SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
The small town of Denbrook is the home of George Hardy (played by Hugh Jackman), a shepherd who lives in a trailer on the outskirts. There, he raises dozens of sheep for their wool, treating each of them with love and respect, to the point of reading mystery novels to them every day at dusk. Unbeknownst to George, the sheep talk to each other about the stories, trying to figure out the clues and solve the crimes between readings. But, when George is found dead one morning, heartbroken Lilly (the voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), Cloud (Regina Hall) and the others use the patterns of the stories to try and solve the real crime. Lawyer Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson) shows up to settle George’s will and a cast of characters starts to emerge as suspects. If the case is going to be solved, bumbling town policeman Officer Derry (Nicholas Braun) is going to need all the help he can get, even if that means that help is coming from livestock.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
With a similar structure, a similar flow and a similar style, think KNIVES OUT but for families. THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is a fun, heart-felt, minimal-impact murder mystery that still manages to captivate the audience and keep them guessing.
Jackman has limited screen time but makes the most of it, Louis-Dreyfus has a direct line into the viewers’ heart using just her voice and Thompson (also with limited screen time) has just the right amount of intimidation for a PG rated project.
The creative prowess of director Kyle Balda and screenwriter Craig Mazin is evident from the start. The roar of the MGM lion, Leo, is replaced by a sheep’s bleating, there’s a nice “flashback” stitch in the church midway through and the verbal exchange about how a sheep would look at God is absolutely hilarious. Balda’s experience directing a handful of the DESPICABLE ME franchise is evident but not forced, which is always the best combination.
THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is a movie that could easily fly under the radar and find its following once it hits streaming. If you’re a parent who’s looking to take your kids (ages eight and older?) to a movie that you’ll actually enjoy — as opposed to endure — THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is a tremendous choice.
JKG SCORE: 7.0
Untitled Film Project 