The Thursday Murder Club

Image credit: Wikipedia

A cool and rainy afternoon is always the appropriate setting for a cosy British comedy. For me there is a definite romanticism about making a cup of tea and settling in for a couple of hours of breathtaking architecture, dry wit, and plenty of cake. So, this afternoon I decided to sit down with The Thursday Murder Club.

Four retirees living in a beautiful countryside retirement community meet regularly on Thursdays to discuss cold cases and see if they can’t find any leads that the police overlooked. A means of socialising and keeping their keen minds sharpened, their deduction skills are put to the test when a real murder takes place that threatens the future of their home and community. Calling on their various areas of expertise as well as a few canny contacts, the group find themselves delving into a case that unearths some disturbing truths about those closest to them. Analysing a murder turns out to be different when the case is still warm.

I have not read the book of this and I had heard that it received mixed reviews. I believe fans of the book were left quite disappointed while ignorant people, like myself, enjoyed it fine but found it nothing to write home about. My take, it’s a fine movie with a compelling story, interesting characters, a good smattering of British humour, and enjoyable performances.

It’s a cosy movie that is perfectly pleasant to while away some free time with, but it’s not a film that I think I will be constantly recalling over the next week. In a way, it felt like a film that was dealing with a bunch of edgy or distasteful themes and trying to bring humour to them without becoming a full-on black comedy. This is a grey comedy. I can appreciate that it rides heavily on the narrative and the pull of the central cast but unfortunately, it doesn’t really add anything else that could have spiced it up. I found it easy to pause and leave the room a few times during the duration.

It’s a balanced, tiered cake of macabre, comedy, drama, and social attitudes towards the elderly. The story is compelling enough and the characters are very charming, with the chemistry between the central four providing some fun banter. I did appreciate that a few of the usual tropes were left by the roadside, the main one being that the local police work competently, which was refreshing. I would have to say that the real star of the show is the absolutely beautiful architecture of the countryside mansion that is Cooper Chase Retirement village. The building is stunning!

Image credit: Netflix

Filled with enthusiastic discussion, intrigue, humour, and friendship, The Thursday Murder Club is a pleasant means of whiling away a rainy afternoon.

Director: Chris Columbus, 2025

Cast: Helen Mirren, Celia Irmie, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kinsgley, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Hendry Lloyd-Hughes, Tom Ellis, Jonathan Pryce, Paul Freeman, Geoff Bell, Ingrid Oliver, Richard E. Grant, & David Tennant