Knives Out

Along with Little Women, Knives Out is my most anticipated movie this holiday season.  I couldn't wait to see it so I did so at my earliest opportunity which was last night.  It is an absolute hoot and I laughed out loud from beginning to end.  Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a successful mystery writer, assembles his dysfunctional family together for his 85th birthday and is found dead the next morning.  His death is ruled as a suicide but a world-renowned detective, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), is anonymously hired to investigate and he immediately suspects foul play.  He, along with a local detective (Lakeith Stanfield) and a state trooper (Noah Segan), begins interviewing the family members and staff in a hilarious crosscutting scene where they all turn on each other.  We meet his daughter Linda Drysdale (Jamie Lee Curtis), her ne'er-do-well husband Richard (Don Johnson), and their playboy son Ransom (Chris Evans); his son Walter "Walt" Thrombey (Michael Shannon), his wife Donna (Riki Lindhome), and their internet troll son Jacob (Jaeden Martell); his lifestyle guru daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) and her social justice warrior daughter Meg (Katherine Langford); his elderly mother Wanetta (K Callan); his housekeeper Fran (Edi Patterson); and his nurse and confidant Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas).  They discover that everyone has a motive to kill Harlan and that everyone has an alibi but, after more twists and turns than you can keep track of, Blanc finally discovers whodunit!  It is basically a hilarious spoof of the mystery movies of the 1970s but the script is incredibly clever (with just a bit of social commentary thrown in for good measure).  It is quite suspenseful, with shocking clues that change the entire narrative, and it kept me guessing until the very end!  The ensemble cast is fantastic and everyone looks like they are having so much fun playing these over-the-top characters!  I especially loved Collette's portrayal of the flaky Joni and Evans's against type portrayal of the naughty boy Ransom.  This movie is so entertaining and I highly recommend it for a fun night out!

Note:  There is a quote from the musical Hamilton and I was the only one in the packed theater who got it because I was the only one who laughed (rather loudly!).