Review Roundup: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, & More Star THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

Reviews are in for The Thursday Murder Club, the new murder mystery comedy starring Tony Award winner Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie. Find out what critics thought of the movie below! The Thursday Murder Club will hit Netflix on August 28, 2025.

Based on Richard Osman’s bestselling novel of the same name, the film follows the retired quartet who spend their time solving cold case murders for fun. When an unexplained death occurs on their own doorstep, their casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn as they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands.

Directed by Columbus, the film is the latest to be produced through the Netflix and Amblin Entertainment partnership. Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Tom Ellis, Tony Award winner Jonathan Pryce, David Tennant, Paul Freeman, Geoff Bell, Richard E. Grant, and Ingrid Oliver round out the ensemble cast. 

Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter: "A mystery about retirees who solve cold cases for fun, it is as gentle as a game of Clue and as cozy as an Agatha Christie novel, but its glittering cast and a touch of self-awareness make up for that lack of originality. This modestly entertaining film is uncool and filled with stock tropes, but it doesn’t pretend to be anything more."

Kristy Puchko, Mashable: "The Thursday Murder Club is a sensationally funny, warm, and smart crime-comedy with a crackling ensemble. If you're hankering for a new season of Only Murders in the Building, pining for the days of Golden Girls and Murder, She Wrote, or you just miss the radiant senior in your life, this is a gift, a treat, and a delight — on par, I'd imagine with Joyce's Bake-Off-worthy pastries."

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: "Yet when the plot has to accelerate to the point of pure daftness in its final act, the movie resembles not so much a Sunday night crime serial, but a weekday afternoon kids’ TV show. Nothing necessarily wrong with that of course. The keynote is fun."

Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent: "The cast have been seemingly told to play their scenes so broadly and turned out towards the audience that you half-expect Kingsley to ask us to kindly move Colonel Mustard to the library. So, no, one simply can’t live on Helen Mirren alone."

Laura Venning, Empire: "Perhaps needless to say, your mileage may vary when it comes to this level of twee, with endless slices of cake and a syrupy score when things get a bit sad. The dialogue seems purely expositional and the humour is very weak, a shame given it boasts a stacked cast of brilliant actors."

Matt Goldberg, TheWrap: "Rather than be in the vein of cozy mysteries, “Thursday Murder Club” seems more set on emulating “Only Murders in the Building” with its fancy interiors and famous names, but even here, it misses the mark."

Caroline Siede, AV Club: "It’s lovely to see a comedy like this genuinely respect its aging protagonists, even if it still makes jokes about their inability to answer a smartwatch call or open a PDF. If The Thursday Murder Club has a central flaw, it’s that it’s more affable than laugh-out-loud funny or especially clever. In that way, it winds up feeling more like an appetizer than a full meal."

Maggie Lovitt, Collider: "The Thursday Murder Club is a delightfully charming movie that hits all the highs of the cozy murder mystery genre without any of the negatives. The film manages to subvert expectations at every turn, while still delivering a final act with just enough twists to entertain audiences who manage to pick up on the "who" in this whodunit."

Watch the trailer for The Thursday Murder Club below: