"This is the setting, quaintly called Coopers Chase, in which four retirees, led by Helen Mirren in her no-nonsense plaid blazers, depart from yoga and Sudoku each week to consider cold cases. Old folks solving cases - and outthinking police - is nothing new in our popular culture. Let's recall Murder, She Wrote, in which Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher solved cases in tiny Cabot Cove, Maine - where close to 300 murders somehow occurred during the show's 12-year run."
"But they need medical expertise, and thus they recruit new resident Joyce ( Celia Imrie), an expert baker and former trauma nurse. We meet her as she's showing off the grounds to her haughty daughter, who manages a hedge fund and can't eat Mom's cakes because she's perimenopausal. "Everybody's doing llamas these days, Mum," she says, unimpressed with the surroundings."
"But Joyce is thrilled to join the club, and even more thrilled when, one morning, news comes that an actual murder has occurred - a co-owner of Coopers Chase, actually. "Now we've got a real case to solve!" she gushes, with "Disco Inferno" suddenly playing on the soundtrack (that's a little much), as she pulls Ron from aqua aerobics for a meeting. "Isn't it wonderful!""
Four retirees at Coopers Chase meet weekly to examine cold cases, led by a sharp Helen Mirren character who leaves yoga and Sudoku to investigate. They recruit Joyce, a former trauma nurse and expert baker played by Celia Imrie, who enthuses when a real murder of a co-owner occurs. The film leans into cozy mystery tropes and playful moments, including an exuberant soundtrack choice and comic beats. Some scenes risk caricature, with lines that acknowledge stereotypical 'feisty old ladies' detective tropes. The movie balances warmth and humor with a sadder undertone that adds emotional weight.
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