Nancy Drew Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Small Town Girl. Big Time Adventure.
Get a Clue.
This movie is about Nancy Drew going to Los Angeles California with her father, who was going there on business. While she was there she happened upon a mystery that involved a murdered movie actress, and her daughter. Nancy found out her her daughter was, when nobody even knew that the actress had any kids, and the actress's daughter inherited all of the actress's money. At the end of the movie, once they got back home, Ned and Nancy kissed for what I think was their first actual kiss, and right after their quick kiss Nancy's father told her that she had a call from some people in Germany, who were talking about the Loch Ness Monster.
| Emma Roberts | Nancy Drew |
| Josh Flitter | Corky |
| Max Thieriot | Ned Nickerson |
| Rachael Leigh Cook | Jane Brighton |
| Tate Donovan | Carson Drew |
| Amanda Alva | "No" Woman #2 |
| Phil Abrams | Principal |
| Marshall Bell | Leshing |
| Cliff Bemis | Chief McGinnis |
| Edgar Borjas | Party Goer #2 |
| Barry Bostwick | Dashiel Biedermeyer |
| Adam Clark | Sgt. Billings |
| Rich Cooper | Charlie |
| Vito D'Ambrosio | Henchman #1 |
| Darnell Dickens | Party Goer #1 |
| Andrew Fleming |
5.90 out of 10 (2028 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Maybe not perfect, but surprisingly well executed
posted on 08 Aug 2009As a grownup in my mid-40s, I am not even close to any of "Nancy Drew"'s key demographics, but I was pleasantly surprised by the film this afternoon; so, I could tell, were the pair of sixtyish silver-haired ladies down the row from me. The older man who left the theater just ahead of me specifically praised the film to the 20-ish female usher (who said she'd seen the film the previous evening and quite liked it).More to the point, however: In the row just ahead of me, there were nine -- count them, nine -- ten-year-old girls lined up next to each other, passing popcorn and hot dogs and candy back and forth and giggling through the previews.Once the film began, they promptly settled down to watch........and didn't so much as peep till the closing credits began to roll.This is not a perfect film; it doesn't quite pay off its high school subplots, it's not quite confident enough of its own tone, and its thugs are just a hair too far over toward critically inept at times. But the adaptation of the source material is essentially respectful, the plot hangs together fairly well, and it treads deftly between the sins of excessive cheesiness and excessive modernization. Last but not least, Emma Roberts carries the movie with startling grace -- Josh Flitter's superb timing notwithstanding, this is Roberts' movie, and she pulls it off beautifully. Her Nancy Drew is very much the direct ancestor of Kristen Bell's Veronica Mars, and the film is also a lineal descendant of Jodie Foster's early and underrated "Candleshoe".In today's marketplace, it's a rarity: a family movie that respects its viewers' intelligence. As such, it won't be to everyone's taste -- but for what it is, it is the best movie of its kind in decades.
Dick Tracy dresses like Hoa Tran
posted on 21 Jul 2009Except for teen girls who fall into reading these fantasy novels, who would show interest of the novel series being made into a movie? Not a whole lot of people would do such a thing. And yet, here the viewers are - with a chance to view something out of a teenage girl's fantasy.For starters, the story was not very good. It encompassed a celebrity death and gave a fanciful story of a love child being kept away from her fortune. The bad guys lack the ability to keep tabs on a teen girl. Why didn't they have any weapons? How could they be kept at bay by an teenage girl who shouldn't even be driving that small mini-convertible? The next thing is the acting. It was hard to take anything the girl said at face value because of the lack of emotion. Not only that, but who exactly was in this movie? Who were those cheesy girls that tried to dump on Nancy? It seems like everything was spent on the usage of vintage Hollywood homes than on acting coaches.Then there was the clothing choices. Who in their right mind would use 1920s 'Dick Tracy-esquire' hats and coats in a 2007 Hollywood piece? Mix that with some retro 70s and 80s looks and you get one confused film.Overall, I am not sure what is going on here. There seems to be no real plot. In fact, I am not so sure they ever used this type of mystery in the books because I never read them. But this certainly doesn't make me want to read them. After all the bad acting, sub-par script, and below average directing, I couldn't bring myself to that. "D"
The Movie That Will Keep You On Your Feet Because it is SO Good!!!!!!
posted on 28 Jun 2009 Nancy drew the movie was so awsome. I got to see it on the day it came out on theatures and boy did I enjoy IT. This movie is awsome and they did a good job keeping the real nancy Drew character. For I have read alot of Nancy drew books and her personality really showed in the movie. They even gave the movie a fair rating. For this movie did earn a PG sign for it is a murder case in a way. I thought this movie was well done and any kid 9 and up would love it. Some adults might say it only worth 2 stars but that's because they are not kids and aren't use to good clean kids movies. So in my eyes this movie is 5 big juicy stars and earned each and everyone of them. So if you haven't seen this wonderful movie yet I think you should try to get hold of one as soon as possiable ,for this movie is so good. So don't wait watch it. Because Nancy Drew is a great movie and is better than most movies I have seen.
Apple
Did not like it
posted on 25 Jun 2009First of all, I must be biased and say that this is the first movie I've ever seriously considered walking out of. And I shelled out $10 for the ticket to this one; I am very conservative with my money and do my best to buy as little as possible. But about 10 minutes into this, my friend and I were looking at each other and going, "So when does 1408 start?"Okay. Now that I'm done with that, a plot summary is in order: Essentially, Nancy Drew is herself, but living in current times. This is a bit odd-looking, especially when the town she is living in seems not to have changed since the early 1960s at latest. Nancy and her father are moving to California (Hollywood, to be more precise) for a few months so that he can do something or other with his job. He keeps pointing out that they are pressed for money, but for some reason Nancy gets to pick out a mansion in which to live. Oh, and Mr. Drew insists that Nancy stop sleuthing and try to be a normal teenager. So, Nancy and her father move into an old mansion that, surprise! has a mystery behind it. This one is about a starlet who died some 20 years back after returning from a mysterious absence. Nancy is very prim and proper, and speaks of her love for "old-fashioned things". This shocks and, frankly, amuses her fellow classmates. There are two in particular who terrorize her at first, then somehow decide that she is worthy of their attention and to give her a makeover (you can imagine for yourself whether or not that "sticks"). She has new friends and old ones (i.e., (boy)friend Ned) in this movie, and apparently is accomplished in the art of stunt driving. The mystery itself was rather predictable, but perhaps it would be more intriguing for younger children, I don't know. I feel compelled to add that parents should mention to kids that, if someone is choking, don't do CPR on them; and if you do CPR on someone, don't do it on their stomach. If you want to see this movie, go ahead. Some people really liked it and said that it stayed very true to the books; I don't know about that, having never read the original series. But there were some cute moments. Go into it expecting nothing and you may get more out of it than you think.
Pleasant surprise
posted on 23 Jun 2009I took my 10-year-old daughter to see Nancy Drew over the weekend and found myself thoroughly entertained. First off, it was clean, and I mean by my standards. The majority of kids' movies today are full of crude toilet humor and gross-out jokes to elicit cheap laughter from the pre-teen crowd. Nancy Drew is smarter than that, however, and the humor is subtle and clever.The title role is played with a refreshing vivaciousness by Emma Roberts, who is perky and polite without ever becoming annoying. Unlike The Brady Bunch Movie, where the anachronistic characters are jeered and ridiculed, Nancy's style is treated with respect and dignity. It's a great moment when the LA "style-conscious" girls with their Paris Hilton streetwalker attire are dismissed by the boutique owner, while Nancy, in her penny loafers and homemade Butterick pattern dress, is embraced. This movie shuns the we-need-to-enlighten-this-wholesome-girl tack so many Hollywood movies take. Nancy remains true to herself and her values throughout.The mystery is just tense enough at times to be engaging. There were several suspenseful moments where my daughter nervously grabbed my arm, but there were no gratuitous shock scenes. It's all based on tension and mood and is a lot of fun. The supporting cast is good, particularly Marshall Bell as the creepy caretaker. There are some great cameos by Eddie Jemison, Chris Kattan and Bruce Willis and many moments that will make adults smile.This film deserves better ratings than some have given it. Not only was I glad not to be dragged to yet another computer animated film where talking animals burp and pass gas all over the place, but I was also very entertained. Had I been there without a child, I still would've enjoyed the movie. This is one DVD that will have my daughter's name on it under the Christmas tree.
Good Light Family Fun, but Confused Tone
posted on 21 Jun 2009This is a cute, Nickelodeon-type version of Nancy Drew, but it suffers a bit from a confused tone. It seems to me that the filmmakers couldn't decide if they wanted to celebrate or ridicule Nancy's abilities. Sometimes the movie seems like a semi-parody like "The Brady Bunch Movie," where the comedy came from the way the super goody-good fictional characters interacted with the "real" world around them (which is especially confusing, since Nancy Drew stories are usually mysteries, not out and out comedies). Other times it seems like a Disney Channel TV show. Other times it seems like real Nancy Drew (though it would benefit from more mysteriousness).On the positive side, the movie is very kid and teen friendly and Emma Roberts, the young star, is very appealing. She has that kind of likably precocious energy that Bonita Granville had in the original movies of the 30s and 40s. But it has been almost three years since this movie came out, and the sequel is set to come out in 2011. They really should have cranked out at least one a year in order to take advantage of her youth before they have to have a college age Nancy, even if they had to go the direct to DVD route. Perhaps they should have gone the TV-series route.
Best Teen Detective Movie!
posted on 11 Jun 2009I Loved This Movie! It's Really Fun To Watch Someone Being A Sleuth And Solved A Mystery. Aside, The Story Was Good. Some Fun Humor, Haunted Mansion, Suspense Scenes, Great Andventure & Heart-Touching Drama. Totally Great! Emma Roberts Who Play The Lead Role Shows A Real Multi-Talented Acting In Her Own Ways. She's So Perfect To Play Nancy Drew! The Other Actors Was Really Good Too. Like Josh Flitter Who Play Corky And Two Fabulous-Stylish Girls, Inga & Trish Who Plays By Daniella Monet And Kelly Vitz Gave A Fresh And Fun Humor In The Movie. Also, The Director Knows How To Make A Youth-Pre-Teen Adventure Movie Which This One Was Really Great Movie He Ever Made!I'm Totally Recommanded This Movie."NANCY DREW"Small Town Girl. Big Time Adventure. Get A Clue.
Everything I Expected. No More, No Less
posted on 06 Jun 2009 If my expectations weren't exceeded, they were certainly met. "Nancy Drew" works both as a mystery and a comedy. It pays homage to the books it was based on and spoofs them at the same time. The movie starts with a close-up on a book shelf and an animated credit sequence resembling illustrations from the books. It then begins lampooning the books immediately. Writer/director Andrew Fleming seems to realize the idea of a teenage girl regularly breaking up crime rings in a small town is ridiculous, so he doesn't treat the idea religiously. He pokes fun at Nancy Drew's ability to do anything, such as ace every class in school, know which baked treat is perfect for converting any enemy to her side, make a bird house with twelve flying buttresses, and even perform an emergency tracheotomy at a party. Nancy'd always be in perfect style, if she were living in the wholesome 1950's instead of present day L.A. And she carries around a "sleuth kit" complete with fingerprinting dust, flashlight, compass, and magnifying glass. Preposterous, of course, but I seem to remember the Hardy Boys' access at any given moment to CSI equipment being a little too convenient as well. And if the perky pipsqueak private eye is a little younger than her literary counterpart, it's just more comedic exaggeration on the movie's part.
The mystery of the movie is handled more seriously. Nancy and her lawyer father move from their small town to Los Angeles, where Nancy digs into a cold case involving the murder of a Hollywood movie star who lived in her new house decades ago. Nancy searches for clues in some pretty practical ways, such as surfing websites like Google and IMdB and watching old videotapes of the victim's movies. When she does something more out of the ordinary, you have to admire the girl's resourcefulness. Emma Roberts plays the pint-sized amateur sleuth beautifully. She makes the too-perfect girl completely lovable, if not completely realistic. Tate Donovan is also great as the too-perfect girl's father, Carson Drew. He's an ideal father figure without being unrealistically perfect, and he shows reasonable concern for his daughter as she gets into danger. Less likable is Max Thierot's take on Ned Nickerson, Nancy's boyfriend. I much preferred George O'Hanlon Jr.'s portrayal in the 1970's TV series starring Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew, in which Ned was a gawky, awkward kid with a little crush on Nancy. The character of Corky (Josh Flitter), a twelve-year old with a crush on Nancy, is much less annoying than Max Thierot's Ned. Amy Bruckner and Kay Panabaker seem appropriately cast as Nancy's gal pals Bess and George, but they only make brief cameos at the beginning of the film.
Speaking of cameos, Chris Kattan (SNL), Eddie Jemison ("Ocean's 13"), and Bruce Willis all make surprise guest appearances, which just proves you never can guess which movie Bruce Willis will pop up in next.
The movie does fail to live up to some potential. It's mentioned early on that the Drews' new house is heavily booby-trapped, but Nancy and her father are done with tripping over booby traps a few minutes after that. Also, Nancy describes the cold case she's about to investigate as a murder taking place at an extravagant party, which should yield plenty of potential murderers, but she only encounter a handful of suspects. And while there's some moments of real suspense during Nancy's adventures, the solution to the case comes out of nowhere, and in the end all possible plot threads are tied up too conveniently and who-cares-who-done-it. The score adds to the movie's suspense, but the contemporary teenybopper songs woven into the soundtrack are lame. Still, I really enjoyed this film, and while the movie is aimed primarily at tween girls, people of any age and gender can enjoy it.
Amazing Movie = )
posted on 05 Jun 2009I came to Nancy Drew expecting the worst...because of everyone else's bad reviews. I thought: Even though I don't read the books, that doesn't look anything like the Nancy Drew I've heard of. But I was wrong. Sure, it wasn't a carbon copy of the books, but when you make a movie out of something, you have to modify it to become big-screen entertainment. The plot was enjoyable and thrilling with a lot of actual scares and I thought that Emma Roberts was really believable in her own way of portraying this classic character. There were several funny moments and on the contrary of many statements, at no point in this film does Nancy come off as a ditz. She was intelligent, conservative, polite and genuine. One thing this movie also did well was balance the whole thing out with a mix of comedy, romance, suspense and heartfelt moments. I loved this movie. What a flick, what a flick! And if you are wise and decide to trust me and go see this, be prepared for some SCARY as heck moments because I was, like, freaking out! Go see it or be a bum-bum and just let other people decide what you think of this movie for you...a mistake I almost made. I love it, I wanna own this movie! I love Emma Roberts now, too. She's like a mini-Bree Van De Kamp from DH. Love it, love it.
Excellent movie!
posted on 01 Jun 2009This is one great movie! I have played all the Nancy Drew games and have read the books, and I never expected the movie to be so exciting and funny! If you never heard of Nancy Drew, read the first book (Secret of the Old Clock) so you can kinda' get used to Nancy, then you can watch the movie, because in the movie, they don't really introduce the characters' names fast. ;) My whole family enjoyed it and the plot was extremely interesting. This is an ultimate come-back from the previous Nancy Drew movies, which the Nancy Drew actor didn't seem to match. This movie is much like Alex Rider: Stormbreaker. It's so cool! Nancy Drew lovers, you must watch this!
Was fun, period !
posted on 30 May 2009To be honest, I had to go see this movie backwards, didn't expect that much, but hey, I was not deceived, I had a good time.I would say this movie is way a fresh breeze, despite some facts that they tried to modernize Nancy Drew, but this made me remember these youth movies of the 60-70s from Europe and Quebec, where they manage to have children getting interacting with adults. In this case, a 16 year-old teenager tries to do justice by trying to solve a mystery concerning the death of an actress who died 25 years ago. Anyway, as her dad had business in Hollywood, why not rent a home with a mystery behind doors ? Well, at least Emma Roberts does a great job here. Kinda like the chubby kid, who at first is naively brought to support his sister's pranks to Nancy, but at the end, found Nancy quite cool enough to stick with her, even with her matters...Rest of the supporting cast is great, and was happy to see Rachael Leigh Cook in a different role this time: a single mother (she did it in Family Rescue, but this time, she plays a mature woman...) Anyway, don't dump this, it is fun !
I actually liked this movie
posted on 30 May 2009I have read over 100 of the Nancy Drew books, and if you are not bright enough to catch on yet, Nancy Drew the movie was of a YOUNGER Nancy Drew, not the 18-year-old that doesn't go to school that all of the books are about. This was when she was sixteen. So naturally, she would of not as been as smart as the one in the book considering she is only in the 10th grade. Other than that, I thought the movie was very cute. It was clean and appropriate for everyone. It was funny at times. I thought Emma Roberts did a great job. She was articulate, in character, and cute. I liked the awkwardness that Nancy and Ned had around each other because they obviously were not old enough to be in a serious relationship like they have in the books. It was a cute, PG movie that I throughly enjoyed because I, unlike most people my age, enjoy movies without sex, drugs, or profanity.
Very disappointing
posted on 26 May 2009There's another viewer who boasted that they'd read all the original books and how Emma roberts was perfect as Nancy Drew etc etc. Well, I too have read all the original stories and I couldn't disagree more. Those stories were very good and I loved Nancy Drew but I always imagined her to be older (say 18/19), more fun and more natural. Instead we get a characters who's 14/15 years old goody two shoes know it all who's somehow more intelligent at crime solving than the police...well that was the case in the stories so I guess I can't really gripe about that fact.I'm sure that the plot was good but Nancy Drew was completely miscast not to mention that the characters were made to be a lot younger so it's kind of hard to take them seriously in this story. emma roberts was a poor choice (she's definitely not a good actress) and on her way to becoming the next anne hathaway (another lame actress in her own right).I really hope that there isn't another nancy drew movie if the same cast and director are used again. It was an utter chore to watch this movie and there was absolutely nothing else interesting on TV at the time (it was either this or watch the HGTV on how to make the perfect drywall).
It was awesome!!
posted on 24 May 2009This was a great movie! Even though there was only about 15 people including myself there it was great! My friend and I laughed a lot. My mom even enjoyed it. There was two middle aged women there and a mid 20 year old there and they seemed to enjoy it. I love the part where Corky and Ned are like both liking Nancy and stuff its cute lol. And when she gets her roadster and Ned is there. Yeah This was a great movie even thought people underestimated it lol. Go See it i bet you'll enjoy it!! I really enjoyed it and so did my friend. People were so tough on this movie and they hadn't even seen it. I bet next time they will give the movie and actresses a chance. They all did a great job in my opinion. But if you have young kids its still appropriate. I will probably take my 7 year old niece to watch it too.
Campy, Slow, and inexpensive
posted on 23 May 2009First off I know that this is a kid's movie and is not intended to be realistic. However,this is true of many other recent films that I watched and enjoyed like X-Men, 300, Batman, Superman, and even "The Rise of the Silver Surfer", but Nancy Drew didn't make the grade as far as I am concerned. It might appeal to the 8 to 10 year old crowd but I doubt it. In an obvious effort to keep the budget to a minimum the film is set -- where else -- Los Angeles. Instead of keeping Nancy in her proper time frame (1930 to 1950)the producers elected to drop her into a modern LA thereby saving more money. The result instead of being campy-funny came across as campy-snide, because the screen writer and director clearly shared the common view in LA that anyone not living there or on the East Coast is dumb, backward, unsophisticated, definitely unhip, and thus an object of fun and derision. So both Ned and Nancy are portrayed as dorks who are totally unhip and objects of ridicule. In order to add interest the screen play introduces an unlikely and even dorkier side-kick "Corky" whose only purpose seemed to be to add humor, but not much of that. Corky did give Max Theriot (Ned) the opportunity to deliver the best line of the movie when he referred to him as "porky". In fact, this film would have been greatly improved with less Corky and more Ned. Theriot actually provided the best acting job in the movie as he displays his 17 year old jealousy with body language and expression -- very well done. The screen play introduced the two high style Valley Girls who added little beyond highlighting how unhip Nancy is. Of course there was the obligatory car chase and crash, which characterizes modern cinema, but a car chase at osted speed limits. This was a missed opportunity for some fun between Ned and Nancy and the screen writer squandered this opportunity as did the director.
The Nancy Drew character was true to her roots but by stinting on the budget she became a figure of ridicule and even more unrealistic than the original. This could have been a cute movie but instead it turned out to be slow, snide, and rather dull -- too adult for young kids but too immature for most adults.
I gave it three stars because Nancy and Ned did a good job with weak material. The Screen writer, director, and producers should be ashamed of themselves.
fun adventure of sleuthing
posted on 23 May 2009Nancy has relocated to Los Angeles because her father has accepted an assignment there. Promising her father not to do any more sleuthing, Nancy tries to fit in at a nearby high school. However, Nancy is on a different wavelength than with the rest of the students there. She's deemed old fashioned and behind on time, despite her courteous manners.
Meanwhile, while staying at an old mansion, circumstances involving a dead actress, Dehlia Draycott, and a hidden will tempts Nancy into sleuthing. Pretty soon, she discovers herself and new friends in midst of dangers...all behind her father's back.
I found *Nancy Drew* to be an enjoyable film even though I found some parts to be a bit cheesy. Nonetheless, it's a good ol' dose of fun to watch.
ummmm... read this comment!
posted on 30 Aug 2009I really liked this movie...it was cute. I enjoyed it, but if you didn't, that is your fault. Emma Roberts played a good Nancy Drew, even though she isn't quite like the books. The old fashion outfits are weird when you see them in modern times, but she looks good on them. To me, the rich girls didn't have outfits that made them look rich. I mean, it looks like they got all the clothes -blindfolded- at a garage sale and just decided to put it on all together. All of the outfits were tacky, especially when they wore the penny loafers with their regular outfits. I do not want to make the movie look bad, because it definitely wasn't! Just go to the theater and watch it!!! You will enjoy it!