The Sheep Detectives, the latest Hollywood comedy, is almost like a spoofy version of these Knives Out kind of films, where a detective is trying to find a killer in a very confined list of suspects. The major difference is that the detectives here are sheep who can’t really communicate. By transporting us smartly into the witty conversations of the sheep and placing certain philosophies without making them sound preachy, The Sheep Detectives consistently gives you an opportunity to laugh out loud, and towards the end, it manages to put a bright smile on your face.
In this town named Denbrook, there was a shepherd called George Hardy who raised his sheep in a very healthy manner. He gave all of them separate names, and he used to read out detective novels towards the end of every day. Unfortunately, at one point, George was found dead, and the main sheep Lilly suspected foul play in that death, assuming the possibility of it being a murder. How the sheep used their detective instincts to find the criminal is what we see in this movie.
The murder mystery in this movie is not really the USP of the film. Since we have seen several versions of these kinds of movies, we are obviously looking at each character with a certain level of suspicion. Because of that, the script here decides to focus on the process, which is the uniqueness of this movie. When the film switches to the conversations of the sheep, it offers the movie a great chance to explore humor. Just like movies like Stuart Little, the fact that we can hear the dialogue of both the humans and the sheep makes it even more hilarious. As I said, there is a running commentary from characters during the investigation that is basically exposing the patterns in the Agatha Christie stories.
One of the things that makes the emotional part of the movie relatable is the way it presents the stereotypical sheep behavior of avoiding problems. The movie addresses the problem with people who use ignorance or purposefully ignore things as a defence mechanism to avoid conflicts in life. And the setups towards all those moments are done very smoothly in the earlier parts of the movie. And the payoffs for almost all those setups are happening in a highly emotional way, and the best one was the way it used the myth about the death of a sheep. And if you look at the story, ultimately, we can see it showing empathy towards the lone ones in the character pool, and that includes sheep and humans.
Kyle Balda, who previously co-directed some of the movies in the Despicable Me universe, manages to crack the humor very convincingly on screen. People might have a perception that this is a kids’ film with a message at the end. The message angle is definitely there in totality, but the writing never really tries to kill the humor by making it too loud, and that makes this one a fun film even for the adults. The writing is able to balance the fun and the thrill evenly. Towards the end, when the case is about to be solved, there is a bit of slowness. However, the emotional extension the movie gets after that point makes up for it. The visual effects of the sheep were done brilliantly. The only area that felt a bit sloppy in terms of Hollywood standards was the way they rendered the movement of that small winter lamb.
The big names in the cast, like Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson, are basically enabling the sheep-led movie to reach a wider audience. Jackman has that inherent aura that makes him the perfect choice to play this empathetic shepherd who would fight for the flock. Nicholas Braun, as the dimwitted police officer Tim, was actually the most memorable performer. The transition of that character from an unlikable one to an earnest human being was performed very neatly by Braun. Nicholas Galitzine and Molly Gordon are also part of the cast in significant roles. The movie’s voice cast also has these big names in small yet significant roles. Bryan Cranston and Patrick Stewart have given voices to two such important characters. Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily and Chris O’Dowd as Mopple are doing the larger share of the voice acting when it comes to the sheep.
From a writing perspective, The Sheep Detectives has an admirable balance that can satisfy almost all categories of viewers. The movie manages to pull the audience into the film almost from the first shot, and it also succeeds in communicating the tone of the fantasy. Since humor, inclusivity, and empathy are the points the story wanted to talk about, the scooby-doo-ish genericness in the crime-solving part never really becomes a point of concern. In totality, The Sheep Detectives is a fun film that feels like a warm hug.
