The Kid Detective (2020) First Time Watching! Full Movie Reaction!!
Added 2024-09-20 18:08:23 +0000 UTC
Comments
Abe is living in his own world throughout the movie in regards to not growing up and certain comments he makes etc so I feel like the end of the movie with him waking up and it being bright out and people speaking to him now is more a reflection of the way he saw and thought about himself since Gracie's disappearance than it was the actual reality of the town.
Ginge Tomassi
2024-10-05 14:13:53 +0000 UTCThat's disappointing. I was looking forward to "If...." .I hope you guys still watch it.
Samolina Pilchard
2024-09-30 16:26:01 +0000 UTCThis is the third or fourth time I've seen this movie, and each time I see it, Adam Brody's incredibly dry, deadpan performance just gets funnier and funnier. I agree with what you say in the outro: I think this movie's deft blend of sort of outrageous elements -- the "kid detective" conceit of the Encyclopedia Brown books, but what that guy might turn out to be like at 30, some of the more comical bits with the kids on the stoop and the roommate, etc. -- with more piercing, serious elements is just so good, and Brody's performance is a big part of why that tonal balance works so well. He's tired and sort of worn down without being one-note, and his comic timing is impeccable. The one thing I would say is that while of course Abe is experiencing trauma at the very end, I don't totally think we're supposed to think this is suggesting an overall dark ending, just that as you say, in that moment, it's all catching up with him. The poppy music coming back in, to me, says there's an ironic laugh there. Not *at* Abe, just at the subversion of the note one might expect the movie to end on. A couple of little details: When the movie flashes back early on to Abe as a child after Gracie's disappearance, you can see the unfolded yellow flower on his desk. Also, when they show Gracie as his assistant, they draw attention to the grape soda: Abe comments in the voice-over that he pays her with soda, and you can see the grape bottles in particular on her desk. I agree with the other commenters' interpretation that the principal has no desire to kidnap or harm Caroline. The reason he kills Patrick is because he worries that Patrick is a bad influence on her; in his twisted mind, he is behaving in a fatherly, protective manner. I think to him, the photo is a sign (because he believes it's her) that Patrick is corrupting her. Another small touch that I like is that Caroline is raised by religious "grandparents" and talks to Abe about how people perceive her as a goody two-shoes ("people act like I've never seen an R-rated movie or stayed up past midnight"), but when she shows up in Abe's office at the end, she's dressed totally differently, because she now feels more free to assert her own personality rather than trying to live into the idea of what other people perceive her to be. Adam Brody is barely in it, but another recent-ish Brody movie that comes to mind is his small cameo in the raunchy rom-com Sleeping With Other People, starring Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie. He also has a new Netflix rom-com TV show that looks cute called "Nobody Wants This" with Kristen Bell. If I were recommending two movies that have really flown under the radar, I'd pick two, one I've recommended before and one I never have. The one I have is another detective movie I'm dying for you to see that I think shares some real DNA in common with this, which is called Zero Effect (1998). Another one that would never win a poll but I think you may be shocked you'd never heard of and would never have seen without a recommendation, and a great mystery with elements of comedy. The other one that comes to mind, from the previous paragraph, is a totally different comedy/drama/sci-fi movie called Colossal, which also stars Anne Hathaway, and Jason Sudeikis again. Won't give away at all what that one is about; best to go in blind.
Tyler Foster
2024-09-22 03:33:49 +0000 UTCGreat choice, @iliketostayhome! I never would have watched this in a million years if Red Letter Media hadn't brought attention to it. Thanks to you and TBR, maybe we can start to see more hidden gems popping up.
Mike Miner
2024-09-21 23:39:11 +0000 UTCReally enjoyed the reaction. Not at all what I was expecting based on the title. What a surprise. The ending felt a little abrupt and could maybe have benefitted from a little longer run time, but overall a good story. A weird thought about fate popped into my head (don't know why). If Abe had solved the kidnapping in the past, Gracie would have been spared the horrible torture/trauma she had to go through. Abe would have been spared the emotional pain he suffered for years. Patrick Chang would not have been killed. And Caroline, who seemed like such a sweet and kind girl, would never exist. Sorry for the up all night, too much coffee rambling thoughts. Will try not to let it happen again. I'm not crazy. Honest.
FischerMax98
2024-09-21 16:16:50 +0000 UTCSpecial thanks to iliketostayhome for this one. I had planned on pushing this one forever until it somehow made it on. So satisfying to see you guys dug it!
Sergeant Pepper
2024-09-21 13:33:51 +0000 UTCI knew you'd love this movie! You mentioned before that you guys love detective-type stories so I knew this was eventually going to get recommended. I just didn't expect it so soon. So glad the spin wheel winner changed his selection! This is super under everyone's radar but the script and the performances are just SO good.
wapaking
2024-09-21 08:32:34 +0000 UTCI ended up liking it, not as much as the two of you did, but I am glad that I watched it. That last twenty minutes really elevated the whole movie.
John W Foster
2024-09-21 02:20:40 +0000 UTCYay! Can't wait to see what you think! -Sam
TBR Schmitt
2024-09-20 23:08:02 +0000 UTCOh we didn't know that! So cool! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the video! -Sam
TBR Schmitt
2024-09-20 23:07:50 +0000 UTCWe loved it, thank you!! -Sam
TBR Schmitt
2024-09-20 23:07:18 +0000 UTCInteresting!! I think he probably wouldn't have kept it then, but I hadn't thought of it this way!
TBR Schmitt
2024-09-20 23:06:47 +0000 UTC(SPOILERS) I thought he took the photo so nobody else would see it; he thought it was Caroline and it was a protective/fatherly act. He said he was watching her and killed her bf because he wanted her to stay innocent. He wasn't going to kidnap her imo
Odd Thomas
2024-09-20 22:20:03 +0000 UTCA lot of familiar faces in that trailer. I found the movie on a popular free site. It is there to watch. Best to use a browser that blocks pop-ups.
iliketostayhome
2024-09-20 21:42:06 +0000 UTCReminds me of a movie called "The Comeback Trail" that my son and I were super excited to see from the trailers that were released. COVID hit and the movie was never released in the US (I think it was released in France at one point). I still have the trailer saved in my youtube trailers play list and I periodically check Amazon to see if I can at least purchase it.
John W Foster
2024-09-20 21:31:09 +0000 UTCGreat movie. Another good mystery thriller is Destroyer, starring Nicole Kidman.
Odd Thomas
2024-09-20 20:24:06 +0000 UTCSo glad you guys liked it. I hope this will put it in front of more people. It is such a good movie, and it was completely buried by Covid policies. Tragic. Thanks, guys.
iliketostayhome
2024-09-20 19:26:18 +0000 UTCKills me that I'll have to wait until tomorrow to watch this one. Such a great Adam Brody performance. You may mention this in the video, but in case you've never read them, the whole kid detective concept is taken from the long-running Encyclopedia Brown books for kids, which are collections of short stories in which Encyclopedia Brown is presented with a mystery, and he solves it, and the reader is given the opportunity to solve it as well. Once you think you have the answer, there is a section in the back of the book where all the answers are printed.
Tyler Foster
2024-09-20 19:01:57 +0000 UTCI'm excited, I've always wanted to watch this movie, and I've never gotten around to it
John W Foster
2024-09-20 18:30:53 +0000 UTC
