Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie

This fun mystery with our favorite anxiety-filled detective is now playing on the Peacock channel.

RATING: TV-PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 37 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

If you’re a fan of the popular Monk TV show, you’ll get a kick out of this reunion film directed by Randy Zisk. Writing credits go to Andy Breckman.

THINGS I LIKED:

Tony Shalhoub is so fantastic as the OCD Adrian Monk.
It’s so great seeing familiar faces and characters from Monk’s long-standing, popular TV show from over a decade ago. My husband and I have been fans for years. We get to see Melora Hardin, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, Hector Elizondo, and Jason Gray-Stanford.
The film is a look at the past characters we loved, but perfectly fits into today’s post-pandemic world of hand sanitizer and germ paranoia.
We get to see Tony Shalhoub’s wife in real life in the movie! She plays the editor.
Hector Elizondo had retired from TV and film. Tony Shalhoub had to convince him to come out of retirement just to be in this movie. The movie wouldn’t have been complete without him.
There’s a funny scene where Richard Kind plays twins in a funeral home. It’s an important scene in 2 ways. (Pun intended.) No spoilers!
There’s a surprising darkness to the story that makes this addition to the franchise unique.
The movie was filmed in Ontario, Canada.
There are plenty of Easter eggs true fans will get a kick out of.
The first scene in the movie features a stove and Monk’s first assistant, Sharona, from the first episode ever of the TV show.
Neil Diamond shout-out. Ha ha
Could this movie’s goal to create a movie franchise or a new series? I’m perfectly fine with either one.
I absolutely LOVED the ending.
Keep watching when the “It’s a jungle out there” theme song starts playing.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some scenes really belabor the point such as when Monk struggles to decide whether or not to give the pharmacy delivery boy a tip.
Some people might think this was just a lazy cash grab but I disagree. It was a fun stroll down memory lane and I didn’t mind it at all.
I really like the actress Melora Hardin but I didn’t like the dress they made her wear in every scene. It looked like it had been hanging for years in the back of some costume closet. In terms of the mystery, it’s super easy to spot the bad guy in this. I thought it would be much more complicated since it’s a feature film.
It’s much less a “Whodunnit” than a “Howdunnit.”

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored.
A man contemplates suicide. At the end of the movie, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number is offered: 1-800-273-TALK.
A man dies in an accident.
Talk of murder

THEMES:

FUNNY LINES:

“Look! Everyone’s you.” – Molly (pointing out how everyone uses hand sanitizer now) “They’re going to hate it.” – Monk
“You’ll thank me later.” – Monk (while organizing luggage by height) “Why would I thank you? You’re a stranger.” – lady in airport “You’ll thank me for that too.” – Monk (Tony Shalhoub)