For a movie that sounds like a gimmick, The Kid Detective is surprisingly moving, somber, and dark. It slowly crept up on me and took me by surprise. So much more and so much more moving than I expected. This is a good, solid neo-noire.

Taking cues from Encyclopedia Brown, the Kid Detective is about a 32 year old Adam Brody who, at 12, was a famous kid detective but is now washed up, trying to figure out his life and his ongoing career. It seems cases like the mystery of stolen milk money do not correlate to a successful career as an adult detective. But when a teen boy is murdered, his girlfriend comes to him to solve the case… even though he’s unqualified, drunk, and hungover most of the time.

The movie is a lot of things, one of them being a light comedy based on the idea of a grown-up Encyclopedia Brown type character. That should be good for a nostalgic chuckle or two and there is humor in the movie. But also the movie is curiously moody and tells a pretty good detective story with some serious implications.

I think what you get out of it might depend on if you read those old Encyclopedia Brown (or Hardy Boys or Three Detectives) books and have a nostalgia for their innocence. Even though this character grew up in the 90s, it feels like it wants to harken back to the 50s or early 60s. It’s that juxtaposition to today that makes this film work.

I say check it out, especially if you are interested in the general idea of the film and/or have that nostalgia. I can’t say this is a happy movie and I certainly can’t say it won’t disturb you. It goes some very dark places. But I liked it for that; the ability to create a mood, even a sad, desperate one suggesting a fallen world.

Score: 86