‘The Sheep Detectives’ is a Wonderfully Charming and Uplifting Talking-Animal Mystery

May 5, 2026

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Baa, yeah! (CREDIT: Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
© 2025 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Starring: Live-Action Cast: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Tosin Cole, Hong Chau, Emma Thompson, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Conleth Hill, Mandeep Dhillon Voice Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein, Rhys Darby

Director: Kyle Balda

Running Time: 109 Minutes

Rating: PG for Pastoral Peril

Release Date: May 8, 2026 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) is a simple shepherd in the English village of Denbrook. His days are spent tending to his flock, while his nights are spent reading mystery novels to them. Who could possibly have something against such a seemingly purehearted man? Well, he must have had his enemies, based on the fact that he suddenly dies one day, and the evidence points to murder. A colorful cast of potential suspects quickly emerges at his will reading, with his lawyer (Emma Thompson), his long-lost daughter (Molly Gordon), another shepherd (Tosin Cole), a local merchant (Hong Chau), a priest (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), and a butcher (Conleth Hill) all making themselves at least a little bit suspicious. Meanwhile, the in-over-his-head local policeman (Nicholas Braun) tries to sort it all out, and an interloping journalist thinks he’s found a career-defining scoop in the most unlikely of places. And of course the whole story is presented through the perspective of those titular Sheep Detectives, with the preternaturally clever Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) leading the way. Sheep, shepherd thyself?

What Made an Impression?: Drawn to Life: The Sheep Detectives is based on German writer Leonie Swann’s novel Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story, which is a bit surprising, as I would’ve guessed that the source material would have been a children’s picture book. Whatever the provenance, though, all of the ovine creatures are fully realized with deep, painterly care. This is one of the most emotionally hefty performances of Louis-Dreyfus’ career, and pretty much all of the other woolly companions make indelible impressions as well. Could this prove to be the latest film that will raise a generation of vegetarians? At the very least they’ll be mutton-avoiders.
Tropey and a Little Twisty: If you’re somehow worried that a movie with a premise like this one could get wildly explicit, you can rest easily knowing that The Sheep Detectives slots comfortably in what’s known as the “cozy mystery.” Which is to say, it takes place in a tight-knit bucolic community, the detectives are amateur (or amateur-ish), profanity is nonexistent, and any sex and violence is shunted offscreen. So if you’re a fan of this particular genre, you’ll surely see the gears turning as they normally do, though there’s still room to stretch out for surprising character beats. Or even if those beats fit within the typical mold, they’re emotionally satisfying enough that you can forgive any obviousness.
A Lesson That Never Gets Old: I imagine some viewers will be able to finger the killer right away, and that the humor will be a little too cute for some crowds. But even if that’s so, don’t be shocked if you find yourself bawling like a little lamb by the end. That’s because this movie is here to impart a lesson that I’m sure you’ve heard before, though it’s one that never gets old and that’s always worth repeating. Which is to say: kindness is everything. It’s what binds us together, protects us, makes the dark times bearable, and ensures that those we love most will never truly be gone. And The Sheep Detectives has done us all a great kindness by virtue of existing.

The Sheep Detectives is Recommended If You Like: Babe, Cozy mysteries, Legal documents being treated like airings of grievances, The countryside

Grade: 4 out of 5 Hooves

‘The Garfield Movie’ is Like 100 Tons of the Silliest Lasagna You’ve Ever Consumed

May 21, 2024

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This review was written on a Monday. (CREDIT: DNEG Animation)

Starring: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong, Harvey Guillén, Brett Goldstein, Bowen Yang, Janelle James, Snoop Dogg

Director: Mark Dindal

Running Time: 101 Minutes

Rating: PG for Kitty Calamities

Release Date: May 24, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Everyone’s favorite lasagna-loving feline is back on the big screen, and this time, it’s called… The Garfield Movie! (I guess all those other cinematic outings were merely “A” Garfield Movie?) Anyway, now he’s voiced by Chris Pratt, and his gluttony is fueled by his owner Jon Arbuckle’s (Nicholas Hoult) seemingly limitless credit card and all the food delivery apps he can get his paws. He’s pretty happy just lounging around devouring his daily feasts with his beagle buddy Odie (Harvey Guillén). But then his absentee dad Vic (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up out of the blue to wrangle him into a hero’s journey, as they attempt to heist some milk from a farm to square away Vic’s debt with Jinx (Hannah Waddingham), the devilish crime boss Persian cat.

What Made an Impression?: Slingshot All Day: I’m not going to call out a cartoon for its unrealistic portrayal of physics. After all, part of the advantages of this medium is that it doesn’t have to be bound by the laws of science in the same way that live action movies are. That comes into play with a series of train-based set pieces, as Garfield fails to board one of the cars cleanly and ends up getting bounced around by a ridiculous series of objects providing an inordinate amount of thrust. I wasn’t scandalized by the lack of respect for the natural world, but I was befuddled. Perhaps if I had been in a sillier mood, I would have been more ready to throw out a laugh or several.
Wait, What World is This?: The plot of The Garfield Movie isn’t much to write about (or at least it’s not much that I’m interested in writing about), so instead I’m focusing on the weird details that made me go, what the heck is the context here? To wit: at one point during Garfield’s adventures getting tossed hither and thither, he flies by a giant balloon float version of… himself. So does that mean that this movie is taking place on Thanksgiving? And that Garfield is famous in this world as an actual real-world somewhat-anthropomorphic kitty?
Also, what’s the deal with all the blatant product placement? I guess Garfield is just a classic capitalist consumer with a bad case of brand loyalty. Perhaps you won’t notice these details as much as I did. Or perhaps you will notice them but will find them amusing. The people in my screening who were cracking up the most appeared to be in their twenties or thirties, so you apparently don’t need to be a kid for these shenanigans to work. But you probably do need to hate Mondays and LOVE telling people that you hate Mondays.

The Garfield Movie is Recommended If You: Believe That Mass Quantities of Food Are the Most Hilarious Thing Ever

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Tabbies