The Sheep Detectives Review
There are so many ways in which this film could have unravelled: a bloated ensemble cast, a screenwriter best known for a grim thriller series (Craig Mazin of Chernobyl fame) lending his pen to a cutesy family flick, and the oft-perilous inclusion of talking CGI animals. But perhaps the biggest mystery here is how a first-time live-action director (Kyle Balda) manages to skirt the uncanny valley and produce a mostly enjoyable crowd-pleaser fit for the whole family.
Hugh Jackman headlines the cast (albeit quite briefly) as reclusive shepherd George Hardy, whose quirky flock is left in disarray when he is found murdered in his paddock. Led by the intelligent Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus—whose voice seems admittedly out of place in the English countryside), the flock must step in where bumbling police officer Tim (Nicholas Braun of Succession) stumbles to solve the case. Luckily, George had a habit of reading his flock murder mysteries as bedtime stories, equipping them with all the skills necessary to solve a real human murder (or so they think!).
Lily is joined by her patient companion Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), the only one in the flock incapable of forgetting things, and the enigmatic Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), the only one who has ever strayed beyond the safety of their paddock. Playing out as part comedy and part whodunnit, the script never truly excels at either. After spending its early moments satirising the tired tropes of Christie-esque crime novels, the case quickly proceeds to follow those same tropes to the letter. Perhaps an attempt to make an otherwise convoluted plot more engaging for children (lest 110 minutes of cute barnyard animals not be engaging enough), this comes at the cost of underwhelming arcs for the humans in the nearby village, as well as a predictable outcome to the mystery that is nonetheless explained in an arduous, monologued finale.
Surprisingly, where the film shines is in the carefully crafted personalities of the sheep and how they interact with one another. All share a juvenile sense of innocence, and the introduction of something as morbid as murder into their sheltered lives brings challenging questions about the nature of death into focus. With nuanced performances from Dreyfus, O’Dowd, and Cranston, the film also deftly explores themes of grief, friendship, loyalty, otherness, and animal rights. Mazin’s script handles these with aplomb, without dwelling so long as to feel like an unwelcome intrusion on the momentum of the barnyard antics. All the while, we are treated to numerous vocal and in-person cameos along the way (Brett Goldstein, Bella Ramsey, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Emma Thompson, to name a few).
Although hedging its bets in an attempt to appeal to a broad audience, The Sheep Detectives succeeds in being an accessible and enjoyable family comedy. The anthropomorphism of the flock invites insight into human behaviour that your typical murder mystery lacks. In doing so, it becomes a film sure to entertain audiences of all ages.
