Having been somewhat of a prisoner to my 9 year olds fascination with Nancy Drew and the recent release of the Nancy Drew Mysteries DVD sets I have been in dire need of an updated Nancy Drew. There’s only so much fifties style talk and fashion that one father can stand.

Today’s Nancy Drew is still the wholesome, smart, strong, and inventive young woman she‘s always been. Probably everything that today’s young women in Hollywood are not, which makes it a perfect film to take your little girls to so that they can find someone they can look up to without you standing in the background cringing your teeth. I’d personally rather have my girls using their minds to solve make believe mysteries then practicing their camera face and parroting stupid catch phrases.

I’m hard pressed to find anything that I did not enjoy about the film. Sure Emma Roberts works as Nancy Drew even if only there is nothing this generation parent can compare her to (other then the 1977-79 above mentioned series with Pamela Sue Martin as a teen on the verge of adulthood Nancy).

Sure the two nasty girls that frequent the film in bubble gum styled pranks as Nancy’s tormentors could be deleted without the film missing a beat, in my opinion that would be best. Other then that the film works on momentum, coming in slow to make introductions and then exploding in some tense scenes backed by some excellent background music that makes the scenes all that more intense. A few cameo’s in the picture help out a little as well.

So with that being said there are two major factors that I must point out about the film that I particularly enjoyed the most. The film does well to capture the really cool spots out in California. The Griffith Observatory, Mann’s Chinese Theater, the Hollywood sign (who hasn’t seen that before right?). The #1 reason the film works is a little fellow named Josh Flitter who plays Corky. The kid steals the show. So if you big Hollywood hotshots out there ever plan on making a Hardy Boys tie in I would suggest the two main love interests in this film teaming up to be them (you can make it work somehow). Not only is the kid funny but he is a great physical comedian. I wonder why I have never heard of him before and I will make sure to look for him in the future as a big star (mind you I feel foolish after looking at the kids resume because I‘ve seen him quite a few times actually).

Shakeferians can see him again in License to Wed with Mandy Moore and Robin Williams as well as voice over work in Horton Hears A Who, which will mark the second project together with Jim Carrey.