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Mr. Holmes – the Movie

Mr. Holmes [DVD + Digital] My husband and I watched the movie, “Mr. Holmes” a little while ago. This is a terrific story about Sherlock Holmes living in retirement. To me, at least, this movie seems like it could be a continuation of the British Sherlock Holmes television series starring Jeremy Brett. The movie is based on “A Slight Trick of Mind” (the novel is by Mitch Cullin) and is directed by Bill Condon.

There are three main characters in the movie – all three superbly played. Sherlock (Ian McKellen), his housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney), and the housekeeper’s little boy (Milo Parker). Whereas Poirot retired to the county to raise “tubers” this Sherlock has retired to become a beekeeper in the country. The housekeeper’s young son becomes a fan of Sherlock’s – both in the criminal and the beekeeping arenas.

Sherlock has decided to write his own version of this last case – which took place some thirty years ago. Dr. Watson wrote about the case – unsatisfactorily >>> anyway that’s what Sherlock thinks! Unfortunately, Sherlock is having a difficult time remembering all the details of this particular case which convinced him it was time to retire.

I’m not going to say anything more about the plot because I strongly urge you to see the movie. I will warn you, though, that if you’re looking for car chases or lots of computer-generated action, this movie isn’t for you.

I will tell you, though, that the acting, costumes, makeup, scenery, and ambiance are absolutely terrific.

For more Cozy viewing ideas, click on my Cozy Mystery TV & Movies page.

Comments

  4. I just looked this movie up on Amazon. If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch for free! I am watching it tonight. Thanks for the movie review.

    Reply

  5. I recently saw this movie online and loved it! A great story with very touching moments.

    Maybe the producers will look at adapting “The Final Solution” by Michael Chabon which is also about Sherlock since retirimng.

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  6. This definitely sounds like the kind of movie my husband and I would enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation. I have never really cared for Sherlock Holmes, even though I love mysteries. I don’t know why the stories never appealed to me, but this movie sounds very good! Who knows…..maybe it’ll even spark my interest in reading some of the books. 🙂

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    • Nancy, I hope you enjoy it! If you do decide to seek out some Holmes material beyond this, I also recommend the very excellent Jeremy Brett television series if you find the original written works difficult to get into.

      Reply

  9. I loved Mr. Holmes & adore Ian McKellen. Perfect role for him as well.
    Thank you so much for introducing the ‘group’ to this wonderful film.
    Hugs,
    Petie

    Reply

  10. Have you read any of the Lauri King series on Sherlock’s wife Mary Russell? They continue his investigations around the world with Mary the main focus. First one is The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Good research into the history of the timeperiod, terrific writing, intriguing plots. One of my favorite authors.

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  11. Oh, Danna, thank you so much for your review of “Mr. Holmes.” I’ve had the movie on my “to buy” list for eons, but have been too cheap. After seeing your review, I checked both NetFlix and Amazon Prime–and hooray! It’s available through Amazon Prime. I’m going to try and watch it tonight. It sounds SO good!

    Reply

  14. Come to think of it, I can’t recall the last movie I saw that didn’t contain an excessive number of computer-generated car/motorcycle/spaceship chases. (Rewatching the BBC’s 1995 Pride and Prejudice doesn’t count!)

    I’m stoked to see the comments that this is available through Amazon Prime. It will be a nice change of pace to watch a movie with an actual story in it, instead of two hours of explosions and random make-out scenes!

    Reply

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