Watching the Detectives

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Adzz S. Watching the Detectives is a fun, offbeat ride. Cillian Murphy is a mellow film geek, and Lucy Liu storms in as the wild card he never saw coming. It’s got charm, chaos, romance, and just the right amount of weird. If you’re into quirky love stories with a twist — this one’s a hidden gem. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/05/25 Full Review Sophie L I know that it can be a silly movie, but the things that makes you feel, I mean, I can't believe that only has 55% here. Whatever, I know that it's not a conventional movie, but that's the whole point of the story. It makes me wanna get up and do some stuff apart from watching movies and tv shows. And the thing that I like the most was Violet (Lucy Lu), and her crazy personality, I mean yes, sometimes women are crazy and annoying, but that's totally fine and I find it so charming. I really loved it, I laugh out loud like most of half of the film. Period. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/01/25 Full Review Edith R This is a charming movie. I wonder about the critics panning it; do they not realize this is parody of a rom-com film? Cillian Murphy is so entertaining and Lucy Liu is great. Together, with an excellent supporting cast, they make this a movie a little indie gem. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/15/24 Full Review Juliette L We do have the good old manic-pixie-girl trope here but with a more realistic approach as we are also shown the down-sides of being with such a person. I do think there are personalities out there that resemble the manic-pixie. But in the movies, we are usually only shown the idealized version of it, and in Watching-The-Detectives, I don't think it's the case. It's been a few years that I have watched this movie, but I find myself thinking about it often and remembering it fondly. I think this is because it's an unpretentious, refreshing and pleasant movie with great dialogue. And it now makes me nostalgic of summer in the early 2000's. I think you should give this movie a watch, if you just wanna have a good time with a feel good movie that might not make you think hard but will surprise you and maybe also confuse you. I didn't really know what this movie was about when I watched it, I might still not be sure today, but it was fun. Also, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's part of its charm. Especially since, small budget movies like this are now disappearing. Some scenes of the movie have resurfaced on social media in forms of memes, and I think it's saying something. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/24 Full Review Panayiota K Oh my goodness, I don't know how i got through this movie. Comments were saying it was funny and adorable and underrated. None of that. Very weird. By the time they got to the point I didn't even care. Violet is one of the most annoying female characters I've seen. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/03/23 Full Review Matthew D Cillian Murphy is a snobby cinephile who meets Lucy Liu's manic pixie dream girl. Director Paul Soter's romantic comedy Watching the Detectives (2007) is incredibly cute and charming. I feel like modern audiences would appreciate this one more now. Soter's direction feels like a little indie film with a lot of heart. All the meet-cute moments and quirky interactions are so charming between Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu. Soter did a charming job directing Watching the Detectives. Paul Soter's writing is hilarious with these very odd characters acting impulsively and making fun film references. Soter wants people to go out and do fun things together besides just watching movies. It's like if two cinephiles met and just talked about movies all day. Editor Jeff Canavan does just fun cuts like old films much like cinematographer Christophe Lanzenberg's moody style for the film noir opening. It's a brisk 90 minutes. I like that Watching the Detectives has bright lighting and that pleasant indie comedy look. Production designer John Nyomarkay's videotape shop looks so cool with Bela Lugosi decorations and film noir props. Composer Nathan Barr's provides a plucky and delicate score for romantic sentiment and upbeat vibes. Sound designer Ken Ishii's voice recordings are clear and crisp for 2007. Costume designers Kurt Swanson and Bart Mueller give Cillian the slacker casual aesthetic and Lucy Liu the 2000's manic pixie dream girl alternative outfits. All the mixed and matched clothes are fun to see again. Cillian Murphy is easy going and charming as the handsome romantic hero Neil. I found his love of movies endearing and his odd manner quite fun to watch. Lucy Liu is gorgeous and hilarious as the manic pixie dream girl trope for her romantic heroine Violet. She's so funny flirting with Cillian and doing these strange personality shifts. Heather Burns is cute as Cillian's ex-girlfriend who insults Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. Jason Sudeikis, Michael Panes, Callie Thorne, Michael Yurchak, Mark Harelik, Ali Reza, Josh Pais, Brett Gelman, Lonny Ross, and Paul Scheer are all fun as the supporting videotape store workers and friends. In all, Watching the Detectives is super cute and fun. Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu shine here. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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