Director Kyle Balda’s quaint little charmer is certain to appeal to fans of Babe, Charlotte’s Web and other (sorta-kinda) live-action talking animal movies.
This one blends that core premise with a bit of Shaun the Sheep and ... Agatha Christie.
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| Whenever George (Hugh Jackman) feels gloomy or lonely, he cheers himself by spending quality time with his favorite sheep, Lily. |
Scripter Craig Mazin moves the action to the fictitious English countryside community of Denbrook. (Filming actually took place in and around Oxfordshire, and cinematographer George Steel makes ample use of the lush setting.) Mazin also takes serious liberties with Swann’s characters and the plot; the beguiling result bears little resemblance to her novel.
Eccentric rancher George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) gets along far better with his sheep — all of whom he has named — than with the townsfolk. He writes long narrative letters to somebody named Rebecca, detailing his workaday activities. He’s also an avid fan of mystery books; once chores are done each day, and the sun begins to set, he sits on the steps leading to his tiny trailer home, and reads aloud to his large flock.
At first blush, it seems curious to see all the sheep amble toward the trailer, and settle onto the ground, as if paying attention. As we learn, when George retires for the night, the sheep understand every word, and debate who the culprit might be.
The lively arguments fly between the patient Mopple (voiced by Chris O’Dowd), the curious Zora (Bella Ramsey), the fluffy Cloud (Regina Hall), the proud and dignified Sir Ritchfield (Patrick Stewart), the shaggy Wool-Eyes (Rhys Darby) and rowdy twins Reggie and Ronnie (Brett Goldstein). Ah, but the wise and perceptive Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) always knows the right answer, well before each novel concludes.
Lily understands the structure of such books, explaining that it’s always a matter of deducing which suspect had means, motive and opportunity.
Meanwhile, budding young journalist Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine) arrives in Denbrook, having been sent to write a feature on the town’s “cultural festival.” This turns out to be only three paltry tables set up by prickly innkeeper Beth Pennock (Hong Chau), who becomes grievously insulted when Elliot bluntly notes that her “fair” isn’t such a much.
Other key villagers include Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), the clumsy and sweetly befuddled local policeman; Rev. Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), the often bewildered local minister; Ham Gilyard (Conleth Hill), the smugly arrogant town butcher; and Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole), a fellow sheep rancher who leases half of George’s land for his flock.
Beth spits nails every time George’s name is mentioned. George, far from devout, stuns Rev. Hillcoate and his entire congregation during service one day, by storming into church and dumping a huge wad of bills in the donation plate.
When one of the villagers turns up murdered one morning, PC Derry is hopelessly out of his depth, lacking even the faintest knowledge of preserving a crime scene, let alone finding the killer. On the other hand, Elliot — sensing a real story — is delighted; he offers to “shadow” Derry and provide suggestions and insights.
Truth be told, the two of them aren’t much better than PC Derry on his own.
Lily realizes that it’s up to the sheep to solve the mystery ... but even if they’re clever enough to figure it out, how can they communicate such knowledge to Derry and the other townsfolk? As a further complication, Lily and her sheep friends often are baffled by how the world works, and the way that people behave.
To further complicate matters, George’s daughter, Rebecca (Molly Gordon) — long ago given up for adoption — unexpectedly arrives in the village. But is she who she claims? Because it soon becomes clear that Rebecca isn’t her actual name...
Sidebar puzzles abound. Why does Beth steal one of George’s letters, before it can be mailed? Why does George dislike Caleb so much? And what’s with that huge donation to the church?
The inconvenient dead body notwithstanding, Balda maintains a mostly light tone as subsequent events unfold. Hill is a hoot as the mildly bloodthirsty Gilyard, forever sharpening his cleavers; Galitzine is appropriately eager and excitable, as a junior Clark Kent. Braun is equally fun as the initially overwhelmed PC Derry, who — after awhile — becomes the only villager who notices that Lily, Mopple and Wool-Eyes seem to be paying an awful lot of attention to what’s going on.
The always dashing Jackman is marvelous as George, who can be mischievous and charming, but reserves all of his affection for his sheep, and the person to whom he writes his letters. Jackman’s warmest moments come when George comforts the tiny “winter lamb” (Tommy Birchall) who is shunned by the flock, and who lacks a name.
The sheep are the true stars, of course, and it quickly becomes obvious that they’re all CGI creations. (Actual sheep aren’t very good at standing atop one another, to peer into a window.) Their personalities are firmly established by the respective voice performers.
Dreyfus and O’Dowd get the most screen time, as Lily and Mopple proceed with their “investigation.” Their dynamic gets additional heft from the fact that sheep can choose to forget unhappy events by slowly counting to three ... but Mopple is the lone exception, and therefore the only sheep who remembers everything that has happened to the flock.
Bryan Cranston adds dramatic heft as Sebastian, a lone, world-weary sheep who lives apart from the flock, but often watches over them from a nearby ridge. Lastly, the always enjoyable Emma Thompson pops up as Lydia Harbottle, a visiting solicitor who arrives with surprising news.
The generally light touch notwithstanding, you’ll be surprised by the intensity of a few sad moments: wholly unexpected each time, and powerful tear-jerkers.
I do hope this little film finds its audience, because it’s clever, fun and quite enjoyable.
But can you solve the mystery, before Lily does?
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