Usually when someone's trying to kill me, it means I'm onto something.

Don't worry, no one is trying to kill me. It's just a line from the Nancy Drew movie we saw tonight.

Another favorite: "You're only happy when there's trouble." (Said affectionately by Ned to Nancy.)

They changed some things around from the book...there was a new, short, 12-year-old guy who tagged around after Nancy, and Bess and George were reduced to bit parts. Nancy was a bit of a fish out of water in L.A., but the salesgirls were quick to embrace her "sincere" look (a real turnaround from the snotty salesgirls in Pretty Woman...maybe an intentional parallel because Emma Roberts, who played Nancy, is Julia's niece). D thought the resemblance was so marked that she must be Julia's daughter...but I assured him that Julia's children, Hazel and Phinnaeus, are mere bebes.

I'm giving the movie a B+...it was a bit scary for me in its action/adventure sequences! Otherwise, it was wholesome and fun. I hope it finds more of a following on Saturday afternoon. The 9:35 pm Friday night crowd was scant.

Comments

Roxanne said…
I wonder if the start of summer and people busy vacationing has anything to do with it?

I never got into the Nancy Drew series. I don't know why since I was always an avid reader as a kid. Give me Laura Ingalls any day though and I could sit for hours on end dreaming about living on the prairie. ;)

I think I remember Julia talking about the uncanny resemblance of her niece one time in an interview. She certainly fits the part of Nancy to a "T" though.
11:45 AM
Anonymous said…
I loved Nancy Drew. I read every single one of the original series, many more than once.

But I don't think I'll see the movie. The girl who plays Nancy doesn't look anything like I imagined! I always pictured her a bit older, with shorter hair.
9:55 AM
Bearette said…
Rox - I bet you're right...maybe they are all in the Hamptons?

Liz - I loved those books, too. My niece is now reading my copies :) I know what you mean, she seemed older at the time, but she was supposed to be 16. That probably just seemed old to us b/c we were 7 or something ;) Also, she was supposed to be strawberry blonde, and Emma Roberts has light brown hair...but it didn't really bother me. She had the personality (and hypercompetence) down pat.
11:28 AM
Anonymous said…
Hi Liz,

This is CapybarasUnited. The evil Google is preventing me from logging in as myself unless I merge my Blogger account with every other bit of info they have on me.

Anyway the movie's worth seeing! The tweaks to Nancy's character made her more interesting than the "popular girl" she was in the series.

BTW, having read some of the Nancy Drew books recently, there are some really good ones and a couple horrible, dull, offensive ones! Apparently there were a few different writers. There's a whole wikipedia entry about who wrote each book in the series.
10:51 PM
Anonymous said…
What! Carolyn Keene didn't write all of the originals? I never knew that.

The world looks completely different now. :)

Bearette- I think you're right- Nancy seemed older because we were younger. Her outdated clothes in the illustrations probably didn't help.

I remember hearing about a Nancy Drew detective handbook when I was a kid. I wanted it so much, but never found it. Did you ever read that one?
9:17 AM
Anonymous said…
Is the girl in the movie supposed to be 16? I must be getting older... she looks like a child.
9:19 AM
Bearette said…
Liz - Yeah, the books were actually written by committee - they have this nonfiction book about now about "Carolyn Keene" and the people who actually wrote the books. I think it's called Girl Sleuth? I haven't read it but it looks interesting.

I haven't read the handbook, either, but I did see a book called Nancy Drew's Guide to Life at a friend's apartment...maybe that's it?

I'm not sure how old the character in the movie is supposed to be, but I looked up Emma Roberts on Wikipedia and found out that she is 16. She does look young, though.
11:06 AM
Bearette said…
I'm not sure why I wrote "about now about" - wish I could edit comments! ;)
11:07 AM
Anonymous said…
Hmm... I just looked on Amazon. Maybe it was The Nancy Drew Sleuth Book: Clues to Good Sleuthing.

I'm not sure, though...
11:20 AM
Anonymous said…
And I still can't believe that I never knew about Carolyn Keene. I feel like someone should confiscate my librarian badge.

Next you'll tell me that Lucy Maud Montgomery was a pen name, too. And I shall cry.

;D
11:24 AM
Bearette said…
No, I'm pretty sure LMM is real ;)
12:14 PM
Bearette said…
I didn't know about Carolyn Keene either, till recently; Erica Jong mentioned it in one of her books, then I saw the nonfiction book about the writers at the Strand, and I was like, "Ohhhh."
12:15 PM
Elsa said…
Wow!!! When I read the title of your post (and before I read the post), I thought, "Wow - it sucks to be Bearette!" Just kidding, I thought there was something more to it! I didn't really think there had been a whole bunch of people out there after you! :)

I thik I'm living under a rock. I didn't even know there was a Nancy Drew movie out.
12:29 PM
Bearette said…
Elsa- they didn't promote it very much. I guess they were too busy showing commercials for "Knocked Up."
1:08 PM
Anonymous said…
I've requested Girl Sleuth from my local public. I've got to get to the bottom of this scandal!
5:44 PM
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