The Thursday Murder Club: A Solid Crime Comedy (Early Review)

The Thursday Murder Club is the latest film from iconic director Chris Columbus and is an adaptation of Richard Orsman’s 2020 best selling novel of the same name. The film follows four unstoppable retirees, Elizabeth (Mirren), Ron (Brosnan), Ibrahaim (Kingsley), and Joyce (Celia Imrie), a newcomer to the group, who all live in a retirement establishment and spend their time solving cold case murders for fun. However, when an unexplained and sudden death impacts their community, the group’s casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn as they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands. Now, murder mysteries have seen quite the resurgence over the last 5-10 years whether it be film or television, from the likes of Knives Out, to Only Murders in the Building, and even the 2017 remake of Murder on the Orient Express. The Thursday Murders Club marks a solid addition to murder mystery subgenre and a fun stream that will absolutely satisfy its target demographic.

While the central murder mystery at play here may not be anything overly special, it is a compelling vehicle for the story and its characters, who uncover clues as the stakes slowly rose. Meanwhile, the film’s unique setting works well for this kind of film, and one that is well utilized throughout. Columbus has been directing films for nearly 40 years, and while this effort is far from his best, the director was still the right choice to helm the film, steering it with an adept hand and creating the vibe that is very much appreciated. Aside from the mystery itself, the aspect that will attract most audiences towards it is undoubtedly its excellent cast and their equally excellent chemistry.

Assembling an impressive cast of acting veterans, they are clearly having a blast here as still great contributors to the story. Mirren, the film’s lead, delivers an absolutely wonderful performance as Elizabeth. Similarly, Brosnan is a delight as Ron, cast in an unserious role that is a departure from what audiences have grown accustomed to seeing from the actor, he gets to show off his underrated comedic timing. Ben Kingsley is arguably given the least to do out of the four leads, as Ibrahim, but he takes it in stride and is just as great as ever. Finally, Imrie fits into this ensemble perfectly as Joyce, the titular group’s newest member who is still learning their ways. On the other hand, the film also features a plethora of fun supporting performances from such names as Richard E. Grant, Naomi Ackie, and a very energetic David Tennant.

That being said, the film was not without its issues. Clocking in at near the 2-hour mark, it is too long and in need of trimming to ensure a better flow, as it takes time to truly find its footing. Ultimately, its biggest issue of all is how the central mystery is resolved. Predictable for the most part, to the film’s credit, there are certain beats that audiences won’t see coming but that predictability proved to be a major detriment. As a crime comedy, the film is severely lacking laughs in general. Though the humor may go over some heads, there is certainly a lack of laughs and jokes in general that one might expect, considering the source material and the talent assembled on both sides of the camera.

At the end of the day, The Thursday Murder Club is a solid murder mystery comedy that receives a boost from the strength of its terrific cast. While the film does not reinvent the genre or break any new ground by any means, it nonetheless offers up a fun watch that its target audience will absolutely eat up. If the film were to draw strong viewership on Netflix, though there is no indication that it can’t, there’s definitely a strong chance that audiences could be seeing a lot more of these characters, considering multiple sequels to the original source material that have yet to be adapted thus far.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/