The Thursday Murder Club
Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan star in THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB. (Photo: Netflix)
Considering the popularity of “Only Murders in the Building,” comparing The Thursday Murder Club to a British feature-length adaptation might not be a bad thing.
This breezy caper comedy from director Chris Columbus (Home Alone) offers a slight variation on tropes involving scrappy seniors making the most of their golden years, in this instance by indulging their true-crime obsession.
Fortunately, an esteemed ensemble cast effortlessly conveys a sense of charming curiosity that makes us eager to go along for the ride, even if the central mystery lacks consistent suspense and intrigue.
It’s set in an upscale retirement home where Elizabeth (Helen Mirren) leads a weekly gathering of amateur sleuths including psychiatrist Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley), former union organizer Ron (Pierce Brosnan), and ex-nurse and cake connoisseur Joyce (Celia Imrie).
Amid their attempts to solve a cold case, they’re thrown into the fire when one of the facility’s co-owners is murdered, leaving the other investor (David Tennant) free to sell the property to a developer of luxury apartments.
Not willing to go down quietly, the crew becomes determined to simultaneously solve the crime and save their home, which requires partnering with a young detective (Naomi Ackie) eager to leave her mark.
However, as they dig deeper, the investigation forces each of them to confront grief and mortality in their own lives.
Elizabeth is feisty (a description she despises) and demanding while concealing a softer side that emerges in scenes with her husband (Jonathan Pryce) suffering from dementia, and a deteriorating friend in the hospice wing.
She’s also reluctant to disclose details about her past and implies that boredom is perhaps her biggest fear: “I’m just a woman who doesn’t like to take no for an answer.”
Collectively, her band of spunky schemers is spry enough to stay one step ahead of cops and crooks alike, although that requires a good-natured suspension of disbelief.
The film isn’t subtle in its underlying bittersweet sentimentality as it explores afflictions, aging, and progress versus preservation. Some twists are more compelling than others in the screenplay, based upon Richard Osman’s series of novels, as the narrative momentum wavers.
The quartet of lead actors each get their turn in the spotlight and Columbus knows how to push the crowd-pleasing buttons, even as The Thursday Murder Club is ultimately easy to solve.
Rated PG-13, 118 minutes.