is that the characters themselves feel a bit too thin. The film focuses mostly on Elizabeth, played by Helen Mirren, and while she is naturally great, the rest of the club often feels more like a set of pleasant supporting figures than fully developed characters. They are important to the story, but at times I had the feeling that if some of them were replaced by random side characters, the effect would not change that much. Maybe they simply needed more time, but the result is that the group never feels as strong as the cast suggests it should. As a crime story, it is solid. I do not think a cozy crime comedy needs to be some impossible Sherlock Holmes-level puzzle. It does not have to be insanely complicated. The investigation, the elimination of suspects and the road to the finale are all handled correctly. I guessed most of the ending, but more by intuition than by actually piecing everything together. And that is where I have a small issue. A really good mystery should give you enough clues to feel that you could have solved it yourself, either earlier or with one final missing piece. Here, that final clue technically appears, but it feels a little too convenient. Not terrible, just slightly unsatisfying. As a comedy, it is more “pleasant” than genuinely funny. I laughed a few times, and the humor has a certain charm, but I often felt there was not enough space for it. The crime plot dominates, and the comedy does not always land as strongly as it probably should. There is also the classic character of the police officer who is mostly there to learn everything last, so the amateur detectives can look smarter. That can work, but here it did not really do much for me. Compared to Knives Out or the first two seasons of Only Murders in the Building, this is definitely weaker. Those stories had sharper writing, stronger character dynamics and a better balance between comedy and mystery. The Thursday Murder Club is lighter, softer and safer. Still, I cannot say I had a bad time with it. If you are not tired of murder mysteries, true crime podcasts and cozy whodunits, this is a perfectly fine evening watch. It is not a film you need to rush to see immediately, but if you want something light, charming and easy to watch, it does the job. A pleasant cast-driven mystery comedy, carried mostly by its actors. 6/10

FIle this under "The Book is Way Better Than the Movie" category. As a film, The Thursday Murder Club is entertaining enough. but between saccharine scenes and plot decisions to make this fit into movie format, the movie compels me to read the book way more than watch again. Countless things have convenient solutions and discussing with someone who HAS read the book, the look of "what are they doing?" that I consistently saw leads me to think my initial assessment is not off. It is a complex murder mystery book with performances that have their moments though clearly comes up short from the source material. I'll give the book a try and if you want something light to watch, then this will serve that purpose more than competently. Just don't expect to be left buzzing and needing to tell all your friends about it.

The best way I would sum this up is a talented cast wasted on a generic, muddled, and predictable plot. It just wasn't worth suffering through and should have been a good 15-20 minutes shorter.

Thankfully as I read the 5th book I can still see Ron as my mind had hoped and not Piers Brosnan stinking up the place