As a fan of the Nancy Drew books, I was eager to watch this movie. However, while watching it I found that it was disloyal to the series. Nancy Drew in the books is smart, courageous and a role model. The Nancy Drew of this movie is arrogant and self-centred. Bess was portrayed as a Barbie dumb-blonde stereotype, but George's character seemed almost true to the books although she had hardly any lines. The new, heavily accented character 'Teeny' was introduced in this movie as an annoying character who I assume was meant to bring light relief, but instead brought annoying stereotypical Spanish phrases and her character lacked depth. Nancy Drew's smart-Aleck comments made her come across as conceited, she may have needed some to show her confidence, but showing off - especially in front of Detective Daly - was unnecessary. There were plot holes in this movie also, such as when Nancy is at Detective Daly's office and can tell where his father is just by looking at the photos on his desk, yet she can only tell he is left handed when he begins to write, although he has been wearing a gun holster across his shoulders the whole time which clearly shows he is a lefty. This Nancy Drew movie, although fresh and probably popular with other teenage movie watchers, was nothing compared to the great stories of the books, which were complex and did not dumb themselves down to what movie makers think the kids of today want. We deserve better than that.
13 Reviews
Nancy drew movie on TV could've been better!
megamileyfan14 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This movie on TV could've been more based off the books. In the books Nancy NEVER says bad words! 10 mins into the movie Nancy say a little bad word but parents might not want their kids saying it! This movie made her to bossy and wasn't Nancy Drew type. So i say the movie was okay but could be better. Kids who have not the read the books and only saw the movie on TV would like it, but i am reading the books and i'm a huge fan of Nancy Drew. Therefore this movie needed 1. better actors, 2. better director, 3. better everything! Nancy Drew is supposed to be a role model for girls of all ages, and her getting into jail while sluething(looking for clues) is just not role model form. This movie could be better but, if I had to choose between 1-10 of rating I would choose a 6. I hope this has helped you in choosing what to watch. Thanks and remember Nancy Drew rocks!
Nancy For The New Millenia
bkoganbing6 January 2008
As feminist role model for young women, Nancy Drew can't be beat. She's eternally popular whether it's Bonita Granville in the Thirties, Pamela Sue Martin in the Seventies and now Maggie Lawson for the new millenia. Maggie is a worthy addition to her predecessors.
Nancy competes with men at their own game and shows them up quite frequently. She's intelligent, pretty, resourceful, who wouldn't want a girl like her or be threatened by her if the male ego wasn't too secure. Brett Cullen is her infinitely patient father Carson Drew who while he keeps cautioning her, really admires how his daughter has turned out.
Nancy's a little older now, she's in college as a journalism major, this generation's Nancy has grown up with tales of the exploits of Woodward and Bernstein and for one who's got a terminal case of snoopiness, this is the field for her.
When a star halfback on the school's football team has a stroke at the ripe old age of 20, her curiosity is more than piqued. She's got quite a scoop when it turns out he's been taking performance enhancing steroids. But is it illegal and if so, where does the blame lie?
Sabine Singh turns in a nice performance as the halfback's girl friend and Nick Stabile is around as Nancy's ever dependable friend Ned Nickerson. In keeping with the updating of these stories, Ned's a computer geek now and his expertise in hacking, helps Nancy get her story and nearly lands her in jail.
This version of Nancy Drew is nothing great, but it's every bit as good as the B picture product Warner Brothers did back in the day. And Nancy is still the best investigator around.
Nancy competes with men at their own game and shows them up quite frequently. She's intelligent, pretty, resourceful, who wouldn't want a girl like her or be threatened by her if the male ego wasn't too secure. Brett Cullen is her infinitely patient father Carson Drew who while he keeps cautioning her, really admires how his daughter has turned out.
Nancy's a little older now, she's in college as a journalism major, this generation's Nancy has grown up with tales of the exploits of Woodward and Bernstein and for one who's got a terminal case of snoopiness, this is the field for her.
When a star halfback on the school's football team has a stroke at the ripe old age of 20, her curiosity is more than piqued. She's got quite a scoop when it turns out he's been taking performance enhancing steroids. But is it illegal and if so, where does the blame lie?
Sabine Singh turns in a nice performance as the halfback's girl friend and Nick Stabile is around as Nancy's ever dependable friend Ned Nickerson. In keeping with the updating of these stories, Ned's a computer geek now and his expertise in hacking, helps Nancy get her story and nearly lands her in jail.
This version of Nancy Drew is nothing great, but it's every bit as good as the B picture product Warner Brothers did back in the day. And Nancy is still the best investigator around.
Nancy Drew, Resident Airhead
cosmic_quest23 May 2006
I was left utterly appalled to see what the scriptwriters and actors of this Disney film adaptation had done to Nancy Drew, the heroine in some of my favourite books through the latter years of primary school. Quite frankly, anyone who has read the books will find her character mutilated in this film.
This film sees eighteen-year-old Nancy Drew starting university with her best friends Bess and George when she is drawn into the mystery of how Jesse, an up-and-coming American football player, is left comatose. Her instincts telling her there is much more to the story than meets the eye, Nancy's investigations should lead her into trouble with the police and the university officials.
What was the premise for a film that could entice new readers to the books ended up just a mess and I could see intelligent young girls never wanting to see any more of Nancy Drew again after this. The tenacious, bright but modest Nancy from the novels had mutated into a egotistical, obnoxious, conceited snob who desperately needed to be taken down a peg or two before her head swelled too much. Clearly, the character had been dumbed down by a scriptwriter who assumed these were qualities young girls wanted to idolise. I lost count of the number of times people commented that Nancy had 'spunk' when all she really had was arrogance. And what was with the multi-million dollar bank account she clearly had access to (her car was not exactly what you'd see the average teen driving around) when what made Nancy so interesting was the fact she was a normal 'every' girl. Meanwhile, we had two air-headed bimbos in the form of Bess and George. Heath Freeman was completely miscast in the role of Patrick Daly, the detective heading the enquiry into Jesse's incident. He looked all of twenty-five yet we are meant to believe he ranks so high in the police force (if so, they must have ten-year-olds recruited as uniformed officers).
This film wasn't 'Nancy Drew of the twenty-first century', it was 'Nancy Drew, dumbed down' and it failed miserably as an adaptation. Hollywood scriptwriters need to go back to studying how to adapt young female characters and learn that there is no need to sex them up purely to appeal to kids as the original, more understated qualities of the characters in the novels were what made them so appealing in the first place. Those who want a more intelligent investigative film aimed at younger viewers should check out 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' or 'From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler' instead.
This film sees eighteen-year-old Nancy Drew starting university with her best friends Bess and George when she is drawn into the mystery of how Jesse, an up-and-coming American football player, is left comatose. Her instincts telling her there is much more to the story than meets the eye, Nancy's investigations should lead her into trouble with the police and the university officials.
What was the premise for a film that could entice new readers to the books ended up just a mess and I could see intelligent young girls never wanting to see any more of Nancy Drew again after this. The tenacious, bright but modest Nancy from the novels had mutated into a egotistical, obnoxious, conceited snob who desperately needed to be taken down a peg or two before her head swelled too much. Clearly, the character had been dumbed down by a scriptwriter who assumed these were qualities young girls wanted to idolise. I lost count of the number of times people commented that Nancy had 'spunk' when all she really had was arrogance. And what was with the multi-million dollar bank account she clearly had access to (her car was not exactly what you'd see the average teen driving around) when what made Nancy so interesting was the fact she was a normal 'every' girl. Meanwhile, we had two air-headed bimbos in the form of Bess and George. Heath Freeman was completely miscast in the role of Patrick Daly, the detective heading the enquiry into Jesse's incident. He looked all of twenty-five yet we are meant to believe he ranks so high in the police force (if so, they must have ten-year-olds recruited as uniformed officers).
This film wasn't 'Nancy Drew of the twenty-first century', it was 'Nancy Drew, dumbed down' and it failed miserably as an adaptation. Hollywood scriptwriters need to go back to studying how to adapt young female characters and learn that there is no need to sex them up purely to appeal to kids as the original, more understated qualities of the characters in the novels were what made them so appealing in the first place. Those who want a more intelligent investigative film aimed at younger viewers should check out 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' or 'From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler' instead.
fun story which is not the fluff you would expect
vchimpanzee16 December 2002
As the movie opens, an impossibly confident Nancy Drew is weaving her way through traffic while talking on her cell phone. As she starts college, she moves into an apartment-style dorm room with two perky friends and a third roomie with a strong Spanish accent who otherwise looks as if she belongs with the group. The girls try to get into Tri Pi sorority, full of adorable perky girls. At this point it seems this movie is going to be just so much fluff. Not so; one of the Tri Pi girls has to go with her football player boyfriend to the hospital, and the rumor is that the girl, a pre-med student, supplied the boyfriend with performance-enhancing drugs. Nancy tries to solve the mystery but encounters many roadblocks and ends up going too far, discovering that her actions have consequences, including her arrest. Her objective is to satisfy a journalism professor so evil he makes Professor Kingsfield look like a teddy bear. Can she do it? This is a Disney movie, isn't it? The formula is to overcome obstacles and reach a goal, though it may not be the exact goal you expect. Or maybe they went against the formula this time. You'll just have to watch.
And the plot was...?
ZachStoleMyCowsName11 March 2007
I am a die-hard Nancy Drew fan. I haven't yet spoken with someone who has sat through this entire movie and said "I really liked it. I really, really liked it." Maggie Lawson is a good actress, I'll give her that - in fact, a lot of the people on the movie are decent - if not great - actors. But no amount of talent could fix the scripting issues here.
Seriously, I have never watched a movie like this - it's completely unique! It's hides its plot so well taht it took me 5 times watching it (a JOYFUL amount of time which I shall never get back) to actually understand what happened, who do it, and what they did. I'm not joking. It takes a really long time to comprehend what's going on.
And now for the characters - look, I don't mind it if you want to make Nancy Drew you're own, but this was ridiculous. Nancy's father seemed to be the biggest problem for me. His character was no where near the supportive, caring single-father of the books. He was really mean, and insensitive to Nancy.
Now, if you're a "die-hard" fan like me, you'll also notice how inaccurate the film is. (Non-diehards might want to ignore this paragraph.) Mostly it's little things. The name of the University is wrong. Nancy's dog was not named Butch, and was not a large breed. Things like that which Disney really could've stood to fix. But there's also problems with things like characters.
Although, in the movie's favor, they did pick a really good-looking Ned (even if he has a total of 10 seconds screen time - accurate, if you've read the "On Campus" series).
However, if you really love Nancy Drew, there's no stopping you from watching this I've learned. I say, go ahead, it's worth seeing once (heck, it's not like any of the other Nancy Drew films have been any better), if only to laugh at.
Seriously, I have never watched a movie like this - it's completely unique! It's hides its plot so well taht it took me 5 times watching it (a JOYFUL amount of time which I shall never get back) to actually understand what happened, who do it, and what they did. I'm not joking. It takes a really long time to comprehend what's going on.
And now for the characters - look, I don't mind it if you want to make Nancy Drew you're own, but this was ridiculous. Nancy's father seemed to be the biggest problem for me. His character was no where near the supportive, caring single-father of the books. He was really mean, and insensitive to Nancy.
Now, if you're a "die-hard" fan like me, you'll also notice how inaccurate the film is. (Non-diehards might want to ignore this paragraph.) Mostly it's little things. The name of the University is wrong. Nancy's dog was not named Butch, and was not a large breed. Things like that which Disney really could've stood to fix. But there's also problems with things like characters.
Although, in the movie's favor, they did pick a really good-looking Ned (even if he has a total of 10 seconds screen time - accurate, if you've read the "On Campus" series).
However, if you really love Nancy Drew, there's no stopping you from watching this I've learned. I say, go ahead, it's worth seeing once (heck, it's not like any of the other Nancy Drew films have been any better), if only to laugh at.
TV Nancy Drew
SnoopyStyle26 September 2016
Nancy Drew (Maggie Lawson) starts college with best friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne. She has garnered some fame from her sleuthing in River Heights High. Duke Shifflin is her journalism professor. Hank Luckman is bumbling student. Bess wants to pledge a sorority and Nancy goes in support. Christina 'Teeny' Timkins is the bossy girl who has to pledge her mother's sorority. Allison Price is Tri-Pi president. Her boyfriend star linebacker Jesse goes into a coma rumored to be drugs and Nancy Drew senses a mystery.
I am not a big fan of Nancy Drew. I have never read any of the books. I don't know any Nancy Drew story. The TV Nancy Drew with edge for me is Veronica Mars. Nancy is new to college and it would be better for her to start out alone. While Bess and George are a part of her series, nothing is more TV than having a bunch of kids go from high school to college together. That's not a good thing. I rather have the teen Nancy Drew in high school. This is starting a teen soap in year five and that's usually a rough spot on the decline for almost every one of these shows. This is never going to work as a pilot.
I am not a big fan of Nancy Drew. I have never read any of the books. I don't know any Nancy Drew story. The TV Nancy Drew with edge for me is Veronica Mars. Nancy is new to college and it would be better for her to start out alone. While Bess and George are a part of her series, nothing is more TV than having a bunch of kids go from high school to college together. That's not a good thing. I rather have the teen Nancy Drew in high school. This is starting a teen soap in year five and that's usually a rough spot on the decline for almost every one of these shows. This is never going to work as a pilot.
A modern version of Nancy Drew
blanche-210 October 2009
I love Maggie Lawson on "Psych," and I love Nancy Drew, so I was interested to see this 2002 "Nancy Drew." My experiences with Nancy in the past include the books, of course, Bonita Granville in the films, and the Pamela Sue Martin TV series, which I don't remember at all.
In this incarnation, Nancy is in college with Bess and George. As a journalism major working on the school paper, she becomes interested in a football player who becomes comatose from taking ephedrine, and it's suspected that his girlfriend, a medical student, gave him the drug. Nancy sets out to find the truth.
Lawson is pretty, flirtatious, confident, and spunky. Is she Nancy from the books? No, and I wonder if today it's possible to even capture her. The times are different, for one thing. Unlike some other book characters, Nancy Drew was never considered a good character for the movies, which is why the character created by Bonita Granville was so different. The book Nancy was pretty, serious-minded, intelligent, courageous, wore "frocks" and went to "luncheon" with Bess and George. Granville was hyperkinetic and constantly dragging Ted (not Ned, the studio changed his name) into dangerous situations. She was always in trouble. There was no Bess and George.
Reading over the reviews on this site, it's interesting that some people have no familiarity with the films or the TV show. There was a complaint that Nancy is not a strawberry blonde here. At least she's blonde - she's been brunette in other incarnations. Someone else wrote that she must have had a million dollar bank account for a car like that. Nancy was always well-to-do - she never worked and she always had her own car. Someone else mentioned Nancy driving like a maniac. That undoubtedly comes from the Bonita Granville movies, which depicted Nancy as a reckless driver.
The Nancy character from this "Nancy Drew" is updated more from the films than the books, but it keeps all of the book characters, and they all use their book names.
Bottom line - if Nancy wasn't well-adapted from the 1930s books to 1930s films, there's no chance she's going to be well-adapted from the 1930s books to 21st century films or TV movies. As a regular story that has little relation to Nancy Drew, it's pleasant enough. Scarlett O'Hara, Mrs. Dewinter in Rebecca, Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, etc. - none of these ever had to be updated; they were done in the period in which they were written. When a 2002 script doesn't even adapt an actual Nancy Drew story from one of the books, the task of creating a modern Nancy becomes impossible.
In this incarnation, Nancy is in college with Bess and George. As a journalism major working on the school paper, she becomes interested in a football player who becomes comatose from taking ephedrine, and it's suspected that his girlfriend, a medical student, gave him the drug. Nancy sets out to find the truth.
Lawson is pretty, flirtatious, confident, and spunky. Is she Nancy from the books? No, and I wonder if today it's possible to even capture her. The times are different, for one thing. Unlike some other book characters, Nancy Drew was never considered a good character for the movies, which is why the character created by Bonita Granville was so different. The book Nancy was pretty, serious-minded, intelligent, courageous, wore "frocks" and went to "luncheon" with Bess and George. Granville was hyperkinetic and constantly dragging Ted (not Ned, the studio changed his name) into dangerous situations. She was always in trouble. There was no Bess and George.
Reading over the reviews on this site, it's interesting that some people have no familiarity with the films or the TV show. There was a complaint that Nancy is not a strawberry blonde here. At least she's blonde - she's been brunette in other incarnations. Someone else wrote that she must have had a million dollar bank account for a car like that. Nancy was always well-to-do - she never worked and she always had her own car. Someone else mentioned Nancy driving like a maniac. That undoubtedly comes from the Bonita Granville movies, which depicted Nancy as a reckless driver.
The Nancy character from this "Nancy Drew" is updated more from the films than the books, but it keeps all of the book characters, and they all use their book names.
Bottom line - if Nancy wasn't well-adapted from the 1930s books to 1930s films, there's no chance she's going to be well-adapted from the 1930s books to 21st century films or TV movies. As a regular story that has little relation to Nancy Drew, it's pleasant enough. Scarlett O'Hara, Mrs. Dewinter in Rebecca, Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, etc. - none of these ever had to be updated; they were done in the period in which they were written. When a 2002 script doesn't even adapt an actual Nancy Drew story from one of the books, the task of creating a modern Nancy becomes impossible.
Couldn't Have Captured Nancy Drew Any Better
pinkxcouturee4 March 2008
"Nancy Drew" was the most accurate portrayal of Nancy Drew I have ever seen. Though it was set in modern times instead of the 50s like the book series, the storyline was incredible and the mystery suspenseful. Maggie Lawson was the perfect Nancy Drew, capturing the beloved heroine's thirst for mystery and her confidence, glamour, and intelligence. Nancy Drew's father was protective and loving. Bess and George were played perfectly, and the invented characters were a nice edition to the story. Unlike the Nancy Drew movie that stars Emma Roberts as a brunette (Hair color is usually not important, but Nancy Drew is an icon), fidgety Nany Drew, this movie showed who Nancy Drew really was, blonde hair and all, and was incredible for a TV movie. Nancy Drew's first year of college is one that I will not soon forget.
Just one comment: "Terrible!!"...bad updating of the famous series...
Doylenf16 December 2002
Maggie Lawson has all the necessary All-American Girl looks to play the feisty teen-aged sleuth and she's okay in a fast-talking way to be convincing as an investigative detective. But unfortunately, the plot gets bogged down in a lot of petty sorority doings without a hint of mystery showing up until later on--and by that time you don't care.
The Nancy Drew of old is not here--instead we have a brassy, overbearing heroine with a rich girl background and her equally obnoxious teen-age girlfriends all given the latest slang expressions and one-liners in a script that's determined to update the famous series if not improve it. None of the happenings have the sort of mysterious quality called for in the Carolyn Keene mysteries.
Another bad case of "updating" in an attempt to modernize the old-fashioned charm of the original. It rings false from beginning to end.
The Nancy Drew of old is not here--instead we have a brassy, overbearing heroine with a rich girl background and her equally obnoxious teen-age girlfriends all given the latest slang expressions and one-liners in a script that's determined to update the famous series if not improve it. None of the happenings have the sort of mysterious quality called for in the Carolyn Keene mysteries.
Another bad case of "updating" in an attempt to modernize the old-fashioned charm of the original. It rings false from beginning to end.
fun to watch!
malllover1316 December 2002
I really enjoyed watching "Nancy Drew" I thought Maggie Lawson did a wonderful job portraying her!! And it was just a fun movie to watch! It was also great to see how the sorority life is! It was kinda cheesy but it made it funny! And they had really cute clothes! I would reccomend it for someone who is looking for a light harted movie! (Oh but I didn't understand the ending. Towards the end I was studing for mid-terms so I might have missed it, but it was still good!) Hope you like it !
Love, Kate!
Love, Kate!
Good movie, but....
guilainchristophe23 April 2020
It is arguably the most controversial version of Nancy Drew by fans and critics alike. And why? The actors are all excellent, the problem is not there. While watching the film, the viewer actually feels like a feeling of unease, and it comes quite simply from the fact that screenwriters and director have constantly hesitated between making a film for "midinette" and a real detective film. Everything is there actually ...
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