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

May 5, 2026

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

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

How Mascot-errific Are the Mascots (And Everyone Else) in ‘Mascots’?

May 19, 2020

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

CREDIT: Scott Garfield/Netflix

I’d been meaning to watch Mascots for a while ever since it arrived on Netflix in 2016. Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries represent one of the most significant trends in American comedy, after all, so I need to stay on the up-and-up. So on May 16, 2020, I decided that it would finally be the day. And then after that personal resolution, I heard the news of Fred Willard’s passing. And well, I had no choice at that point. It was almost as if Willard himself had left me a note saying, “If I die, please have fun by watching this.” He seemed like the sort of guy who would leave behind such a message. Thanks for the laughs, Fred!

CREDIT: Scott Garfield/Netflix

So now that I’ve watched, I’ve decided to rank several of the main actors by how much their acting embodies the spirit of mascots, which consists of a mischievous mix of adorable and devious, plus a dash of uncanny valley. My evaluations are based mostly on Mascots, with some consideration given towards their performances in other Guest films (where applicable):

More

This Is a Movie Review: ‘Molly’s Game’ Has Jessica Chastain Deliver What Must Be a Record-Setting Amount of Dialogue in Aaron Sorkin’s Directorial Debut

December 21, 2017

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

CREDIT: STX Films

This review was originally posted on News Cult in December 2017.

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Brian d’Arcy James, Chris O’Dowd, Bill Camp, Graham Greene, J.C. MacKenzie

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Running Time: 140 Minutes

Rating: R for the Vices That Surround Poker and a Brutal Assault Scene

Release Date: December 25, 2017 (Limited)

Effective poker strategy usually involves plenty of silence, so a poker film would seem to be an odd fit for the directorial debut of Aaron Sorkin, one of the most verbose screenwriters of all time. But don’t fold on him just yet, because Molly’s Game isn’t about the poker but rather the woman running the game. And a lot of talking has to be done behind the scenes to get to the point where you can stay silent behind the cards. And let’s just say Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) talks (and does) a lot to get to be the big kahuna running a high-stakes underground poker ring. From near-Olympic skier to lowly assistant to self-made millionaire, she lives quite the whirlwind. The tabloids call her the “poker princess,” but give a queenpin the respect she deserves and don’t saddle her with a patronizing nickname.

The players at Molly’s games consist of Hollywood hotshots and Wall Street bigwigs, and that high-profile money moving has the FBI thinking she might be involved with drug running and tax fudging. So she turns to smooth-talking but upright lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) to represent her. He’s a bit pricey, though, and her assets are not exactly currently liquid, so she appeals to him on the basis of personal credit. Much of the film is a frame story of Molly filling Charlie in on the details of her life. Because they are reading dialogue written by Sorkin, Chastain and Elba have to deliver about four times as many words as they would in an average movie. Both are more than up to the task, Chastain especially, as she also has to deliver a ton of voiceover narration on top of her on-screen dialogue. It’s an electrifying story, but with nary a second of silence, plus frenetic editing on top of that, it is a bit exhausting, or at least it was for this viewer.

While Molly’s story will take you through the gauntlet, you can also vicariously thrill to the stories that her players bring to the table. Several of them basically have their own mini-movies going on (that Molly narrates, natch). You end up feeling that you know enough about their tells and pressure points that you could come in and win a few hundred grand against them even if you’re a complete novice. Especially memorable is Michael Cera with an effortlessly cool vibe unlike anything he’s ever given off before. He fully inhabits “Player X,” an anonymized version of an actual famous actor. (Some quick googling reveals he is essentially playing Tobey Maguire, or some amalgam of Maguire, Matt Damon, and maybe a few others.) It’s a career highlight for him and representative of the film’s emphasis on affirmatively filling out the clothes you wear in poker and in life.

Molly’s Game is Recommended If You Like: Poker movies, Poker competitions, Women Taking Control of Their Own Narrative

Grade: 3 out of 5 Spreadsheets