Nancy Drew (2007)

Rated: PG
Length: 99 Minutes
Grade: BB+A-B=B+
Budget: $20 million
Box Office: $26 million US, $5 million Int’l, $8 million DVD

Directed by: Andrew Flemming, who’s made a few TV episodes of Arrested Develoment and Grosse Pointe as well as Bad Dreams, Threesome, and The Craft.
Starring: Emma Roberts, Rachel Leigh Cook, Tate Donovan, Barry Bostwick, Laura Elena Harring, Rich Cooper, Max Thieriot, and a cameo by Bruce Willis.

Summary:

Frustrated with his daughter’s self-endangering sleuthing activities, her father gets her to promise she’ll give it up during their temporary relocation to Los Angeles. She doesn’t, and she tries to solve a decades old murder mystery and also make friends in a new school.
Entertainment Value: B Solid. This is a good movie for young boys and girls, very much in the same class as the Nancy Drew books (and Hardy Boys, for that matter). If you aren’t familiar with the books, think live action Scooby Doo without the ghosts or the talking dog.

Superficial Content: B+
Drugs/Alcohol A, Sexuality B, Violence B, Language A, Illegality AThis is almost a G rated movie, but not quite. There is a lot of talk of the murder, love affairs, and general life-threatening situations On the other hand, if it were a cartoon, it would certainly have been G rated. I’d say PG-5 or 6.

Significant Content: A-

The only mark against it is that she breaks a promise to her father and keeps this from him throughout the movie, but because everything turns out in the end, it’s okay. Otherwise, this movie is truly conservative: modest attire is fashionable, being smart is cool, courtesy and obeying the law matter, both the ends and the means are important, traditional values are good, and religion is even present in a healthy way in the beginning.

Artistic/Thought Value: B

Like I said before, it’s solid. I would love to see this launch a series of movies on the character, just so that young women get a healthy alternative to all the crud that they’re exposed to about how they should dress and behave. Just like the books, the ideal here is excellent.

Discussion Questions:
~In 2008 America, what ways are left to be independent and rebel against the norms? Is Nancy Drew a rebel against current teenage girl norms?
~Do you think Nancy should have been punished for lying to her dad? What would have been appropriate.
~Have you ever been the victim of a practical joke intended to embarrass you? Is there a difference between practical jokes by friends and those by enemies?
~Have you ever felt like an outsider or felt pressured to conform to standards you didn’t like? How did you handle it? What does Nancy do, and how realistic is this?

Overall Grade: B+

Well done, folks. My wife thought the last 20 seconds tainted it for her, but this movie is very good. I have friends with girls who will love this.