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SHEEP DETECTIVES – Review

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(L to R) Tommy Birchall as the voice of The Winter Lamb and Hugh Jackman as George Hardy in THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo credit: Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios © 2026 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

– By Cate Marquis –

Hugh Jackman stars as a shepherd whose sheep love hearing him read them murder mystery stories, in the warm, witty live action/CGI animated mystery/action/comedy THE SHEEP DETECTIVES. When the shepherd, George Hardy, dies under mysterious circumstances, the sheep are on the case, of course, to find out whodunit, using the techniques they learned from those murder mysteries.

The delightful CGI sheep talk among themselves when people aren’t around. When people are there, all the humans hear is bleating – because, of course, sheep speak “sheep.” On the other hand, the sheep understand what humans are saying, or at least the words if not always the meaning.

The sheep are not animated in the traditional sense but CGI. Usually, one expects a movie with talking animals to be animated or annoyingly cute. This film is neither. THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is a delightful film, with a more serious and emotionally complexity bent which making it interesting for adults as well as kids. But just to be clear, , as there is plenty of humor, action and a mystery to solve.

While kids can appreciate and enjoy the story, it is too intense for very young children, with some scary moments and discussions of death and grief that might not be right for the youngest.

Besides reading to his flock every night, kind-hearted George (Hugh Jackman) only raises them for their wool, not for meat, which most other sheep operations around him do. George is a bit of a hermit, and lives alone in a trailer out with his flock and likes it that way. He loves all his sheep and takes very good care of them. He has fended off several attempts by the local butcher or other sheep owners to buy his flock for slaughter, but George cares more about his sheep than he cares about making money.

George’s flock are a bit of a motley lot, with a ram (Bryan Cranston) who likes wander and is a bit of a mystery himself, another wise old ram Mopple (voiced by Chris O’Dowd) who is a kind of repository of memories the others have forgotten, and an ewe who is a kind of leader, Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus). There is also a particularly fluffy sheep who likes to have some attention, as well as a couple of lambs full of questions and a pair of young ram brothers full of energy (but little sense). There is another youngster, a “winter lamb,” who is rejected by the flock, as a lamb born too early in the season often is, but who is cared for by George.

When the sheep find George dead, lying in the field, they are shocked and unsure what to do next. Then it occurs to them that they have to solve the mystery of who killed him, and the murder mystery books George read to them might be their guide. Lead sheep Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), with old Mopple’s (Chris O’Dowd) help, steps up to lead the investigation. That task involves doing things she has never done and going places she has never been, with some assistance from that wandering ram, Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) who is more worldly than the flock knew.

Meanwhile, the people in the nearby village launch their own investigation, led by the village’s sole policeman (Nicholas Braun ). A few newcomers come into the mix, a young journalist (Nicholas Galitzine) from a neighboring town, and a visitor from America (Molly Gordon) who had been writing to George from across the pond, along with her solicitor (Emma Thompson). Other villagers include a grouchy innkeeper (Hong Chau), the village priest (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), another sheep farmer interested in buying George’s flock (Tosin Cole), and his pal, the butcher (Conleth Hill).

There is more than a dash of Agatha Christie in this story set in a little English village and surrounding lovely countryside where the sheep turn detective, based on the novel “Three Bags Full.” The mystery is charming and funny but the humor is more silly than whimsical, like in BABE. Directed by Kyle Balda, the script is from Craig Mazin, who, surprisingly, was the writer behind “The Last of Us” and “Chernobyl.” THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is a family film with a serious side, and a message for kids and grown-ups, about dealing with death, overcoming fear, trying something new, and the importance of remembering. The subject matter is a bit too serious, and occasionally scary, for very young kiddies, but a good fit for older kids.

The voice cast is impressive, including not just Chris O’Dowd and Julia Louis-Dreyfus but Bryan Cranston, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Regina Hall and others. The cast in the live action portion includes stars too, with Emma Thompson particularly good as the sharp and sharp-tongued lawyer. Hugh Jackman disappears fairly early in the story, too soon perhaps for some fans, but we do get a bit more Jackman in flashbacks.

The story moves back and forth between the sheep trying to solve the mystery and the sole policeman in the village, who is trying to working things out, with a little help from some others, and the sheep. The characters in town provide plenty of red herrings and sometimes are more hindrance than help, including the ambitious young journalist from a nearby larger town, hoping to find a scope to make his name. The young woman from America, who has been exchanging letters with George, as well as her solicitor, are another mystery to solve.

Besides the mystery and some thrills and actions, there is plenty of humor and gags, often in a kind of slapstick mode. Turning detective also challenges the sheep, takes them out of their comfortable routine, and forces them to reconsider some of their assumptions and beliefs.

THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is pure delight, an intelligent, well-made family film that is both funny and has something meaningful to say, something very rare indeed now.

THE SHEEP DETECTIVES opens nationally in theaters on Friday, May 8, 2026.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

OH, HI! – Review

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(L-R) Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon in OH, HI! Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Modern dating is the focus of writer/director Sophie Brook’s OH HI!, in which a couple, played by Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, take a weekend trip to the country. The film is billed as a comedy about a relationship, or as the film has it, a “situationship,” but comedy/rom com/horror might be more accurate, as the comedy designation is undermined from the start. The film opens by flashing forward to the end, as Iris (Gordon) confesses to the camera about her “bad decisions,” before we flashback to the beginning of the couple’s weekend trip to the country.

That opening gives the dark comedy a bit of horror film edge right at the start, and we are never sure which way it is going to go as it unfolds. Comedy/horror may be a common genre but the rom com/horror combo is a more challenging match, no matter how dark the rom com, but Sophie Brook does raise some interesting modern dating questions, and the strong cast certainly does everything they can to help it work. OH, HI!, which debuted in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival, is undeniably weird, although whether that weirdness works for you or not depends on individual taste, but at least some audiences may find this ambitious film exhausting and fizzling by the end.

The film follows up it’s unsettling, edgy opening by flashing back to the beginning of the story, as the couple, Iris (Gordon) and Isaac (Lerman), are happily driving through the Upstate New York countryside, on their way to their farmhouse rental for their first weekend trip in High Falls (Iris’ misreading of a road sign gives the film’s title). Along the way, they pass red barns and idyllic scenery, while bubbling Iris playfully teases more reserved Issac. They stop at a roadside stand selling strawberries, where they have a little rom com incident, and a surprising bit of flirtation between Isaac and the strawberry lady, right in from of Iris.

Arriving at the rental farmhouse with plenty of strawberries, the film’s tone returns to blissful rom com, as Iris and Isaac settle in for their romantic weekend. Isaac cooks an elegant dinner of scallops, they drink wine, and dine out on the porch under the stars and string lights. Their conversation reveals their relationship is fairly new, and they are still getting to know each other.

The film’s set-up is interesting if unsettling, part comedy with a tense horror undercurrent, as it deals with the pitfalls and challenges of dating through apps, and raises intriguing questions about relationships, interpersonal communications, expectations, honesty, and romantic dreams. But OH HI! gets increasingly dark as it goes, with an unnerving encounter with an angry neighbor (David Cross) and a series of bad decisions on the part of the couple, particularly after discovering some S&M items in a locked closet leads to a situation that seems headed towards a contemporary MISERY and full-blown horror, as Iris becomes increasingly crazy and Isaac reveals bracing level of arrogance. Why such a beautiful, intelligent woman as Iris would want to hold onto this spoiled, privileged man is puzzling. Nearly as puzzling is Isaac’s sense of privilege, as he clings to the idea that his dishonesty isn’t deceitful and somehow justified by a careful parsing of words.

Yet director Sophie Brooks flips the switch again, and heads back to comedy and farce, with the arrival of some surprise intruders, Iris’ best friend Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) and her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds), both wonderfully funny, providing a much needed interruption.

Whether you like this switching back and forth between rom com and horror is up to your individual taste but it didn’t appeal to this reviewer. Further, it seemed like the repeated switches became wearing, and even caused the story to fizzle by the end.

The one thing that does lift this film out of the corner it has painted itself into is the arrival of Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds. They offer a bright, outright funny turn that gets things back on track. At least until the script again jumps the rails, and becomes tedious and nonsensical as it stumbles towards an awkward end.

While the script goes down its rabbit holes, one cannot fault the actors themselves, who turn in excellent performances that often lift the film above the script. Gordon and Lerman have nice chemistry between them, which allows the actors to bring depth to their characters and scenes in increasingly strange situations. But Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds are the real standouts, marvelous in their roles as a functional couple, Max and Kenny, and the have great comic skills and chemistry to boot. They really do rescue the whole film midway, breaking it out of what looks like a descent into an inescapable pit of creepiness, although their efforts aren’t enough to save the film in the end.

Still, OH, HI! deserves credit for it’s high-concept intentions, even if it ultimately is brought down by its constantly-switching, mixed-tone script. Certainly, the film has something to say but it also has some weird ideas about how to say it. Despite all that, OH, HI! has its moments of humor, insight and brightness, often thanks to its strong cast.

OH, HI! opens Friday, July 25, 2025, in theaters.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY – Review

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With last weekend’s big holiday, the official Summer movie season is over. If this were your normal average year. But it’s most definitely not movie biz as usual. One of the staples of said season, along with the fast cars and super-folks is the romantic comedy or “rom-com”. And these frothy bits of fun ‘flings” can really play any time of the year. Many of the most successful of these flicks have a few things in common. Let’s check off a couple with this week’s release (oh, and it’s only in theatres and drive-ins). Number one: set in a big city (NYC, large ‘check”). And for the “number two” it needs to be centered around an exciting career choice for the main heroine. There’s the world of journalism (glossy mags and such), entertainment (like this Spring’s THE HIGH NOTE), and the art world with fancy shows and paintings with big price tags. A big check for the last setting, since it’s right in the title. But what kind of fun comic hi-jinks are on display in a place called THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY? Ah, that’s a good question…

To answer that, the story begins with an “eight years ago” flashback. Poor lil’ Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) is trying to get over the latest romantic “dumping”, helped by her two life-long BFFs, tough no-nonsense Amanda (Molly Gordon) and adventurous, exotic Nadine (Phillipa Soo). Despite the pleadings of her pals, Lucy insists on keeping a “knick-knack” from her now “ex”, adding to a big collection of various items (keys, shoes, shirts, etc.). Cut to today as the three share a spacious “Big Apple” apartment. Amanda’s in law school and has a near-silent beau named Jeff (Nathan Dale) who’s always playing a game app on his cell, while Nadine dabbles in fashion while “hooking up” with a new foreign-born “waif” model every week. As for Lucy, she’s still got that BF “haul” on display in her bedroom, though she’s also got a great new “man”, artist Max Vora (Utkarsh Ambudkar) who has a new show opening at the prestigious art gallery run by the famous Eva Woolf (Bernadette Peters), where Lucy works as an assistant. On the night of the show, Eva tasks Lucy with introducing Max to the patrons (the “big speech” of the night). Unfortunately, Lucy is distracted by the sight of Max reconnecting with his ex. Too many cocktails fuel the humiliating scene. As she leaves, Max informs her that he is indeed back with that ex. Oh, and she’s been fired from the gallery. Later Lucy stumbles into a car that she believes is from her ‘transport app”. Despite the pleadings of the driver, Nick (Dacre Montgomery), and the backseat full of lumber and paint cans, Lucy insists on being driven home. Which he does. Soon after, Lucy (lugging a bag of her “bust-up” momentoes) spots Max in a restaurant and tries to confront him. Luckily Nick is there to whisk her away to his big project. He’s renovating an old YMCA, transforming it into a small upscale specialty hotel. Lucy impulsively volunteers to help (unpaid) and hammers an old necktie on to an unfinished wall. Using a marker to scribble next to it, she announces that the hotel will be the home of her “broken hearts gallery”. Over the next weeks, Lucy reaches out to the city via social media and begins getting items, and donations, to fund the “space”. All this while forges a close friendship with the soft-spoken Nick. Could this lead to something more? Or will things go south when Max re-enters the picture?

An energetic cast of twenty-something (mostly) actors do their best to put a post-modern spin on the rom-com formulas. Viswanathan, who completely stole the comedy BLOCKERS a few years ago, is a rather unconventional lead as the smart, snarky Lucy whose brain seems to be racing to keep up with her near-nonstop commentary on, well, everything and everybody. Although Lucy may often seem endearingly quirky, she often plays as slightly abrasive (especially as she vocally “steamrollers” over Nick and other characters), despite Viswanathan’s confident efforts (I was gasping for breath during so many of her rapid-fire exchanges). On the opposite end is Montgomery, in a big change from the “evil Billy” of Netflix’s “Stranger Things”, whose Nick feels too stoic at times, perhaps in an effort to draw us in, but keeps him at arm’s length. As he and Lucy connect, particularly as they “dumpster scavenge’ for the lobby decor, we get more of his casual, charming line delivery, spiced with a raspy voice and smoldering smoky eyes. They can be funny, but the lion’s share of laughs comes from Gordon who hurls insults and advice with little “filter”. She’s a good counter-part (like an angel and devil on Lucy’s shoulders) to the smooth sultry Soo (so great as Eliza in HAMILTON), who deigns to share her wisdom with those mixed-up “breeders”, particularly as she imparts her “sure-fire dumping” rap (“Time to return home.”). Ambudkah, so funny as the con-man in BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON, is saddled with the louse/”Baxter” hybrid and somehow is able to squeeze out some knowing laughs. Peters is absent for much of the plot but is effective as the “dragon lady” turned wise mentor. The story is also enhanced by several smaller roles played by Megan Ferguson, Suki Waterhouse, and SNL’s Ego Nwodim, who must find a way to mention her time at Havard in any conversation.

Natalie Krinsky makes her feature film debut here working from her own script (she’s a prolific TV scribe). She has some fun with the opening titles as Lucy’s collection towers over the NYC streets, but it’s not long before she’s settling into some the genre’s more stale cliches ( a collage of dancing in the lobby while a forgettable pop tune plays), and digs back to WHEN HARRY MET SALLY for some “confessionals” with the characters, stopping the story “flow” right in its tracks. The biggest problem is the “meet cute” of Lucy and Nick is more annoying than adorable. It makes us wonder why he doesn’t dash out the back exit when he spots her about to make a big scene in his pal’s restaurant. This leads to lots of bits that feel cloying and a bit pretentious, while a big third act dramatic reveal plays as a heavy-handed attempt to insert some pathos into Lucy’s obsessions ( a running gag is her being insulted by being called a hoarder…” We don’t use the ‘H’ word!”). Also in those last minutes, some obstacles must be placed in front of the two leads in order to detour us into a big out of character public declaration that doesn’t feel “earned”. But the biggest “thorn’ may be the title itself, making a standing shrine to failed romance seems to be a not-so-distant cousin to the displays near the sites of accidents or big social media staged proposals or gender reveals. It’s the next level of self-absorbed aggrandizement. The film’s hotel looks pretty great, but I’ll skip THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY and head right to my suite and order up a much-better flick.

One and a Half Out of Four