A high-profile film adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestselling novel The Thursday Murder Club opened to mixed critical reaction and a notably short theatrical run before transferring to Netflix.
Directed by Chris Columbus and co-produced by Steven Spielberg, the film assembles an international cast including Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, Daniel Mays, Tom Ellis, David Tennant and Richard E. Grant. The screenplay was written by comedian Katy Brand and playwright Suzanne Heathcote, and follows four septuagenarian friends who meet weekly at a retirement community to discuss cold cases and unexpectedly find themselves trying to solve a real murder when developers threaten their home.
The Daily Mail’s film critic Christopher Stevens wrote a scathing review, calling the picture "a dreary travesty," and saying it wasted the talent involved. Stevens singled out several elements he said undermined the adaptation: he described casting choices as misfires, argued Celia Imrie’s comic and sentimental Joyce — a central figure in the book — is largely sidelined in the film, and wrote that Helen Mirren’s character Calibrates the film’s focus to the detriment of ensemble balance. Stevens also criticized Pierce Brosnan’s portrayal of a former trade-union activist, saying the role did not suit the actor and that his attempted accent was inconsistent.
Stevens described the screenplay as heavy on exposition, with scenes that felt trimmed or reassembled in ways that left some characters underused, including Ben Kingsley. He pointed to moments intended as darkly comic or surreal that, in his view, fell flat on screen. Stevens’ column contrasted the film’s cinematic polish and star power with what he called a bland and ponderous tone that, in his estimation, failed to capture the warmth and wit that made the novel a surprise publishing phenomenon.
The film has not been universally panned. The Times’ critic awarded the adaptation four stars, and review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes lists a 76 percent score, reflecting a more varied critical response. Audience reaction and streaming viewership figures were not available in the review, but the film’s one-week theatrical window before moving to Netflix suggests distributors pivoted quickly to a streaming-first rollout in some territories.
Osman’s novel, published in 2020, became a global bestseller and was credited with renewing mainstream appetite for light-hearted, character-driven crime fiction. The book’s commercial success and its affectionate tone generated strong expectations for a faithful and lively screen version, and part of the commentary around the film focuses on whether the adaptation retained the novel’s balance of warmth, humor and puzzle-driven plotting.
Columbus, Spielberg and the producers have not issued a public comment responding to the Daily Mail review. With the film now available on Netflix in several markets, its wider reception among general audiences and readers of Osman’s book will become clearer as streaming viewership and social-media response accumulate. Critics’ assessments remain mixed, and conversations about casting, tone and adaptation choices are likely to continue as more viewers see the film.