Fix: Book Adaptation, Sassy Teenage Detective, Beefy Sherlock Holmes, Henry Cavill
Platforms: Netflix
Netflix Summary:
While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and help a runaway lord.
FYA Summary:
Famous Holmes brothers Sherlock and Mycroft have a secret, and her name is Enola. Raised by their mother in the country (i.e. isolation), Enola’s an unusual young woman with a peculiar set of skills and smarts that rival both of her brothers. When their mother goes missing, Enola sets out to find her. If she has some adventures along the way, all the better.
Familiar Faces:
Millie Bobbie Brown as Enola Holmes
Although she’s most well known for her role as the equally odd and charming Eleven on Stranger Things, Brown’s got range—and a lovely natural British accent. Don’t get me wrong, I love her as Eleven, but Enola is a nice departure and shows that Brown has a lot of impressive work in her future. She’s no one-hit wonder!
Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes
I’m sending up thanks to whoever decided to cast Cavil as Sherlock Holmes. Y’all should know that I adore me some Henry William, and I especially love the unusual visual of such a beefy Sherlock. Cavil is so great at believable period characters, be they fantastical or literary, and his Sherlock has a sweetness that isn’t often found in other iterations of the character but is a good alteration for this film; it pairs so nicely with the addition of Enola to the family. (Also: His hair is perfect. It’s disgusting.)
Sam Claflin as Mycroft Holmes
In most iterations, Mycroft Holmes is a total stick in the mud and is unbearably dull in comparison to his shining star of a brother, and when he’s faced with two bright siblings, he dulls even more. Which is a bit of a bummer, since Claflin is certainly not dull (especially to look at). His Mycroft is infuriating and unyielding and I kind of hate him, which you’re absolutely supposed to do. (If you’re rooting for Mycroft in this story, please take a deep look into your dark soul.) A total 180 from our darling Finnick Odair!
Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria Holmes
Carter is eccentric. Eudoria is eccentric. It’s a perfect match.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Find the Fam
Enola Holmes is based on the MG/YA book series of the same name by Nancy Springer. I haven’t read the books, but I have a feeling that they’re as entertaining and family-friendly as the movie, which, aside from moments of violence, is definitely one that I’d be happy to watch with everyone from my 11-year-old niece to my [AGE REDACTED] mother, were we not still under self-imposed quarantine. As it stands, I watched with my 36-year-old self and my 36-year-old husband, and we both had a truly enjoyable time.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Tea, Please
It’s only fitting to pair this movie with a nice cuppa. If you want to spike yours with a little something other than milk—keeping it British!—then who am I to judge?
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Case Closed
Enola Holmes is not a complex mystery film. it starts off with one plot that’s never fully resolved but picks up another along the way. It’s slightly ill-paced and, like I mentioned just a second ago, feels like two different movies forced into one. But even with these complaints, I found myself entranced by the characters and their relationships. This is a movie that wouldn’t have done well in theaters, but streaming is the perfect place for it to find a fanbase. It’s just fun, and the perfect kind of movie given *waves around erratically*.
And if we didn’t have this movie, we would have never gotten to watch Henry Cavil and his stupidly perfect Superman curl excellently nuanced Sherlock Holmes.
