The Sheep Detectives
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The Sheep Detectives is playing in theaters at the time of review. Rated PG. Common Sense says 8+
Every night a shepherd (Hugh Jackman) reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it.
STORY: A-
Knives Out meets Babe.
The film’s pacing is one of its strengths, even if it doesn’t feel that way at first. We begin with a long, drawn-out exposition, but it’s one that you’ll likely forgive later on when you realize it’s left enough bread crumbs to sift through for the mystery that lies ahead.
Like a ski jumper pushing off the bench, the film rockets once Emma Thompson’s big-shot, fuchsia-powersuit-wearing lawyer arrives with the deceased’s will. The movie keeps picking up speed narratively, comedically, and emotionally until it’s soaring.
PEOPLE: A-
Terrific voice acting brings these sheep to life.
A fantastic troupe of actors—Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Brett Goldstein, Christopher O’Dowd, to name just a few—imbues every sheep with its own unique, fully lived-in personality. They’re one reason the fantasy-filled movie forces one of the two corners in the back of our brain to consider - if only for a moment - that these sheep are real.
FILM NERD STUFF: A
Terrific CGI brings these sheep to life.
The other back corner of our cranium is nearly convinced of the sheep’s realism by the intricate digital artwork. If the graphics don’t work, the movie doesn’t work. It’s apparent the filmmakers knew this and took the time to make these ovines shine.
ONE BIG LESSON: A+
Grief is the gateway to humanity.
The sheep believe that they turn into clouds when they die. They also have a superpower: they can choose to forget things faster than Bail Organa can mind-wipe C-3PO.
The clouds are a cute story, and the sheep’s forgetfulness is portrayed as a fantastical ability. But as the movie goes on, the costs of cutting yourself off from life’s painful things becomes poignantly apparent.
The real success of this movie lies in the way the sheep become mirrors of our own experience. We “forget” terrible things all the time. We make up stories to explain away the things too painful to confront. It’s amazing what a flock of sheep can teach us about being human.
FINAL COMMENTS:
It’s rare to get a film that will appeal to little kids and murder-mystery fanatics alike. This film is a triumph and a wonderful surprise.
There’s a vital, thriving truth nestled inside, what appears from the outside, to be a simple, comfy murder mystery. It’s a truth that may be hard to swallow, but like dog medicine hidden inside a scoop of ice cream, you’ll be better off for swallowing it.