'The Kid Detective' tells the story of Abe Applebaum, a once celebrated kid detective, depicted now in his thirties, as he moves from solving one trivial case to another. One day he is approached by Caroline, a naive young girl, that hires Abe to find out who murdered her boyfriend.
The story sets out by depicting Abes glory days, as he operates his detective agency at age 12, helping out his peers to settle various minor mysteries. Heralded as a boy-wonder of sorts after solving a case regarding a missing donation box at his school, the town pulls together and Abe established his own office in town. He hires Gracie, a girl from school to help out as his assistant. Soon after Gracie is kidnapped, marking a turning point in Abes sleuth career, as he was unable to find her.
After Abe is approached by Caroline, he takes the case as an opportunity to redeem himself and prove his skills as a detective. As the pair investigate, they are lead to a drug dealing ring within the town school, and eventually uncover that Abe's current case is linked to Gracie. Through discovering that the principal of the school, Principal Erwin, had been the one to kill Carolines boyfriend, digging deeper into his motivation, Abe uncovers that Erwin had also been the one to kidnap Gracie. It is revealed that Caroline is Erwin and Gracies daughter, and Gracie is found locked up on Erwins property. After solving the mystery, Abe proves himself a worthy detective and can move on from carrying the burden of Gracies case.
The film is a fun mix of comedy and mystery, veering from exceptionally hilarious moments and set-ups to dark, tense and uncomfortable moments of revelation. At the centre of the story is Abe, presented as a wunderkind whose emotional and professional development is stunted by an unsolved mystery. The film goes to lengths to showcase the repercussions suffered by Abe, as he is unable to move on and develop beyond the mental state he was in as a child. He carries on pursuing his career as a detective, yet the cases he is presented with match his infantile state of mind. Even although he is stuck mentally as he bears the burden of the unsolved case, Abe is not presented acting in a childish manner, rather having formed into a bitter adult.
The film shifts its tone from comedic to dramatic, progressively getting darker as the story moves forward and more clues are revealed. Mashing up comedy and mystery can be a difficult feat, yet 'The Kid Detective' manages to establish a solid story and accentuates the twists and turns of the investigation accordingly, with smatterings of comedy where necessary, supplementing the sleuthing with outlandish incidents.
The tone of the film shifts from light-hearted to sombre when addressing Abes concerns and anxieties about the state of his life. The mood of the story sways to dramatic and tense in order to examine the dark thoughts that cloud Abes mind, and the characters fears and concerns are dissected and presented through him voicing his anxieties in conversation with his parents. Through vocal outbursts and somewhat comedic exchanges we get to witness Abes hangups and the extent to which his past failure has shaped his present state of being. The conclusion of the film follows Abe as he reestablished himself as a reputable detective, having the story of finding Gracie hit the public sphere through the media and we see Abe with a new, positive outlook on life.
The final moments of the film are the most revealing however, as through the story Abe presents a mostly reserved and composed veneer, with minor discrepancies when it comes to his parents. The final scene presents Abes parents visiting him at his home. In contrast to the beginning of the story, Mr. and Mrs. Applebaum now find Abe living by himself in a tidy and well organised home, with Abe appearing well put together. As they sit down to talk, after some smalltalk, Abe breaks down and cries uncontrollably as the screen cuts to black. The scene is most revealing about Abes state of mind, as he had been plagued by his past and the inability to solve Gracies case, the character is now experiencing the weight of that burden being lifted as he purges his fears, sadness and shame, indicating that he can start to deal with the pent up rage and emotions that had previously halted his emotional and professional development.
Adam Brody portrays Abe, impeccably presenting a troubled character dealing with having hit a plateau in his emotional development. Brody masterfully depicts an adult that cannot move beyond his past failure, conveying sorrow and a tormented persona, yet retaining elements of childish approaches to certain situations, imbuing the performance with levity and humour.
Sophie Nelisse portrays Caroline, a naive schoolgirl that is in search of answers to her boyfriends murder case. Nelisse successfully plays the wide-eyed innocent that is seeking answers to a tragedy, hoping to find out what happened. The actresses approach to the character is to the point, as she plays an uncomplicated character with clear intentions and a subtle approach to all the situations she comes across. Not to be confused with being too simple, the character of Caroline is a rational and logical individual, yet appropriately innocent due to her age.
Wendy Crewson and Jonathan Whittaker portray Mr. and Mrs. Applebaum, - a somewhat overbearing couple of parents that follow Abe and express their concern for his well-being and future path. Even although their intrusive nature into Abes life can be infuriating, it is clear that they have the best intentions at heart, and Crewson and Whittaker manage to convey this in a clear and simple manner.
The antagonist to be revealed at the end, Principal Erwin is played by Peter MacNeill. The character is presented only in a couple of scenes prior to the reveal of the mystery, and MacNeill successfully pulls off the innocent character that no one could suspect of being the villain. Once revealed as the bad guy, MacNeill's performance shifts to dark and frightening, providing the necessary gravity to the scene to deliver a truly troubling and disturbing conclusion to the mystery.
The film is written and directed by Evan Morgan, and the creator has managed to develop a movie that seamlessly combines comedy and mystery, with hilarious comedic highs and grim dramatic lows, seemingly pulling off an impossible mix of suspense and amusement, delivering a memorable film experience.
The film is successful in delivering both a fun and hilarious romp and a twisted and dark mystery. The outstanding writing and actors performances meld together to present an exciting and intriguing story that remains enticing until the final moments of the film, uncompromising in delivering a solid story paired with great character development, both components complementing each other throughout the movie.
Score: 4/4
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