The Thursday Murder Club

Directed by Chris Columbus, The Thursday Murder Club follows four seniors (Helen Mirren’s Elizabeth, Pierce Brosnan’s Ron, Ben Kingsley’s Ibrahim, and Celia Imrie’s Joyce) as they set out to solve a murder (and, eventually, a full-fledged conspiracy). Filmmaker Columbus, armed with a screenplay by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote, delivers a perpetually (and somewhat exhaustingly) lighthearted endeavor that proves effective at initially capturing the viewer’s interest and attention, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that the movie benefits from the predictably affable and entertaining efforts of its four stars – with the actors’ agreeable work and solid chemistry going a long way towards perpetuating the affable atmosphere. It’s equally clear, however, that the The Thursday Murder Club, which persists for an insanely overlong 118 minutes, slowly-but-surely wears out its welcome, as the absence of forward momentum within the meandering midsection (ie the mystery at the movie’s heart just isn’t terribly interesting, ultimately) ensures that the picture runs out of stream long before arriving at its neat conclusion – with the end result a disappointing misfire that squanders its appealing premise and performers.

** out of ****