You won’t be counting sheep during “The Sheep Detectives.”
Adapted from the 2005 Leonie Swann novel “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story,” the film follows a flock of sheep belonging to secluded shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), who reads them murder mysteries before bedtime, not realizing that the sheep have been able to understand everything he’s been saying.
Unfortunately for George, he becomes the victim of his murder mystery, and his sheep hope to crack the case.
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There’s Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the intelligent sheep the rest of the flock look up to, especially since she’s so good at solving the mysteries George reads them. Also among the flock are the clear-headed Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), the stoic Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), the gossipy Cloud (Regina Hall), the elder Sir Ritchfield (Patrick Stewart) and the ram-bunctious twins Reggie and Ronnie (Brett Goldstein).
But who would want to kill George? Well, he apparently ruffled plenty of feathers in the rural English town of Denbrook, like the rival shepherd Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole), the butcher Ham Gilyard (Conleth Hill), the innkeeper Beth Pennock (Hong Chau) and his estranged daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon), all who have motives for wanting George dead.
Also joining the cast are Emma Thompson as George’s attorney Lydia Harbottle, Nicholas Galitzine as the nosy junior reporter Elliot Matthews and Nicholas Braun as the bumbling Officer Tim Derry, who the sheep have to shepherd into solving the mystery.
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What caught me off guard was the film’s emotional core — touching on subjects like coping with grief and having a sense of belonging. “The Sheep Detectives” feels like something from bygone era where movies were pure and good-nature, striking a resemblance to the 90s classic “Babe.” It’s funny, cute and has a lot of heart — truly a film the whole family can enjoy.
It’s obvious that the all-star ensemble, both human and non-human alike, had a lot of fun making this movie. The cast was led by director Kyle Balda, who has an extensive background as an animator but most recently directed the “Minions” films and “Despicable Me 3.” Emmy-winner Craig Mazin, who recently wrote HBO’s “Chernobyl” and “The Last of Us,” makes his first big-screen comedy since 2013’s “The Hangover Part III.”
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Good quality family films are not easy to come by these days, which is why “The Sheep Detectives” deserves to be seen. The cast is great and not only does the writing bring the laughs, it also tugs at the heartstrings. Charming and delightful, “The Sheep Detectives” is a film worth flocking to.
“The Sheep Detectives” is rated PG for thematic material, some violent content and brief language.. Running time: 1 hour, 49 minutes. In theaters now.
