Released last month, Netflix’s star-studded crime comedy “The Thursday Murder Club” is well worth the watch. The film is based on the first installment of Richard Osman’s best-selling murder-mystery series, and even though the film maintains many of the book’s original plot points, some key changes in the movie have been met with disappointment from many readers.
The film is set at Coopers Chase, a luxury retirement community on a grand English estate. With lush grounds and a majestic castle, Coopers Chase’s Tudor-esque ambiance is one of the movie’s highlights and makes retirement seem truly idyllic.
Aside from the stunning scenery, the legendary cast makes the film worthwhile. As the name suggests, the film revolves around a group of Coopers Chase residents who meet every Thursday to solve murder cases. In the movie, former MI6 chief Elizabeth Best (Helen Mirren), ex-trade unionist Ron (Pierce Brosnan) and retired psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif (Ben Kingsley) are joined by retired trauma nurse Joyce (Celia Imrie) as they are swept up in a real-life murder case.
But the movie isn’t just lighthearted mystery-solving. It also is a heartwrenching tale of dementia, inspired by Osman’s personal experience with his grandfather, who had dementia. Still, the film holds an air of optimism and hope for the future: Viewers watch as the retirees search for — and find — meaning in their existence and write new chapters in their lives.
As with many murder mysteries, viewers ascertain clues as the characters discover them, allowing for an entertaining two hours of detective work. Admittedly, the mystery itself isn’t as suspenseful or eventful as it could’ve been — but maybe that’s a given in a movie where a group of elders investigates murders from long ago. Regardless, the film’s director, Chris Columbus, created a piece of media that seemingly has cracked the code for modern-day streaming popularity.
Some have described the film as the retirement-home version of the Harry Potter movies, which makes sense given the fact that Columbus directed the first two Harry Potter films. Filmmakers “wanted Coopers Chase to be a sort of wish fulfillment retirement community, somewhere that audiences who saw the movie would say, ‘I’d love to spend the last 15 to 20 years of my life in a place like this,’” Columbus said in a press briefing.
Given the set’s beautifully luxurious, plant-filled and wallpapered rooms, Columbus certainly achieved his goal. With archery lessons and 24/7 on-site emotional support llamas, Coopers Chase seems like the perfect place to live.
Its entertaining plot and stunning setting make “The Thursday Murder Club” a hilarious commentary on aging and the power of agency — and a solid substitute for a royal getaway to the British countryside.
Talia LeVine is a section editor covering arts and culture. They study Political Science and Visual Art with a focus on photography. In their free time, they can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee.
