Movies: Enola Holmes
This was cute.
That’s kind of the only word I can come up with to describe it. We watched it for family movie night, and everyone enjoyed it (my 12yo daughter most of all).
Based on the first in a series of novels by Nancy Springer, the film features Millie Bobby Brown as the titular Enola, younger sister to Mycroft (Sam Claflin) and Sherlock (Henry Cavill). On her 16th birthday, Enola wakes to find her mother missing. When she doesn’t return, Mycroft arrives to take guardianship of Enola and Sherlock comes along to half-assedly determine whether… their mother needs to be looked for? It’s not entirely clear. He basically declares that their mother left on purpose without any intention of returning, so… case closed?
Faced with the prospect of being sent to finishing school, Enola runs away to London to look for their mother herself and along the way gets entangled with a young marquess (Louis Partridge) who is also running away from home in order to avoid being sent into the army. Except it turns out someone is trying to assassinate him. Enola’s brief brush with him makes her a target, too, &c.
On the whole, it’s all a bit rote but also charming. If I were my daughter’s age, I’d probably be in love with this film. Back in the day, it’s the kind of thing I’d have watched over and over again. (I did watch Young Sherlock Holmes repeatedly, after all.) Partridge is tween crush fodder, and my daughter was all the more elated when I told her he looks a lot like the main character of my current WIP, the draft of which she has been devouring.
I have some questions about the marquess’ titles and names, but it may simply be that I misunderstand the way these work. I assume he used the courtesy title of Viscount Tewkesbury prior to ascending to Marquess of Basilwether. But doesn’t “earl” come between the two? Can you be a viscount and a marquess without being an earl? Maybe earldoms are not used as courtesy titles, or this young man simply chose not to use it? I haven’t read the book, so maybe that explains it better? If anyone knows, please comment below.
N-E-ways (as we used to write when we passed notes in class)… Cute. Charming. Can easily see it becoming a series of some kind. A recommended watch if you want something not too taxing.
Disclaimer: My first self-published works were Sherlock Holmes stories, written in the style of Doyle’s originals. They’re still available on audio here.