What do critics say about The Thursday Murder club film?
Reviews of the Netflix original film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club have been published today.
Reviews of the Netflix original film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club have been published today. The verdict? Warm, amusing, and watchable, though not without its flaws.
Plot and Cast
Set in a sleepy English retirement village, the story follows four unlikely amateur sleuths who meet every week to pore over unsolved crimes. Their harmless hobby takes a sharp turn when a local property developer is found dead, pulling the quartet into a very real investigation with surprisingly high stakes.
The film boasts an all-star cast led by Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie, and Ben Kingsley as the club’s eccentric but determined members. They’re joined by Richard E. Grant, Naomie Harris, and David Tennant in supporting roles, giving the adaptation a heavyweight ensemble to match Osman’s bestselling source material.
Critical Reaction
Early reviews have been mixed, leaning more toward the positive.
The Guardian praised the film’s charm, noting “There’s a fair bit to enjoy here”, but criticised its final act, where the plot, in their words, “accelerate[s] to the point of pure daftness … resembling not so much a Sunday night crime serial, but a weekday afternoon kids’ TV show.”
The Daily Mail was much more enthusiastic, calling it a relief for fans: “Thank heavens this movie adaptation is great, or there might have been a (well-behaved) riot.”
The Telegraph took a dimmer view, dismissing the film as “a nefariously lazy Netflix adaptation” that “butchers Richard Osman’s bestseller to create a half-hearted parody of a whodunnit”, even likening it to a run-of-the-mill ITV2 crime drama.
The Independent lamented the wasted potential of the cast, writing: “The Thursday Club fails to make the most of its all-star cast” and describing the film as “so flimsy and digestible, it barely exists.”
The Express struck a middle ground, summing it up as “an enjoyable but largely forgettable piece of fluff”, while noting that sequels are inevitable.
A Gentle Beginning?
Much like Osman’s novels, the film appears to have divided critics between those charmed by its cosy wit and those frustrated by its lack of bite. With further books already lined up for adaptation, Netflix will be hoping audiences lean closer to the Mail and Express than the Independent or Telegraph.
For fans of the novels, though, seeing Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim brought to life on screen may be entertainment enough — flaws and all.