The Sheep Detectives movie review: Super cute murder mystery is like your favourite woolly jumper
Farmyard sheep solving the murder of their shepherd? It’s exactly what it sounds like, and that’s a very good thing.
Just to clarify, these are not detectives who solve crimes about sheep, these are detectives who are sheep. Baaaaaaaa.
The Sheep Detectives is a super cute twist on the murder mystery genre, a delightful, diverting movie that will make you smile and put you off your lamb dinner.
Adapted from a 2005 German novel by Leonie Swan by Craig Balda, a filmmaker who’s worked on the likes of Monsters Inc, Despicable Me and Mars Attacks!, The Sheep Detectives is one of those cinema experiences that allows you to fully escape.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.No thinking necessary, and that’s not meant to be a slight. It’s just very effective at embracing you in the bosom of its weird and wonderful vibes. It’s cosy, like - apologies for the obvious metaphor – your favourite wool jumper.
The evident comparison is Babe but the barnyard animals here are CGI and not real. They’re still adorable, which is what you expect from anthropomorphic creatures voiced by the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Patrick Stewart, Regina Hall, Bella Ramsey and Brett Goldstein (as a pair of boofhead twins named Reggie and Ronnie, nice touch).
It’s Babe meets Agatha Christie and the victim is Hugh Jackman’s George Hardy, a loner shepherd who loves his flock but not so much his human neighbours.
Every night before bed, George reads aloud murder mysteries to his sheep, and Lily (Louis-Dreyfus) is the smartest of them all. She’s been paying assiduous attention to the genre tropes, and she’s always a step ahead.
One morning, George is found dead on the ground in front of his camper van and the flock are distraught. Lily can tell something awry happened, and recruits her fellow sheep to help out when it becomes clear that the town’s sole police officer, Tim (Nicholas Braun), is too inexperienced.
Just like in the books George read out to them, there is a small circle of suspects – a shepherd named Caleb (Tosin Cole), the innkeeper Beth (Hong Chau), the local butcher (Conleth Hill), a priest (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) and George’s daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon).
Also involved are George’s lawyer (Emma Thompson) and a reporter who was in town for the cultural festival (Nicholas Galitzine).
Through various shenanigans, Lily tries to work out who had means, motive and opportunity, and the revelation of a $30 million fortune is one hell of a motive.
The Sheep Detectives is very silly and fun, and its premise allows for a lot of antics and physical comedy. But it also has running through it this strain about what we remember of our loved ones, and how we process – or repress – unpleasant things.
There’s a lot of comedic talent here with Braun’s trademark awkward humour imbued in his junior cop character, and little jokes and gags that sit very well within this idyllic English countryside environment.
In addition to director Balda’s animation experience, it might surprise you to learn that the script comes from Craig Mazin, who’s best known for writing prestige HBO shows Chernobyl and The Last of Us, neither of which are laughs-a-minute.
But Mazin’s background is in the Hangover and Scary Movie films, and he deploys that goofy sense of humour well here.
This is a clever little movie, and even if the killer is kind of obvious, you won’t regret the time spent in its sweet company. The Sheep Detectives is the cinematic equivalent of a ruddy cheek you just want to pinch.
Rating: 3/5
The Sheep Detectives is in cinemas
