The adaptation of Richard Osman’s novel The Thursday Murder Club has finally arrived on Netflix following production that commenced in 2024.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast featuring Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie and Helen Mirren, with Chris Columbus at the helm as director – who recently made a candid confession about selecting the performers.
The story centres on four retired residents of Coopers Chase retirement village in an idyllic English countryside setting who enjoy investigating unsolved mysteries during their leisure time.
Nevertheless, these amateur detectives become embroiled in an actual criminal case when a murder occurs literally on their own premises.
Devotees of The Thursday Murder Club book series, which has five in total, have been anxiously anticipating the film’s release, though it appears not everyone is impressed, reports The Mirror.
While it swiftly claimed the number one position on Netflix’s top 10 rankings, certain viewers have branded the film ‘disappointing’.
One reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes commented: “I do not understand why the writers of the movie took a perfectly good series of books and chose to change the basis of the story. Could not even watch to the end. Why? If I could, I would give it a minus score. I could not even finish watching it went to bed. Ruined it for me.”
Another commented: “Having just finished the book, I can only say that the delightful cast can’t save this terrible adaptation of a great book. Several key plot points are removed, and the nuances of the characters presented in the book are almost completely missing.”
Someone else wrote: “It’s a mess with a couple of funny moments. Fans of the books will be very disappointed – weird casting choices, dropping of multiple characters and plots and inexplicable changes to the story that remains.”
However, there are those who are thrilled with the adaptation, showering it with praise, as one person shared: “If you enjoyed the book, this movie will hit the spot. Great casting of the characters!”
Another viewer wrote: “The Thursday Murder Club is a breath of fresh air. The cast are fantastic, and the storyline keeps you engaged from start to finish.”
As another enthused: “What a super film, it has everything.”
Author Richard Osman disclosed that his mother’s retirement community was the source of inspiration for the book series.
In conversation with Tudum, the former Pointless star revealed: “You just sit and chat with these people, and they’ve lived these extraordinary lives. You hear these amazing stories, gossip, and wisdom.
“You think, ‘These people are so overlooked.’ The idea that these people with their wisdom and their invisibility would be the perfect people to solve [a crime] is exactly where The Thursday Murder Club comes from.
“Take these people who are underestimated but who have these incredible skills, put them together, and they can achieve anything.”
The Thursday Murder Club is available to watch on Netflix now