The Thursday Murder Club

Rating 6/10

Author Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club novels have been a global hit. There are four books in the series so far, each topping bestseller lists and winning a devoted legion of fans with its mix of mystery and humor. It was inevitable that Hollywood would come calling.

Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment acquired the rights in 2020 and tapped Chris Columbus, director of Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter films, to direct and produce. With such talent behind the camera, the mystery I wanted to solve was why the film skipped theaters and landed on Netflix. Then I watched it.

To be fair, it is pleasant enough. It features a knockout quartet. Four luminaries anchor the ensemble, playing retirees who prove to be anything but ordinary. Pierce Brosnan brings bluster to Ron, a former trade union leader. Helen Mirren lends steely poise to Elizabeth, who is cagey about her past as a civil servant. Ben Kingsley gives Ibrahim, a retired psychiatrist, quiet authority. And Celia Imrie adds warmth and mischief as Joyce, a nurse with a sharper mind than she lets on.

The setting is Cooper’s Chase, a seemingly quiet retirement village where the foursome gathers on Thursdays to puzzle over unsolved crimes. It is all a bit of fun until their hobby turns serious when one of the community’s co-owners (Geoff Bell) winds up dead. Suddenly, their little club finds itself at the center of a very real homicide.

From there, the saga blends cozy whodunit with light comedy. The legendary cast elevates the material. The problem is that the investigation fails to generate any real suspense. The screenplay by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote sets up one obstacle after another. Yet the seniors confront each one without much difficulty, leaving little room for tension or stakes. There is never a moment of “will they solve it?”; only “how soon?”

While the seasoned sleuths connect the dots with ease, the police (Daniel Mays) are painted as broadly incompetent, with Naomi Ackie’s constable as the lone exception. The comedy never quite reaches the cleverness it aims for, but the film coasts on charm. The real pleasure lies in watching these actors spar and scheme together.

The Thursday Murder Club is a time-passer with superior production values. For many viewers, the appeal will simply be spending two hours in the company of these great actors. It may be convoluted, but if you are not too demanding with your streaming entertainment, it goes down easily enough.

08-29-25