teen mystery offers wholesome family fare
Bob RossNancy Drew
(PG; 99 minutes)
Young readers, particularly girls, have been devouring Nancy Drew mystery novels since 1930, and the intrepid teenage sleuth has shown up on film and TV before.
But her latest incarnation is probably the first to drag the beloved character onto a modern movie set. Equipped with laptops, cell phones and an admirable immunity to Hollywood pretension, the new Nancy spends only part of her time solving a showbiz mystery. She also must solve the equally challenging puzzle of Southern California social life.
For the convenience of establishing a high-school setting, “Nancy Drew” has made the heroine only 16, a good two years younger than the literary Nancy. Emma Roberts (yes, Julia’s niece) stars as the small-town gal whose widowed father (Tate Donovan) brings her to big L.A. when his job requires the move.
Two items propel the story. First, the Drews move into a mansion where a glamorous movie star vanished for months and then turned up dead, and that death is still unsolved. Second, Nancy enrolls at Hollywood High, where the students dress like rag-tag freaks and make fun of neatnik Nancy’s quaint outfits.
But we root for Nancy as she tackles the inevitable plot twists that make this mild mystery suitable for youngsters.
Anachronisms abound, and the mix isn’t always comfortable. The movie references are aimed at older audiences, so it’s hard to tell how today’s tweens will respond to a character who has been around since their grandparents’ day.
We give “Nancy Drew” a B-
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