Remember the Nancy Drew book series? (That’s when “Buffy” and “Veronica Mars” weren’t created yet, okay?) So the inner geek in me has been gloating that as Lindsay and Paris rule the tabloids right now, the smart and sweet supersleuth is coming to the big screen this weekend as a genuine, old-fashioned role model. The film, “Nancy Drew: Get a Clue” is definitely campy, cheesy, and truly geared for the 12 and under crowd–or for their mothers and aunts who want to wax nostalgic for a couple of hours.
So, in other words, I had fun watching it. But I am sure many other movie buffs will want to leave this movie mystery unsolved.
The movie transplants Nancy from her home in River Heights to the glitzy world of Hollywood where Nancy discovers a creepy bungalow that used to belong to a movie star. There are, of course, hidden passageways and creepy characters that help Nancy unravel the mystery of the movie star’s past. And while Nancy is never really in dire danger, she has her trusty friend Ned, another character throwback to the novels, are there to help.

However, the movie is less about clues and more about the clueless girls who attend Nancy’s new school. Where Nancy really has problems is in class where it is not exactly hip to be square. Nancy’s retro style and goody-two-shoes approach to life doesn’t exactly impress the typical “mean girls” around her, Well, at least not at first. After awhile Nancy’s smart and sensible attitude begins to rub off on at least a few of her peers, who begin to realize maybe it’s not that much fun to be a stupid girl after all.
Which is exactly what makes this one of the more positive, family-friendly movies so far this summer. Nancy is unapolgetically a girl who knows who she is and what she wants, and she doesn’t care so much what others think. That’s something I would like to see a little more of at the box office.
Sure, I also would have liked the movie to be a little less cutsey and a little less preachy in spots, but I still thought Emma Roberts (yes, daughter to Eric and niece to Julia) makes a great Nancy Drew. And with talks of starting a film franchise with this character, I’d be happy to take another magical mystery tour with this girl detective.
“Nancy Drew: Get a Clue” is in theaters now.