From the minute I saw a trailer of this movie, I wanted to see it. It looked funny, smart and the cast incredibly talented. After I watched the film, I found it smart and full of heart, with an intriguing mystery and skilled acting.
The Sheep Detectives is a mystery comedy film directed by Kyle Balda and written by Craig Mazin based on the 2005 novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. In the movie, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t understand. But when George mysteriously dies, the sheep realize they must become detectives in order to find out the truth. They follow the clues and investigate the human suspects around them finding out that sheep can be brilliant crime solvers. The film stars as sheep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily, Bryan Cranston as Sebastian, Chris O’Dowd as Mopple, Brett Goldstein as Reggie and Ronnie, Rhys Darby as Wool-Eyes, Regina Hall as Cloud, Patrick Stewart as Sir Richfield and Bella Ramsey as Zora. Among the humans, the film stars Nicholas Braun as Tim Derry, a clumsy local policeman, Nicholas Galitzine as Elliot Matthews, a reporter, Molly Gordon as Rebecca Hampstead, George’s daughter, Tosin Cole as Caleb, a fellow shepherd, Hong Chau as Beth Pennock, Emma Thompson as Lydia Harbottle, George’s lawyer, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Reverend Hillcoate, a priest, and Conleth Hill as Ham Gilyard, a butcher.
What makes me fall in love with this film is how smart it is. The film brilliantly lays out the rules for a murder mystery using the sheep’s love of detective novels to show the process of discovering the culprit. The sheep use what they learn and while they make mistakes, they lead Tim Derry to the truth, finding ways to expand their own knowledge of the world and also growing wiser in the process. While there are some painful moments for the sheep and the people, the mystery is handled with intelligence and creativity, especially in showing that even sheep have skills.
The sheep are hilarious. The way they change and learn throughout the film does not take away from some of the missteps they make along the way, all of which make the film funny. The sheep attempting to get into George’s trailer is a great example, as Wool-eyes knocks things asunder but still manages to find the item the sheep need. The film also plays up Tim Derry noticing how strange the sheep are acting and how funny it is when he begins listening to them. There are a multitude of humorous scenes in the movie, so many I can’t describe them all but suffice to say, this film is witty, smart but especially very funny. 
The voice actors are talented in this ensemble cast. Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily and Bryan Cranston as Sebastian are two standouts, their interactions with each other leading to growth on the part of both sheep. Chris O’Dowd as Mopple has the biggest heart in the film and is also a highlight of the movie, assisting Lily in her investigation. Brett Goldstein as twins Reggie and Ronnie is hilarious. Among the humans, Nicholas Braun as Tim Derry, Nicholas Galitzine as Elliot Matthews, and Molly Gordon as Rebecca Hampstead are fantastic. Nicholas Braun plays Tim perfectly as he learns from the sheep and helps to catch the true killer. Molly Gordon plays her part full of emotion. Nicholas Galitzine does a fantastic job as the reporter helping police officer Derry. I also love Emma Thompson as Lydia Harbottle, George’s lawyer, witty and full of charm. The entire cast brings talent and skill to their roles.
There is some predictability to the movie but in a mystery, that only helps the audience figure out who might have committed the crime. And the film does a great job of pointing the audience toward the truth. It also has several messages encoded in the film in an organic way, like the idea of belonging and love as well as being kind to animals.
If you like mystery or comedy, this film is perfect for the start of the summer. Not only is it smart and full of heart but it will make you cry. It is a film about how much we can learn from animals and about them, never assuming what they can be just from stories. The mystery is smart, the acting is skilled and I loved this film, laughing and crying throughout the movie. The film is all about belonging and love, with a lovely ending that reinforces those ideas perfectly.
Rating: 4.5 flock out of 5.
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