‘Nancy Drew’ (2007) Movie: A Good Time and a Favorite Character

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Some 75+ years later, teenage sleuth Nancy Drew has been a longstanding character of childhood nostalgia. With a series of films made in the forties, a TV show in the seventies and even a Disney TV film (2002), these classic stories are still fun. Bookshelves at bookstores continue to stock this sleuth’s stories and Nancy Drew is still one of the most popular small town girls around.  

Nancy Drew (2007) Movie Review

Mysteries follow Nancy Drew (Emma Roberts) wherever she goes. No matter how hard she tries, she just can’t be a “normal” teenager. After River Heights recent string of burglaries, who better to crack the case than Nancy Drew? Unfortunately for Nancy, it’s also this that is the last straw for her father. Carson Drew (Tate Donovan) tells her in no uncertain terms that while they are on his extended business trip (in Hollywood), there will be no sleuthing!  

Instead she must engage in “normal” pursuits. But Nancy finds her fathers’ new rule a little hard to cope with especially after choosing a house to rent that comes with a mystery that begs to be solved. Nancy determines to try her father’s new rule. But that was before she learned about the former movie star who lived in the house. Once there, Nancy, along with her tagalong Corky (Josh Flitter), finds herself pulled into a mystery that simply needs solving!

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Back when this first appeared in theaters, I’d read about it quite a lot. It looked darn cute, so I can remember going to see it in theaters and finding it to be just so. I didn’t have an image of Nancy in my mind but am familiar with her after buying dozens of books for many Christmas and birthday gifts. While I may not know how this acts as an adaptation, as a movie, this is quite charming. The mysterious happenings come out well, and never feel underwhelming (for this story) or on the other end of the spectrum, as if they’re “too much.” Basically, there’s no boredom in this delightful story.  

Shifting to the cast, Emma Roberts is perfection. Her prim and proper 50’s style clothing is lovely and a nice vintage throwback to the books (as is the opening titles); Josh Flitter is a hilarious addition and almost makes up for Bess and George missing; and then there is Max Thieriot as Nancy’s well-known love, Ned Nickerson. Sadly, he too is missing from the story far too much, but when present, he’s a fun character. Donovan and Rachael Leigh Cook are all memorable in the supporting roles.  

As the mystery furthers, Nancy uncovers secret after secret all of which leads her to answers. Recently I re-watched this one (after years of having not seen it) and still find it a fun way to spend an evening. Though it never came, as this rounds to its close, the story did promise another mystery to solve along with the return of Nancy Drew and friends. Since this mystery is solved by the end of the story, the only puzzle at the conclusion of this is: what predicament would Nancy have gotten herself into next?  

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‘Nancy Drew’ (2007) Movie: A Good Time and a Favorite Character. A review of the Emma Roberts adaptation. #Movies #NancyDrew #WhattoWatch Share on X

CONTENT: a car attempts to run two kids over they escape without harm. Nancy is kidnapped a couple of times. I heard one use of h*ll. There are a couple innocent kisses. A boy remarks that he thinks his sister may “actually be the devil.” The movie is PG.