Direction: Evan Morgan
Country: Canada
The Kid Detective, an imperfect yet better-than-expected mystery film with an offbeat central character, is the feature debut of its writer/director Evan Morgan.
The story, set in the small town of Willowbrook, follows Abe Applebaum (Adam Brody), once considered a prodigious kid detective as he boasts more than 200 cases solved. Now, at 31, he has his own office but lost most of his confidence after an unsolved abduction. Abe still loves cryptic crime puzzles but has been struggling with addiction lately. This factor not only gave him a bad reputation but also made him sloppy in appearance. Clients don’t abound anymore and his junkie, goth-looking secretary has often to remind him to come to work. The one to change all that is the young Caroline (Sophie Nélisse), who hires him to find out who brutally murdered her boyfriend. This is Abe's biggest and most dangerous case, which makes him super focused again, even aggressive when he has to.
Perhaps too easygoing, the film never quite transcends the sum of its parts. There are a number of awkward moments that feel way off the mark, but the wry humor and the groovy flow of things make it a watchable experience.The well-orchestrated jazzy score by Jay McCarroll contributes heavily to the private eye spirit.
