User Reviews

When I saw the title while surfing through my TV guide list, I was excited. I've been reading Nancy Drew books for years-the ones from the 60's and '90's. I recently read "The Hidden Staircase" again so I was interested in seeing just how loyal the movie was to the book. Call me old fashioned I don't care. While the movie was cute, it deviated too much from the book. In the book, Hannah was an older, matronly lady living and taking care of Nancy since her mom died. And Nancy? Sophia is cute but not who I envisioned as Nancy. They turned her into a major tomboy. Not that there's anything wrong with a tomboy. I'm a tomboy. But, in the book, Nancy managed to remain classy while getting her hands dirty. She knew how to drive. She did not use a skate board and wear cut up jeans. If you've never read the books, you could really enjoy this movie. But, it's true what they say: books are almost always better than the movie. This movie is an example. Although, if they decide to make a movie of the next book about the mystery of "Lilac Inn", I'd still watch it. I'd have loved to see movies done of the '90's books, as well.

As a 43yo man I definitely do not belong in the demographic this movie is made for, but I actually liked reading Nancy Drew when I was young which is why when I saw this movie flicker by, I stopped, and watched it.

This is not great, not fantastic, nor amazing in any form or way. Directing not so great, light and effects need to be worked on, story is bland and very simple, there is very little to celebrate with this movie since it is basic and do not offer much comes to cinematography, great scenes or action.

Still, this is fun. This is very much watchable, and well worth a look. I enjoyed this movie. Not everything need to be perfect or MCU spectacular. You do not need Oscar level of acting to enjoy a simple, fun, basic movie about teens, a couple of mysteries set in a small city and all that comes with. And Sophia Lillis is a magnet, she will be a star, with those wonderful eyes; how can she not become one?

I give this movie a strong 6 or a weak 7, I will give it a 7 just because I am in a good mood.

If you have nothing else to do, I can definitely recommend this. Much better movie than Us, much better movie than Alita, much better movie than What Men Want, in fact this is probably my second favorite movie of 2019 so far - after Captain Marvel.

I didn't expect much from this movie going in, in that sense this movie didn't disappoint at all. If u would like to speak about flaws and weaknesses, I promise you there is a ton of them. But if you are planning to watch this movie after seeing trailer and expecting to be perfect, then you should blame yourself. Having mentioned much about the notions, lets analyse the movie strengths. Sophia lillis as Nancy drew is vibrant and funny. She is very good at keeping the mood light even in the tense scenes. There is an innocence in her acting. Laura wiggins plays the pretty friend as usual. Andrea anders, sam trammel doesn't have much screen space but they have supporting roles to sophia. Even though you pretty much know how its gonna pan out, this movie keeps you invested. Grab a popcorn and drink and if you plan to light hearted teen movie this movie won't make you regret it.

I have never experienced a film speeding as fast as this, its 80 minutes were gone like the wind. so that maybe a good quality sign, that the grumpy old man had a time warp while watching nancy drew. its an modernized , not to overexhaggerated detective story, that are for all ages, i myself read some of the N.D. books to impress my childhood girlfriend, though i prefered the Hardy boys better.

the film are well made, and bears the message without vfx and cgi, the language are plain, and the plot iand story are really working. the actors does a fine job, they even have vocal pureness so even the tinnitusated grumpy old man didnt need any subtitles. the sets and design are very colourfilled, and the use of modern technology are moderatly and clever used. imagine miss marple of agatha christie with a laptop and smartphone, that would raised MY eyebrow, so the modern nancy drew does still have the authentic sting.

i will recommend this to you all, but dont expect the unexpected, and let nancy guide you through the hidden staircase with pride.

As a lifelong Nancy Drew-book and games-lover I was really looking forward to this. Was I disappointed? Yes. But this movie wasn't made for me - it was made for the younger generations, and for them I think it's a welcoming first few steps into the Nancy Dew culture. Is it perfect? No. Is it supposed to be? Also no! This is a cute, and fun young persons movie with mystery,friendship and personal growth at it's core, and in that way it IS perfect - that embodies the Nancy Drew spirit perfectly. A 7 from this old nostalgic, but as a first glance into ND-fandom it's a 10. The actresses and actors are great, and believable, and it feels very Nancy Drew, even in this new wrapping. Well done, all around!

Young teens, that is. I wonder if young people read anymore, and if the ones that do ever read Nancy Drew books. Hard to tell if this movie will appeal to a large teen audience after "Captain Marvel" and numerous Batman films, but the story is good enough to hold the attention of kids who are not waiting for something to blow up.

Nutshell; Nancy is drawn into a mystery of a haunted house, owned by Linda Lavin. Aided by her 2 friends and a 'mean girl' they solve the problem, with a few object lessons about mean friends along the way. If you are over 21 the script is hard to endure but sufficient to hold the interest of a young audience. Nancy Drew as played by Sophia Lillis is adorable and appealing. I would recommend it to teens who are tired of superheroes, but with a caveat - it's not Fortnite.

7/10 - The website no longer prints my star rating.

Cringey movie that had me wondering what the writers were thinking from start to finish.

You know those awful movies that try to take a classic series and try to reinvent it for a modern audience but just don't pull it off? This is all about that.

The laziness in the creativity is everywhere.

From the opening scene where Nancy is long-boarding down the street to Emily Bear's 'More Than Just Girl' it constantly feels like some wannabe "cool mom and dad" writers tried to transfer their old school imaginings of what makes something cool onto their concept of Nancy Drew and her friends resulting in a freakish set up that had me peeping through my fingers at this cringe-fest.

It's like the writers creative process went like this: OK we need to make this cool not like the square old Nancy Drew. We pitched this as reinvigorated, so what's cool these days? er.....social media....I've seen them using instagram....... Emily Bear, I heard she was cool...... what else?...... well my neighbor's kid has a longboard, he told me it was cool..... OK let's crowbar all that in. Job done. Our movie is now cool.

And that process pervades the whole movie. Cringey attempts to be cool are injected all over the place. Resulting in a movie with no soul and any attempts to imbue morality are substance are veiled under snark and layers of hipster "mom and dad"-level cool.

It's truly awful and unnatural feeling and one of the most hideous cinematic creations I've had the misfortune to watch.

This is an enjoyable but often obvious and predictable film likely to be forgotten quickly. Sophia Lillis does a respectable job updating the character of Nancy Drew, and Linda Lavin elevates the entire film with every scene in which she appears. The rest of the cast is uneven. The haunted house manages to be creepy while still appropriate for young audiences. Both some of the teen girl empowerment material and the overall mystery frequently are handled with an obviousness some adults might find annoying.

I really wanted to like this as I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Nancy Drew books as a child. But I'm not liking how they're making Nancy Drew so childish. From what I recall, Nancy in the books is 19 years old. So I'm not sure why in the two film they've made now, she's being portrayed as a child. I think the main actress is very talented, she's a great actress, and story line was interesting, but the revelation ruined it for me, the supporting cast were not very good. It all just fell apart, and it's a shame. I'd like to see them do something with this character that's more along the lines of Veronica Mars. That's a closer depiction of Nancy Drew, and very well done as well.

Nancy Drew (Sophia Lillis) and her father Carson moved to the small town River Heights after the death of her mother. She is bitter at having left her friends in Chicago. She gets into trouble when she pranks annoying jock Derek who cyberbullied her friend Bess. She runs into Derek's girlfriend Helen Corning and her beloved aunt Flora (Linda Lavin). Flora's home has been haunted by ghosts from its past and nobody believes her except Nancy Drew. Meanwhile, Carson is fighting efforts to bring a train line into River Heights.

The story is a little old fashion that the hip scriptwriters have tried to update. The seams between the two do show. I wish they change train story. I can do without Nancy Drew riding a long skateboard or the truly ridiculous Derek. Can't he be a real villain rather than a silly one? It's like the movie is caught between a silly kiddie Disney channel movie and a grown up thriller. In addition, Nancy Drew needs a weapon; a stun gun or pepper spray. She's jumping into a scenario unarmed against a thug with a gun. It gets a bit too Home Alone for me to take seriously.

On the other hand, the girls have good chemistry. Sophia Lillis and Laura Wiggins are solid actors even if Laura is a tattooed 30 trying to pass for a young teen. It helps to have TV legend Linda Lavin. I like what she says about her best friend and the two girls coming together. The girls have the right attitude. The movie does have a few too many minor annoyances.

I liked the updates to Nancy - skateboarding, smart phone, internet, and tough gal attitude. I didn't like the story, or the pacing. I felt super bored throughout.

My 11 year old daughter loved it, BTW, and is hoping for a sequel. Me? Not so much...

My wife and I (both in our 60's) went to see this movie with our sons (both in their early 20's) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It has intrigue and suspense, lots of humor, and at times, tugs at your heart strings. I have an AMC A-List pass and I have had MoviePass, so I've seen many movies in the last year and this is near the top of the list for me.

I hope we will see more Nancy Drew adventures from the same cast.

The worst part is the script's dialogue and over the top scenarios. It felt like they filmed off the very first draft of the script without making it better or realistic. I know people in film school that wrote better scripts their first year! Very cheesy moments and cliche dialogue. BUT the actors do they're best (which is not easy!) and I applaud them for that. Because of the likable actors the movie is saved. All in all its a good movie for kids aged 6-12.

This movie version of the characters Nancy Drew and her aunt Hannah- very little like the original novel's versions.

In the movie, the Nancy character is obnoxious, spoiled and annoying.

In the book, the Nancy character is more likeable, good, and trust-worthy. Not just trying to be 'cool'.

The movie is too predicable and too cliche-y at times.

Skip this movie and read the book, ya'll.

The book is much better and more of a mystery.

The movie is also filled with stereotypical behavioral passages and not many innovative ones.

The book can be enjoyed by all age-groups, while the movie seems to be working hard to make sure only teens can enjoy it.

Bummer.

I've watched this version and the one with the same title from the thirties back to back. Originally it was in the service of my history of mysteries, but neither qualify. Only this one is worthy of comment, because of the apparent excellence of the demographic engineering.

So many films suppress the cinematic and narrative experiments in the service of cultural capture. For a student of film it is a trade off because in ordinary film, where the qualities of film are exploited and sometimes extended, we are happy to accept stereotypes, tropes and genre conformity. But when the project is about seduction of identity, the stereotypes are up for experimentation. All else in the media is in support.

It isn't just the marvellous creation of this Nancy. I predict this actress will have a rich and much admired career. I thought the same of and early Heath Ledger when I saw him in a King Arthur project with similar goals and values. She not just shines, she understands emotional manipulation.

She's what you are supposed to look at. She's what you are supposed to see, but the heavy engineering has been done around her, in place and gang. Sure, this is Scooby mixed with the old mean girl redemption story. But look closer at how the camera stages groups. Look at the apparently different sets of the same hidden passage.

There's craft in this that deserves to be understood. Disney used to have a stable of experts that knew how to do this before the TeeVee production ethic killed it. Maybe we'll get it back. Because in film, I appreciate experimentation and evolution in any dimension.

It's a family movie on the books we grew up reading. And it does it well. It's a teen movie but it does what it says and it does it well.

Entertaining. The movie was well put together. Enjoyed it alot

5/10 - strange mix of adult content and juvenile humor detracts from an already underdeveloped mystery

Not to bad for what it is only a little mystery. Sophia Lillis makes this better for sure! Some bleak bits but I think it succeeds as a Nancy Drew adaptation. I don't have much to say it is pretty good, give it chance!

Maybe for teenagers or children this would be ok but as an adult watching it, it made me cringe.

The acting was so terrible, especially the actresses playing the characters Nancy and Helen.

Over acting, weird facial expressions, ridiculous dialogue, tone of voice and just everything about it was just stupid.

Not sure what the budget was on this movie but it must be very very low!

Watchable movie for kids 7-13, but still way too slow and boring. The acting was not the best either, their timing was off in some parts, the scenes looked too fake to be believable and it left me wanting my money back. Total miss in what could have been a good movie.

"Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase" offers pretty much everything you'd expect from a Nancy Drew film - there are a couple of intriguing mysteries that need solving, and an incredibly charming main character that needs to solve them. Yes, Sophia Lillis is perhaps the perfect casting choice as the titular Nancy Drew, oozing charm and charisma that elevates the subject matter and turns "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase" into pure, popcorn fun.

Sophia Lillis' performance as Nancy Drew is really what kept me glued to the screen here - now, I may be biased because I have an affinity for her, but I truly found her irresistible in the role, consistently watchable and entertaining. She has such a playful nature about her, and simply put, it's really fun to watch her interact with the characters that make up this world. From school friends to new enemies, from law enforcement personnel to day-drinking employees, she has a definitive charming aurora that resonates throughout all of the conversations that she has and all of the actions that she takes.

From the way her mind works when pulling silly, revenge-fueled pranks to solving neighborhood mysteries, it's also a treat to watch Nancy's mind at play, and even more of a treat to watch Sophia's portrayal of the girl-genius. I'm having a difficult time putting into words exactly why her performance is so enjoyable, most likely because it's 1 a.m. as I'm writing this and I feel like I may start hallucinating from sleep deprivation, but just trust me when I say that Sophia really does make this movie a total blast to sit through, even though the movie as a whole isn't perfect.

While the mysteries brought up in the film are mildly intriguing, and while you will want to see them through to completion, the film itself does seem subpar when it comes to its overall presentation. The movie looks incredibly cheap, with overly bright lighting that makes it look more like a direct-to-TV feature than a major studio release. That being said, while the movie may look cheap, it doesn't necessarily feel cheap - it is competently handled, especially in its editing and performances, and you can tell that everyone's heart was in the right place; the movie was obviously made with passion from everyone involved.

While Sophia is the main attraction here, every character was charming enough to warrant an entertaining viewing experience. And while I didn't enjoy the childish high school squabbling that occasionally occurred, I understand that this is first and foremost a children's movie, and children will most likely be able to somewhat relate to that - it doesn't mean that I liked watching it, however. But, when the credits rolled, I couldn't deny that I had a fun 90-minutes. Sophia Lillis is a true joy to watch in this role, and the movie itself just has a really light, charming, and fun feel to it that never lets up or drops in tone. I had a smile on my face for practically the entire running time of the film, and I will certainly be putting this movie back on during rainy afternoons, or when I need cheered up.

Trailers looked really fun but the Emma Roberts version was much better which isn't saying much. Movie is pretty flat. No character development. Plot was all over the map. Characters were more annoying than anything. Highly predictable. Movie just seemed to end without much of a conclusion.