By Matthew Moorcroft

Strong Recommendation

• Directed by Kyle Balda
• Starring Hugh Jackman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nicholas Braun, Bryan Cranston
• PG

Don’t let it’s poor marketing and Mad Libs style premise fool you – The Sheep Detectives is the kind of family film that one wishes we still got on a regular basis. Mixing the modern whodunnit stylings of Knives Out with the tone and whismy of Babe, and also a dash of darkness in the vein of Babe: Pig in the City, there is something for everybody in The Sheep Detectives. It’s very likely that the majority of kids will be entertained by the film’s calm, crafty humor and wordplay, meanwhile adults will find much to chew on in the film’s surprisingly layered screenplay that both pokes fun at murder mystery conventions while exploring some rather esoteric concepts for this kind of feature.

The fact I’m saying that The Sheep Detectives of all things is layered is proof enough that the world is topsy turny anyways. It’s really so much better then it needs to be, but as soon as the film starts and we hear Hugh Jackman’s narration about what it’s like to tend to a flock of sheep the charm immediately begins to seep in. Even when the sheep start talking, which would be a death sentence in most flicks, the film gives the sheep their own way of viewing things that isn’t dissimilar to the best animal stories.

Indeed, the film in a way, beyond it’s whodunnit qualities, is indebted to the ever popular realm of the social satire, using it’s sheep characters as vessel for commentary first and foremost. An early conservation about what God is – the sheep seem to think he’s a guy that they eat on Sundays – is particularly funny, and there are moments like scattered throughout that almost make you forget it’s a murder mystery until the body of Jackman drops dead.

Once the murder mystery does begin in earnest, it’s a blast of a time. The sheep themselves make for great POV characters, working as both passive observers in the real investigation going on while also aiding the story along when need be. It’s never too much in terms of antics, in fact for the most part The Sheep Detectives avoids slapstick altogether in favor of clever scenarios and observations about human culture, and the film’s insistence on keeping the sheep as in character as sheep for the entire runtime means they never verge on anthropomorphism. The VFX used to bring the sheep to life are top notch, likely helped by director Kyle Balda’s prior experience in animation and keeping them expressive in the midst of their more realistic appearance otherwise.

Instead, part of the genius of The Sheep Detectives‘s script is that, like all great murder mysteries, it uses said mystery as a cover story for what the actual story of the film is, which is in this case a frank discussion about the nature of mortality, death, and the painful act of remembering during difficult times. There is a saying that all great children’s stories are ultimately about death in some way, and no other film as of late makes that saying true then this one. The sheep don’t understand death like we do, if at all; living in blissful ignorance only works so long before the metaphorical wool over your eyes becomes something of a hinderance. It’s thoughtful but never blunt, melancholic but never overwhelming sad to the point of being too much, and it masters a tonal balance that never goes too much into maudlin territory while also maintaining a certain level of sentimentality key to these types of stories.

The great stuff in the main sheep story does threaten to overwhelm the human side of the story, but thanks to a well written mystery and solid performances that just overtuned enough to fit the light tone while never moving over into camp, it’s equally as engaging. It’s a fair play mystery, with all of the clues and answers laid out in the first 30 minuets for those paying attention but still subtle enough that viewers mostly just here for the ride will likely be genuinely surprised at the final reveal. Craig Mazin’s script also keeps things moving along at a solid pace, never delving too long into something or glossing over something too quickly.

The overwhelming amount of heart on display here is enough to make this a winner, but even beyond that The Sheep Detectives is one of the year’s biggest surprises. It’s genuinely witty, fun, emotionally moving, and well crafted in a way that most family flicks just aren’t anymore. It brings back memories of the days where these kinds of films were the norm for families, and it avoids the pitfalls and traps that plague the somewhat overactive fare that tends to pass as kids films nowadays. And that alone is worth celebrating. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but The Sheep Detectives is a must watch. Fantastic flick!