Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Watching the Detectives

      2007 1h 33m Romance Comedy List
      Reviews 54% 25,000+ Ratings Audience Score Video store owner Neil (Cillian Murphy), an incorrigible prankster and film noir buff, is told by his impatient girlfriend (Heather Burns) to grow up and stop spending so much time living through the movies. Then into his life walks Violet (Lucy Liu), who proves to be a modern-day femme fatale. After finessing hapless Neil out of a video rental, she starts to lead him down a road of petty crime. Soon Neil wonders whether a life with all the excitement of the movies is something he can handle. Read More Read Less

      Where to Watch

      Watching the Detectives

      Peacock Prime Video

      Rent Watching the Detectives on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

      Audience Reviews

      View All (308) audience reviews
      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 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 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 out of 5 stars 08/31/23 Full Review Jeffrey Scott R This is actually in my top 100 films of all time. I think it's because it's like High Fidelity light. In the same way that I think Something Wild is like a mild version of After Hours. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The idea of the story is funny and crazy, but the movie just has you questioning the sanity of both people. The tenseness is interesting and yes there are scenes to make you laugh, but seeing Neil slowly go to Violets realm of life isn’t as satisfying as it should be. Lucy Liu has fun with her role, but I don’t think the script does Cillian Murphy a lot of favors by making him unrealistically awkward and smooth at the same time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/26/23 Full Review Sedale S The idea of the story is funny and crazy, but the movie just has you questioning the sanity of both people. The tenseness is interesting and yes there are scenes to make you laugh, but seeing Neil slowly go to Violets realm of life isn't as satisfying as it should be. Lucy Liu has fun with her role, but I don't think the script does Cillian Murphy a lot of favors by making him unrealistically awkward and smooth at the same time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      Photos

      View All Watching the Detectives photos

      Watching the Detectives

      View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (2) Critics Reviews
      Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Even mega-fans of either of the headliners will have trouble muddling through it. Rated: 2/5 Aug 22, 2008 Full Review Marlow Stern Manhattan Movie Magazine It looks like it's back to doling out parking tickets and shotgunning booze for Mr. Soter, and I think Cillian's probably learned a valuable career lesson here as well. Rated: 2/5 Dec 18, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Video store owner Neil (Cillian Murphy), an incorrigible prankster and film noir buff, is told by his impatient girlfriend (Heather Burns) to grow up and stop spending so much time living through the movies. Then into his life walks Violet (Lucy Liu), who proves to be a modern-day femme fatale. After finessing hapless Neil out of a video rental, she starts to lead him down a road of petty crime. Soon Neil wonders whether a life with all the excitement of the movies is something he can handle.
      Director
      Paul Soter
      Producer
      Bill Benenson, Irving Schwartz, Randy Simon, Reagan Silber, John Flock, Lewin Webb, Gary Howsam
      Screenwriter
      Paul Soter
      Production Co
      Plum Pictures
      Genre
      Romance, Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 31, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 33m
      Sound Mix
      Dolby Digital
      Most Popular at Home Now