Written by Adam Mast
MR. HOLMES (PG)
What sort of case would Sherlock Holmes be trying to solve if he were in his 90s and dealing with signs of dementia? That’s a question that Director Bill Condon and veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen attempt to answer with the exquisitely crafted, “Mr. Holmes.”
In “Mr. Holmes,” McKellen is the title character, a worn down, one-time legendary sleuth nearing the end of a lifetime of adventure. He spends his golden years as a beekeeper in a seaside Sussex village with caregiver Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) by his side.
Holmes develops a friendly bond with Mrs. Munro’s young son, Roger (Milo Parker), and in addition to trying to figure out the cause behind a strange outbreak that’s claiming the lives of Holmes’ honey-producing specimens, this legendary character enlists the aid of his new friend in helping him remember the details surrounding his last case—which took place years earlier—so that he might put them down to paper.
While there are plenty of engaging mysteries to be solved in this picture, this take on Sherlock Holmes trades in the uber-witty, intricate nature of Cumberbatch’s incarnation and the more physically-minded, high-octane Robert Downey Jr. films for a more elegant, Merchant Ivory-inspired vibe, and with a splendid McKellen front and center, the proceedings work like a charm.
In fact, while this film has a style that clearly sets it apart from other incarnations of the famed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle source material, the makers behind “Mr. Holmes” certainly aren’t opposed to having a little fun. Watch for a clever scene in which an elderly Holmes takes in a screening of a movie purportedly based on one of his many adventures. McKellen plays this scene beautifully, with his Holmes complaining that the film is overdramatized and an extreme exaggeration of the truth. What truly makes this sequence so playful though, is a sly little wink at the 1985 gem, “Young Sherlock Holmes.”
I greatly admire that Condon and crew resisted the urge to turn Holmes into a cantankerous curmudgeon here. The film’s cute opening suggests that’s exactly the type of movie we might be in for, but then “Mr. Holmes” switches gears and turns into a clever homage to this iconic character by way of a heartfelt redemption story and of course, a touching tale of a most unexpected friendship. The central bond between Holmes and Roger is a sweet one, and it brought to mind the friendship between James M. Berrie and Peter Davies in Marc Forster’s “Finding Neverland.”
I greatly enjoyed “Mr. Holmes.” It isn’t a masterwork by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s charming, clever, and heartfelt, and it’s anchored by a stellar lead performance in a wonderful McKellen . Having said that, as entertained as I was by “Mr. Holmes,” this film did absolutely nothing to cure me of my perpetual fear of bees. Or wasps, for that matter.
