Ewedunnit?

The Sheep Detectives
Directed by Kyle Balda
Amazon MGM Studios

I wonder what my late uncle, a sheep farmer in New Zealand, would have made of The Sheep Detectives, a live animation/CGI hybrid movie that features a herd of sheep attempting to solve a murder mystery? He may have called out details like the impossibility of a sheep on its back being able to right itself, or the unusual use of German Shepherds as sheepdogs. He would have been amused to see the sheep speaking in English, but I doubt he would have taken them as seriously as they take themselves here. 

The Sheep Detectives is a modern take on an old genre, an Agatha Christie style whodunnit, (or should that be “ewedunnit?”) The sheep are, admittedly, very cute, although one wonders why they did not simply have actors in the role, as the sheep’s voices and facial mannerisms are entirely human. The transmogrification allows The Sheep Detectives to be pitched as family-friendly fare, although some violent scenes might scare younger viewers.

The movie is set in a fantasy neon-lit English Village, one with the same level of authenticity as say, 1944’s National Velvet. The population may more accurately reflect writer Craig Mazin’s Brooklyn neighborhood than an actual English village. In the village there is a church which, on a Sunday morning, is filled with worshippers. A modern movie with a positive view of Christianity? Sadly no, as the priest is corrupt. There is also a brief scene outside the church in which God is ridiculed and the eucharist mocked. 

The anti-Christian dig reflects the movie’s metropolitan sensibilities, including advocating for vegetarianism. In the writer’s sentimental world, sheep exist only for the sake of being sheep. Anyone thinking of farming them as a way of living is a “murderer.” As for life after death, there is a scene where the young sheep ask that question, and are lied to by Mopple, one of the elder sheep. In a godless world, especially in a story aimed at both children and adults, wouldn’t a little honesty have been better? 

It takes a while for the movie to get going. The problem is that there are too many characters, both people and sheep, causing the movie to drag in places. The wordy script is often clumsy and cringey. Police officer Tim Derry, played by Nicholas Braun, is written as an embarrassing “idiot,” a deliberate humiliation of the character which is designed to generate laughs and show the police in a bad light. Later he turns into a kind of Hercule Poirot, but the transition from bumbling cop to smart sleuth is simply not believable. 

With one exception, all of the male characters in the movie are bad, greedy or incompetent. The exception is George Hardy, played by Hugh Jackman, who fills his brief screen time with warmth and humanity. The star of the movie is undoubtedly the sheep Lily, voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Her intelligence and tenacity bind the herd together as she leads them to overcome barriers both social and literal. A special mention also goes to Sir Patrick Stewart who, as the voice of Sir Ritchfield, serves up more ham than Christmas.

The Sheep Detectives is highly rated online, yet I found its pacing slow and its tone cloying. It has some lovely English countryside, but a harsh message for meat eaters. Sheep farmers, in particular, should steer well clear.

David Beresford