Based on the international bestseller Three Bags Full by German crime writer Leonie Swann, The Sheep Detectives counts as one of the year’s biggest surprises thus far. When I go into a theater, I do what I can to give myself the best shot to enjoy what I’m about to watch. I typically avoid clips and trailers when I can; I inevitably see footage for upcoming releases either in theatrical pre-roll or scrolling through social media but I don’t seek out promos. If I can go into a movie knowing only a brief synopsis of what I’m about to see, that’s the ideal scenario. Going into this film, I knew it was a live-action murder mystery with CGI talking animals. Right, wrong, or otherwise, that sets my expectation bar relatively low, even given the fact that I don’t consume many G and PG-rated offerings. This is a rich family entertainment, packed with genuine intrigue, warm humor and wisdom around worthy themes.
The Sheep Detectives opens with voiceover from George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), a staid shepherd who prefers the company of his flock over the complications of human interaction. Though he tends to dozens of sheep, he has names for all of them and while he’d rather not pick favorites, he nevertheless has two: Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Sebastian (voiced by Bryan Cranston). Every night after the day’s chores are done, George sits outside his mobile home in the meadow and reads whodunnit novels to a captive ovine audience. Little does he know, the smartest of the sheep have been taking mental notes and Lily especially seems to know the endings before they’re even read. Unfortunately, their collective knowledge of murder mysteries becomes useful when George is discovered dead by fellow herder Caleb (Tosin Cole) one day.
Dim-witted officer Tim (Nicholas Braun) arrives shortly on the scene and it’s clear to Lily and company that he needs all the help he can get in solving the crime at hand. With the help of the world-weary Mopple (voiced by Chris O’Dowd), Lily and Sebastian make the trek outside their field to listen in on George’s will reading in the nearby English town of Denbrook. Gathered with George’s attorney Lydia (Emma Thompson) are George’s daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon) —traveling across the pond from America— along with local townspeople like persnickety innkeeper Beth (Hong Chau) and priest Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith). Putting their hooves and horns together, the sheep must follow the clues to untangle the mystery of which of these seemingly innocuous interlopers know what happened to their departed leader.
The quaint English setting and computer-generated animal cast may quickly call to mind the George Miller Babe films from 1990s and while those still certainly hold up, The Sheep Detectives features special effects that show how far we’ve come. The rendering for each of the creatures —be they Icelandic Leadersheep or North Country Cheviot sheep— is exquisitely detailed and charming in its flourishes. I got a kick out of how expressive each of the sheep’s ears were, flickering and twitching in ways that mirror how they’re feeling at a given moment. Of course the voice cast does an exceptional job bringing these CG creations to life, led by beautifully affecting work from Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the lead role. As the foil to Lily’s lively determination, fellow Seinfeld alum Bryan Cranston provides a gruff, cynical cadence to Sebastian’s timbre.
In the cinematic world, screenwriter Craig Mazin has hung his hat on entries from raunch comedy franchises Scary Movie and The Hangover but in the television realm, he’s spearheaded critically-acclaimed fare like Chernobyl and The Last Of Us. Being rated PG, The Sheep Detectives obviously steers clear of the four-letter words from the sophomoric comedies but doesn’t get as dramatically heavy as his TV output either. The humor is often droll and calls attention to the differences between how these talking sheep see the world compared to the humans bickering around them. But by the film’s conclusion, Mazin and director Kyle Balda weave together powerful themes about belonging and memory that will resonate with audience members of all ages. Filled with tenderness and twists in equal measure, The Sheep Detectives is a sheer delight.
Score – 4/5
New movies coming to theaters this weekend:
Obsession, starring Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette, is a supernatural horror movie in which a music store employee buys a supernatural “One Wish Willow” toy and wishes for his childhood friend to fall in love with him.
In The Grey, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Henry Cavill, is an action thriller involving a secret elite team of agents who are tasked with reclaiming a vast fortune stolen by a ruthless tyrant.
Is God Is, starring Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, is a revenge thriller following twin sisters with disfiguring burn scars as they’re ordered by their bedridden mother to kill their abusive father who caused their scars.