Based on the bestseller with same title by Richard Osman, with screenplay by Katy Brand & Suzanne Heatcote, this mürder mystery crime thriller was directed by Chris Columbus and produced by the latter in collaboration with Richard Osman himself as well as several others. With a runtime of 1hour 58minutes, this British whodunnit comedy is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

SYNOPSIS: (MAY contain spoilers) :

Four pensioners; Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) and Joyce (Celia Imrie) live in Coopers Chase, a retirement community for professionals like doctors, teachers, lawyers, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc.

The group of four as a hobby, casually take on cold mürder cases for fun until one hits too close to home just when their beloved home comes under threat of demolition. Now the group would have to do anything to unravel this whodunnit quagmire and save their m source of happiness & bonding including enlisting the services of an insider in the police force.

MY TAKE:

To be honest, I haven’t read the book itself but I can live with the fact that this was enjoyable to watch. However, many critics have argued that the film is a far cry from what the book offered.

Well, Isn’t this the same thing many persons also queried about Shonda Rhimes’s adaptation of the Bridgerton series? I think when it comes to film adaptations, a lot of things get modified for sell-ability purposes. The point for consideration nonetheless is whether it works or not.

Now, that said…let’s dive in and dissect this piece of deliciousness, shall we! And Oh! Don’t forget your ABCs – Always Bring Cake (if you know, you know )

Story/Plot:

The story centres around the four pensioners and their daily routines in Coopers Chase. While Elizabeth lives with her husband Stephen (Jonathan Pryce), a Chess champion who’s ill, Ron has his son Jason (Tom Ellis) who visits him ever so often. Didn’t get much about Ibrahim, to be candid. Nevertheless, we get to see Joyce’s daughter much later.

The movie takes off on a very intriguing note with a mürder scene but then almost instantly transitions into a slow burn. It is not until a neighbour turns up dëad that the film becomes lively again.

The plot is straightforwardly a whodunnit and stays strictly on target without deviating. Funny, witty, suspenseful, intriguing, sometimes downright chaotic.

Direction:

The sequencing here is cool. The twists and turns work well. The end links up with the beginning but I would have preferred more exploration on the plot twist rather than the brush through. This made the end seem rushed. Perhaps, a miniseries or limited series would have done the trick to help explore more on that aspect especially about Bobby Tanner the supposed florist.

Cast/Performance:

What better cast to play these roles than the ones carefully selected for it. The icing on the CAKE for me is seeing James Bond – 007’s Pierce Brosnan here as well as Ben Kingsley. Loved the role played by Helen Mirren as Elizabeth whose character not only is named after the late Queen of England but is also referenced in the film. I’ve had to put that scene on repeat.

The cast performed excellently – some cheeky, some funny, curious and some clueless – just the right dose of what to expect from a home for retired senior citizens.

It was lovely to see Naomi Ackie here as police officer Donna De Freitas. Loved her performance when she played Whitney Houston in the 2022 musical drama in honour of the late Queen of Pop/RNB. And of course, Naomi did awesome here too.

Technical Aspect:

The ambience is perfect. For a viewer like myself who has worked with the elderlies in a retirement home, the setting is remarkable. The costuming, makeup, sound score, audio quality and picture quality all work well. Colour grading also blends well to make for an awesome viewing experience.

Observation/Question:

1. Pierce Brosnan to me didn’t really shine much in this film. I feel like he wasn’t given as much lines nor screentime as I would have loved to see.

2. I understand that the child in the bus when Joyce used some swear words may not have been present. Just some editing make-belief. So don’t panic folks…lol.

3. The ending of this film felt rushed. That was disappointing as I absolutely wanted more. 4. Not sure this was mentioned in the movie. But why is the title having THURSDAY in it?

Conclusion:

This was interesting, entertaining, lighthearted, funny, witty, sometimes slow but you don’t expect pensioners to be jumping all over the place and partying hard like people in their early 20s do you? So, this works well for me in the end…just would have loved it to linger for much longer.

Verdict: 7/10

Have you seen this? What did you think?