‘Nancy Drew’ solves another mystery

Posted on March 29, 2019

By MARK VIOLA

I’ve said it before, but my memory isn’t great, and as such, I’m only somewhat sure that I read at least one Hardy Boys book as a kid. Still, I’m quite certain I never read a Nancy Drew mystery. But that didn’t stop me from checking out the latest feature film adaptation of the classic teen sleuth, “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase,” based on the second novel in the series that would ultimately span some 78 books.

Starring Sophie Lillis (“It”) as Nancy, the movie brings the story to modern day, with Nancy and her father (Sam Trammell, “True Blood”) having recently moved to the small town of his youth following the death of her mother in Chicago.

Somewhat of an outsider — not counting her friends Bess (Mackenzie Graham, “Darlin’”) and George (Zoe Renee, “The Quad”) — Nancy finds herself getting into trouble, whether by standing up to bullies or ignoring the rules when they don’t suit her. Soon, however, Nancy’s focus turns to the plight of Flora (Linda Levin, “Alice”), great-aunt to high school mean girl Helen (Laura Wiggins, “Shameless”). Flora believes her house is haunted, and Nancy wants to figure out the truth.

This is not a great film, but it hits the right beats and Lillis provides a spunky, unconventional hero in her portrayal of Nancy Drew. This is a modern film, but I would imagine fans of the books will still get a lot out of this adaptation. The mystery isn’t terribly difficult to figure out, especially if you know who is typically the bad guy in these kinds of stories.

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