The Kid Detective Review TIFF 2020

The Plot

A once celebrated and respected kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. Until a naïve young client offers him a daunting last chance at redemption by hiring him to solve her boyfriend’s brutal murder.

The Good

The Kid Detective has a unique and wildly enjoyable tone that seamlessly blends playfully wry and self-aware comedic charm with unashamedly serious film noir drama. It’s a simple premise that expertly juxtaposes the quaint small-town setting and quirky inhabitants with the typically gritty motifs of gumshoe detective drama.

There’s something deeply poetic about Adam Brody’s casting in the role as washed up child prodigy Abe Applebaum. As an actor who has actually faced the potentially crushing weight of his own overwhelming adolescent achievements. As a star of the wildly popular teen dramedy The OC, his own career since has been forged under the shadow of that overnight sensation status. It lends an extra dimension of sincerity to watching an evidently jaded man struggle to forge a legitimately adult identity in the wake of ever fading pubescent glory. His eternally youthful face is more weatherworn and authentically aged, having evolved from a relentless teenage quip machine into a more subtle and likeably restrained charm.

Brody’s note perfect performance captures the fragile and fundamentally broken nature of the character. Traumatised by very real pain and striving desperately for some form of closure. His legitimately young co-star Sophie Nelisse is by contrast a wide eyed delight as Caroline, the girl who places an unlikely amount of trust in the former boy wonder. The pair work excellently together in giving the film a playful whimsical tone without ever being outright silly or childish.

Watching Brody’s well-intentioned detective tactlessly interrogating high schoolers and sneaking awkwardly around suburban homes could have quickly descended into ridiculousness, but there’s something sincerely heartfelt about this story and the film makes devastating shifts into truly gripping suspense thriller.

This film is not just a simple slice of whimsical comedy, it’s also a legitimate Sherlockian mystery that shockingly sucker punches audiences with astonishingly devastating denouements.

The Bad

It’s exceedingly rare to have nothing bad to say about a film. This is one such occasion. Some may find the film’s basic premise off-putting or assume the films early flashes of childishness are all it has to offer. But I urge those people to give the film a chance. It is so much more than you think and a legitimately rewarding adult experience.

The Ugly Truth

The Kid Detective is a sensational slice of cinematic genius packed with wit, heart and charm. Adam Brody and Sophie Nelisse are a perfect pairing that take audiences from fits of giggles to stunned gasps. It’s difficult to do justice to just how special and truly original this film is. It is undoubtedly one of the finest gifts of this year’s Toronto Film festival and a must see future cult classic.

Review by Russell Nelson

Monday Review TIFF 2020

The Plot

Wildly sexual and romantic sparks fly when two Americans Chloe and Mickey meet in Greece and launch into an unlikely relationship, facing the immediate pressure of her imminently planned departure back to America. Their powerful connection instantly provokes difficult questions about whether or not it’s possible for such a spontaneous encounter to actually lead to a serious future.

The Good

Monday is a sensuous and wildly passionate romantic drama instantly ignited by the bristling chemistry instantly created between the astonishingly gifted talents of Sebastian Stan and Dennis Gough.

Sebastian Stan oozes the most undeniable charisma on screen. Beyond his indisputably chiselled and perfectly handsome good looks there’s a warm truly appealing lustre to his character. It will be hard for audiences to avoid being quickly swept up in his relentless wit and explosive passion. It’s truly rare to see such an authentic display of raw magnetism on screen. He is exactly the type of person that could propel a virtual stranger to abandon their existing life plans in favour of a sun drenched life together.

There’s also a vulnerability and authentically raw quality to his performance that gives the film layers and nuance. The film pushes beyond the initial adrenaline fuelled rush of a new relationship and through the at times difficult process of uncovering flaws and unforeseen problems.

Denise Gough delivers a flawless American accent and makes Chloe a wonderful counterpoint to Sebastian Stan’s Mickey. Despite their obvious chemistry there are clear differences between her maturely composed Lawyer and his free spirited man-child musician. The tensions between their two very different worlds literally explodes when their wildly different social circles collide. It’s a very stark illustration of the unexpected trauma that can follow taking a leap of faith with a new romantic partner.

Beyond the films amazing captivating central pairing a special mention must be given to Yorgos Pirpassopoulos playing Mickey’s flamboyant best friend Argyris. He is a persistently joyous and sincere voice in the film that helps invest audiences even more affectionately in Stan’s character. Likewise the film’s excellent and uplifting soundtrack injects consistent pounding energy into proceedings. It gives the film a pulsating hedonistic quality that embodies the rampant real life abandonment of true unrestrained passion.

Ultimately the complex course of this new couple’s recklessly romantic path is compellingly joyous and whistful in ways which will no doubt linger with an audience long after the film ends. There is a true sexual intensity to their performances rarely captured on screen.

The Bad

Much like life’s real passions and romantic adventures it’s a little shame that this film can’t just maintain its early optimism and joyous abandonment. It would be easy to spend much longer getting to simply enjoy these two characters swimming in their heady uncomplicated lust. It’s perhaps unwelcome when the reality of problems and ugly truths starts to emerge.  It’s painful and imperfect in ways that are tragically honest and self-destructive. It’s a little genuinely disheartening to see the film lurch from sunny escapism to starkly bleak reality.

The film isn’t the simply escapist romantic fantasy its early portions seem to promises it to be. That may give the film more depth and drama but it won’t necessarily be what every audience wants to see.

The Ugly Truth

Monday is a truly compelling unflinching portrait of the course of new romance and passion in its purest form. It’s a headlong dive into the uniquely sex soaked and intense rush of new love and the grounding at times painful aftermath. Two astonishing lead performance combine in the most bravely intimate of ways to invest audiences in these characters in totally authentic ways.

Review by Russell Nelson