Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gorgeous but bland, oddly paced Agatha Christie mystery.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Crooked House
What's the Story?
In CROOKED HOUSE, private eye Charles Hayward (Max Irons) is hired by a former lover, Sophia de Havilland (Stefanie Martini), to find out who killed her wealthy grandfather, Aristide Leonides. The house is filled with relatives, all of whom despised the old man and all of whom are suspects. Hayward investigates everyone, including Edith (Glenn Close), who hunts moles with a gun; Aristide's grown sons, Philip (Julian Sands) and Roger (Christian McKay); Philip's actress wife, Magda (Gillian Anderson); and the old man's second wife, a former Las Vegas dancer named Brenda (Christina Hendricks), who stands to inherit everything. Hayward also bonds with 12-year-old Josephine (Honor Kneafsey), who says she knows everything that goes on in the house but also admits that she likes to make things up. With a Scotland Yard chief inspector (Terence Stamp) riding him, Hayward has precious little time to uncover the real killer.
Is It Any Good?
Based on an Agatha Christie novel (reportedly one of her own favorites), this mystery is beautifully shot, with great set design, but it suffers from its odd pace. It's too fast to pick up on character nuance and too slow to generate any suspense. Crooked House serves up an entire mansion full of suspects, all of whom appear equally guilty and equally innocent. Director Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Sarah's Key, Dark Places) seems more intent on trying to build a mystery than on building a world populated by characters. Everyone seems placed like a puzzle piece, rather than organically occupying a living space.
Certainly Christie's skill comes into play during the final act, as the discovery becomes imminent and the disparate clues that have been scattered about begin to make sense, but until then, it's a thinly spread mess. The movie spends a great deal of time on the history between the detective and young Josephine, but it amounts to almost nothing; it's padding. Screenwriter Julian Fellowes has done far better (Gosford Park, Downton Abbey); Crooked House is just a lazy weekend in a big house with people no one would ever give a hoot about in real life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Cooked House's depiction of violence and murder. How much does the movie actually show? How much is suggested? Is the result thrilling or gruesome? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
How does the movie depict drinking and smoking? Are these things glamorized? If so, how?
How does the movie compare to other films based on Agatha Christie stories? What's the appeal of murder mysteries?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 22, 2017
- On DVD or streaming : January 16, 2018
- Cast : Gillian Anderson , Glenn Close , Max Irons , Christina Hendricks
- Director : Gilles Paquet-Brenner
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 115 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : thematic material and some sexual content
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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