Alice Oscura, Featured Writer
Plot: Abe Applebaum used to be a well-respected kid detective prodigy. However, he’s now 31-years-old and is a mess of hangovers and self-pity parties. Then suddenly he gets his first adult case when a young woman walks into his office asking him to find out who brutally stabbed her boyfriend to death.
Review: The thing to note here is that this character is a mental mess of a person. He drinks way too much, doesn’t take care of himself, and his parents lack the confidence in his prodigy-like ability to ask very random out-of-the-blue questions and yet somehow solve his cases. But there is a totally reasonable explanation for his mental downfall which is explored further in the movie.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom because this film-noir inspired movie has a wry, dark sense of humor that will at least get you to chuckle in between scenes. You get to see that underneath his bum-like exterior Abe (Adam Brody) is actually a really considerate and nice guy. He is just very self-destructive, and you get the sense that if he got some much-needed therapy, he could turn his life around. But in the film he chooses to prove his self-worth by taking on this brutal murder case that actually ties into the incident from his past that is responsible for the way that he is now.
Now just a forewarning, this is not a family film because it deals with many adult-sensitive topics that are not meant for the young ears. But I guarantee that you are going to have some fun watching Abe put all the pieces together and how he shows his sympathetic side to his young client Caroline (Sophie Nélisse) who is an orphan being raised by her elderly grandparents. Their brother/sister chemistry is great onscreen and Caroline is wise beyond her years.
Evan Morgan’s directorial debut is a fair film with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys-tones set against the backdrop of bubblegum pop-inspired soundtracks. It is an amazing story with a particularly, dark twist!
Alice’s Score: 6.5 out of 10
For RMR Editor Julien’s review of Enola Holmes you can click here.
Dark Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump.
I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers’ curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. You can find me as Dark Alice Reviews on Facebook, my Instagram is alice_oscura and my Twitter handle is @lise_veliz2. For more on me you can click here.