SHERLOCK HOLMES

RYAN: The new Guy Ritchie film, “Sherlock Holmes,” is not only my favorite Guy Ritchie movie ever, but it’s also my favorite movie of 2009.

CAROLINE: Wow! I didn’t like it as much as you did, but I do love some Robert Downey Jr.

RYAN: It co-stars Jude Law as Watson, and one of our favorite actresses, Rachel McAdams, as Sherlock’s love interest.

CAROLINE: I was dismayed that she’s only in the movie for about three minutes of the first hour. Luckily, she makes a stronger appearance in the second half.

RYAN: Please, it’s one of those movies where you’re lucky there’s a woman in it at all.

CAROLINE: Seriously; it’s such a boy movie. The whole first chunk is fistfight after fistfight, and I was like, “Oh, I didn’t know this was such a big fight movie.” Guy Ritchie has made Sherlock a martial artist/fighting expert, which is kind of cool but kind of random. I sometimes think Guy Ritchie is more concerned about making a cool movie than a good one.

RYAN: I hear you, but I don’t think that’s true in this case. This movie is funny, exciting and creepy. It kept me on my toes trying to guess what would happen next, and I was totally on the edge of my seat. The dialogue is witty and fast-paced; I loved the banter between Sherlock and Watson. I want a sequel immediately.

CAROLINE: Really? I was kind of disappointed by the humor. I wanted to laugh a lot, but I only chuckled once or twice. And even though Robert Downey does a great British accent, it was so strong that I couldn’t even understand what he was saying a couple times.

RYAN: I know what you mean but it didn’t bother me. For some reason, the stars aligned for me when I saw this film and I was just dazzled and blown away by all of it.

CAROLINE: Fair enough. I did like some things about it; the editing is really cool and the costumes are great. But the movie is very dark visually.

RYAN: It reminded me of Sweeney Todd in that way. It has that same look, and takes place in London in roughly the same time period. I also want to give a shout-out to Mark Strong who we loved in Stardust and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, not to mention another Guy Ritchie movie, RocknRolla. He’s fast becoming one of my favorite actors.

CAROLINE: He’s great in this as the villain. Even though I didn’t love this movie, the brilliant mind of Sherlock Holmes is fun to watch. I loved how they showed how Sherlock is able to figure everything out by going through the steps of his deductions in voice over and flashback. Robert Downey Jr. is just perfect in this role.

RYAN: I think there are many Oscar nominations coming for this movie, especially for Robert and Jude Law, and also for the editing. I loved how they showed the fight scenes in slow motion and how Sherlock would narrate each move he was going to make before he made it.

CAROLINE: This might be the kind of movie I would enjoy more with a second viewing, honestly. I think I was a little jarred by it at first because it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

RYAN: I also loved the scene where you see a huge sign in the background that says “The Punch Bowl,” which is the name of the London pub that Guy Ritchie owns. He’s talking about opening one in NYC.

CAROLINE: Nice self-promotion, Guy.

— BOTTOM LINE —

CAROLINE: This was a little too much of a boy movie for me, but it has a lot of fun elements and some really cool moments. I know it’s one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, so I’ll recommend it. I didn’t love it, but I think Guy Ritchie is on a good path.

RYAN: I triple loved this movie and am really impressed by Guy Ritchie. This is his best work ever and a true achievement. I would love to see it get nominated for Best Picture since there are ten nominees in that category this year. And Robert Downey is easily my favorite male performance of the year. You know I’ll be getting this on DVD!

— RATING —