Worth: $13.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Nathalie Cox, Kelsey Grammer, Steven Elder
Intro:
If you are looking for a light movie on a Sunday afternoon, complete with cobble-tone towns and English estates, then this is for you.
This is a fun detective romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The title gives the viewer a ‘clue’ as to what to expect; Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop, sounds more like a Scooby Doo, Mystery Incorporated adventure. It does have a lavish British feel, complete with sprawling estates, butlers, and Range Rovers parked out front. Yet, the promise of an intriguing mystery being worked out by a skilful investigator, is not what’s on offer. Writing detective mysteries can be a tricky thing to master, and this movie proves that. And yet, there is appeal in this light venture into the world of sleuthing.
We are introduced to Elizabeth Willoughby as a pre-teen, who has lost her parents and is now under the care of family friend, Robert Windsor, an American, ex-marine who becomes her guardian. Elizabeth is a ferocious reader, and Robert helps to bring her out of her book worm life with his tutoring in the arts of self-defence, chess, and – jogging? After a brief introduction of the young Elizabeth, we fast-forward to re-engage with her as university lecturer, Miss Willoughby (Nathalie Cox), an assertive, and altogether wholesome woman with a winning smile. Her unwavering guardian, Robert (Kelsey Grammer) has become an elderly statesman-like figure who has remained at the estate as Miss Willoughby’s only constant companion.
An old family friend, Helen Deakin, a bookshop owner, comes to Miss Willoughby, distraught from visions and hauntings she is experiencing of her long-departed father. His ghost appears at random times, and a poltergeist moves objects, sending Helen into an emotional turmoil, which certainly interferes with her customer service! And so it is, that Miss Willoughby volunteers to look into it, putting on her detective hat, to find out if poor Helen is being haunted, or perhaps there’s a logical explanation to it all.
There is a book club that Helen hosts, and the argumentative book club members add to the possibilities that not all is what it seems. But then again, apparitions are hard to fake – aren’t they? Robert exchanges investigative ideas with Willoughby in the classic Holmes/Watson paradigm, but he also acts as an anchor for Willoughby, as she deals with the possibility that Helen is experiencing real paranormal events. As the story progresses, we see Willoughby slowly find the clues that lead to her discovery, of the truth.
Despite the best efforts to make this a true detective tale, albeit light-on approach, it doesn’t deliver enough clues for the audience to piece together anything of substance. And it’s too unclear why anyone would bother tormenting Helen, with seemingly nothing of worth to gain from it all. The elements that go into any detective story are motifs of exceptional observation, well-placed clues, and often, a dark and foreboding scene or two. Yet none of these are on display to give it that distinctive detective flavour.
The acting by Nathalie Cox is solid, despite the poor whodunnit script, and Kelsey Grammer brings weight to an otherwise wanting detective romp. If you are looking for a light movie on a Sunday afternoon, complete with cobble-tone towns and English estates, then this is for you. But if you want something a little more intense, with a well-developed plot and plenty of real detective work, then catch any episode of Scooby Doo.
Where was this review before I borrowed it from my local library?
I just had to write one for them…
Your review could be simply be the last sentence re Scooby Doo XD