Herald rating: 3 out of 5
Ever since Nancy Drew was first published in 1930, young girls have adored the stories about this brave, quirky, capable and clever young woman.
The Nancy Drew books, created by Mildred A. Wirt Benson under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, have inspired everything from movies (in the 1930s), to
television shows, cook books, clothing and accessories.
Considering how beloved the character is, it seems astonishing it has taken so long to bring her to life on the big screen again.
Julia Roberts' niece Emma Roberts (Aquamarine) scored the coveted role of Nancy and manages to maintain her adventurous, independent minded and sophisticated spirit. She's wonderfully unflappable as she goes about solving an old mystery involving a murdered Hollywood actress, escaping kidnappers and surviving assassination attempts.
But Roberts' Nancy arrives and leaves the screen as essentially the same girl. More character development would have added to this film. And the fact she's just a little too prim and proper - 16 going on 45 - and a tiresome goodie-goodie, doesn't make her that likeable either.
At the beginning of this film you could be forgiven for thinking it was set in a bygone era. Nancy wears 50s- and 60s-inspired clothes and drives a retro Nash Metropolitan convertible.
There's nothing wrong with the fact she's not a typical teenager, and if she had been left in the quaint, old-fashioned town of River Heights, this styling decision might have worked. But dragging her to Los Angeles where she attends Hollywood High makes her appear more odd than adorable.
While the Nancy Drew character hasn't been California-ised, the film has been. This will help the tween/teen audience relate better to the film, but all it adds are cheap laughs in the form of an annoying 12-year-old Corky (Josh Flitter), who befriends Nancy, and clueless characters in the form of his older sister Inga and her friend Trish.
With the school holidays approaching, this is a good choice for the tween, young teen audience, but there is very little here for the older fans of the novels to enjoy.
Maybe that's why it has taken so long to bring Nancy back to the big screen.
Cast: Emma Roberts, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tate Donovan, Caroline Aaron
Director: Andrew Fleming
Running time: 91 mins
Rating: PG, violence
Screening: SkyCity, Hoyts, Berkeley
Verdict: Be grateful it doesn't star Hillary Duff
