For the first time in a while, I can honestly say this has been a year when I've seen some pretty great movies, and while the genres are varied, right now my favorite has been the reintroduction of the feel-good, hopeful movie.
I feel like it's something we've been missing for some time. The entertainment industry has been dominated by a sort of nihilism sold as wisdom and truth for too long. It's nice to finally get an attitude that doesn't begin and end with "Life sucks, and I'm the only person smart enough to know it," written by people who are so educated they're institutionalized.
Not long ago, I reported on a film that so impressed me that it reawakened a hope in the mainstream entertainment industry. That film was "Project Hail Mary," a film full of heart and hilarity that balanced its drama with an actual moral message that didn't resemble the "values" you'd find in an L.A. writers' room.
Perhaps it's the time we're in, but it felt like such a breath of fresh air that I was practically itching for more.
And I got it.
Funny enough, this film was one I'd seen as an option to view for some time, and I'd skipped over it repeatedly. My eyes were on larger fare; the new Spider-Man movie, which I got to see over the weekend. To be sure, the film is pretty good, and I noticed it has an infusion of the heart that's been slowly creeping into the film industry. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'll probably write an article about it later.
But that's not the movie that I wanted to praise. In fact, as good as it was, I wouldn't say it comes close to being my movie of the year.
The movie I loved was one I watched after, in my bedroom, before bed.
It's called "The Sheep Detectives," and I sincerely regret not having watched it sooner, because this movie scratched so many itches that I didn't even know I had a few of them.
The movie isn't breaking any new ground. It won't get points for originality, but its delivery is so good that you don't care. It takes your standard "whodunnit" crime mystery, crosses it with the charm of humanized animals in the way of "Babe," and packages it all with a tightly written script and well-developed characters such that, by the end, it leaves you begging for a sequel.
The story revolves around a shepherd named George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) who has a quaint piece of land with a quaint little flock, near a quaint little English town called Denbrook. Every evening he reads them chapters from a mystery novel, and the sheep gather around to listen. This has a profound impact on one sheep named Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who always seems to be able to figure out the mystery before everyone else.
One mysterious night, Hardy is found dead in the meadow, turning the small village upside down, especially as it's revealed that Hardy was more than just a shepherd. Thanks to Denbrook's only police officer, Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), being wildly incompetent, it's up to Lily and her fellow flock members, Mopple (Chris O'Dowd) and Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), to solve the murder and lead the hapless officer through the same clues and conclusions.
The character development between all the characters, both human and sheep, is so well executed that it's amazing they managed to fit it into the 109-minute runtime. The sheep have never been outside the meadow, causing them to have a very limited view of both the world and life itself, and in many ways this is reflected in the townsfolk of Denbrook, whose sleepy existence is reflected in their "grand" celebrations.
Still, for such a small setting, the characters are larger than life and only get more refined as the film goes on. By the end, the emotional connections are so solid that the film's heart really makes you feel for them.
I can't recommend this movie enough, especially as a family film. It reminds me so much of what we used to watch when I was a kid with my parents in the theaters that there was a slight nostalgic tinge that was likely unintentional by the creators but was there nonetheless. If this film had been released at some point in the late 90s or early aughts, it would've done incredible numbers.
Should you see the new Spider-Man? Yeah, it's pretty solid. I think it's worth seeing just to send Disney the message that a solid film without the woke nonsense and modern injections is a solid way to go, if anything.
But I think "The Sheep Detectives" is probably the film I'd say is the "must-see." You'll walk away with more than just seeing the latest update in a franchise starring a likeable hero. "The Sheep Detectives" will have you walking away feeling emotionally satisfied and somewhat touched.
You can find it on Amazon Prime right now. Gather the family, pop a big bowl of popcorn, and enjoy.
