Editor’s note: “Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”
Nancy Drew is such a legendary character and one of the things that makes her such is the fact that her mere fictional existence is timeless. It’s crazy that she made her debut in 1930 with Carolyn Keene’s premiere tome, Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, and yet there is something about this spunky sleuth that resonates exponentially with each passing generation. Her success on the big screen has been harder to come by, but with the arrival of Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (out now on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital formats), look for her cinematic fortunes to change.
Casting is everything and although we enjoyed Emma Roberts in the role back in 2007, she wasn’t exactly a seamless fit. When It scared us silly in 2017, even though it was an ensemble of richly talented young actors, there was one thespian that reared her head far above the others—Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh, the beloved Stephen King crafted character. When it was announced that Lillis would be the next Nancy Drew, a case of performer meeting character arrived that was right out of movie heaven.
Lillis’ Nancy Drew is modern, but still possesses those deep roots that go back a decade shy of a century. When looking to “reboot” the mystery series, Warner Bros., the film’s producers and director Katt Shea could not have chosen a better book to start things off with—Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. The second novel in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series hits all the right beats that wholeheartedly embody what a Nancy Drew mystery is all about.
It is a bit of an origins story as we find our favorite young mystery-solver moving to the small town of River Heights. Nancy is not happy about it, but she went along with the relocation because it emotionally aides her father, Carson Drew (Sam Trammell). Her mother, his wife, has died and there were just too many memories around every corner in Chicago. Papa Drew sought to leave the area and move to a small town where life might possibly be a tad less stressful. Plus, he would get to share the same zip code with his sister Hannah (Andrea Anders), Nancy’s aunt.
Lucky for Nancy, she knows two girls from her summers in the community—George Fayne (Zoe Renee) and Bess Marvin (Mackenzie Graham).
As our film commences, Nancy is skateboarding throughout town as George is shown desperate to find her. Why? Well, you’ll just have to watch this charming dose of youthful escapism. But what happens throughout the film, from establishing characters to ratcheting up the mystery, morsel by morsel until there are legions more questions than answers for our aspiring detective, is a solid lesson in pace setting and plot reveals that could not be more impeccably aimed at a youthful audience. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase does something that most Pixar films do so well and that so many middle of the childhood age spectrum flicks have issues achieving. That is delivering a film that firmly knows its audience (young folks), while simultaneously not forgetting that there will also be adults experiencing the protagonists and antagonists’ exploits who have an interest in being entertained as well and not simply taking joy in your child, or whomever, enjoying themselves cinematically.
In short, the mystery here is that there is an effort underway to bring a railroad system to River Heights. The tone of the town towards this idea is mixed. Nancy’s dad is the attorney whose mission is to derail the entire project because of who it will hurt—i.e. many people will lose their homes. One of them is Flora (Linda Lavin), who doesn’t know if her house is haunted or she’s just seeing things via old age! She meets Nancy and our girl, obviously, loves a good mystery. She and an “enemy,” a so-called Mean Girl, are forced to share time together since Flora is Helen’s (Laura Wiggins) Great Aunt. Not thrilled are Nancy’s two pals.
As is the case in all of the Nancy Drew books, lessons are learned, mysteries are cracked and all the time the reader (or the viewer in this case) leaves the entire experience behind with the most subtle of smiles. They’re enjoyable pieces of entertainment that have the power to grip you and draw you in—all the while leaving you completely vested in wanting a peaceful result that puts those who do wrong getting their just deserts.
Lillis is sensational. It is great to see her command and carry an entire film on her shoulders. The poise and vast talent the young actress teased in It is no fluke. I hope that Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase finds an audience on home video so that we can experience Lillis as Nancy again and again (at least until she “ages out”). She keenly knows the tone that Shea is going for in the film and that is reflected in every nuance of her performance. Nancy Drew, in this installment, has a rich character arc—another reason why this story was a great choice to introduce a new generation to this literary icon on the silver screen. Lillis rides that wave impeccably and has us hoping for more.
Shea’s command of the material is terrific as well. She also cast the film wonderfully. All of the actresses who inhabit Nancy’s friends dazzled. Part of that credit must go to the director and the environment created for the cast’s creative exploration. Lavin lights up the screen when she arrives as Flora, it’s like you cannot take your eyes off her. It is so nice to see the veteran working on a flick!
The central behind-the-scenes bonus feature is A Sleuth, a Girl and an Inspiration. Besides having a terrific moniker, the featurette gives us a short, but effective look at how Shea and all involved brought Nancy Drew to life anew. Shea speaks, as does producer Jeff Kleeman, Lavin, Lillis, Trammell and a handful of other cast members. There are many things that are revealed in this almost nine-minute look at the making of the film, but above all else the thing that sticks with you more than anything is the unbridled joy everyone had making this movie.
In a great nod to a clue contained within Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, the featurette Pink Footprints: Touring Twin Elms gives viewers an inside “tour” of Flora’s haunted house. The legendary actress is our host and additional insight provided by production designer John Collins just enhances the entire experience.
For those who love a good gag reel, you’ll be quite pleased with over three-minutes of outtakes provided in this first, of what we hope is many, Nancy Drew film follies.
Film grade: B
Bonus features: A-