Mr. Holmes

Name: Mr. Holmes
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Crime
Released: July 17, 2015
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 67
Cast: Hattie Morahan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ian McKellen, Laura Linney

2015

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Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 160 Ratings

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 160 Ratings

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Mr. Holmes

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Movie Details & Credits

Roadside Attractions | Release Date: July 17, 2015 | PG

Starring: Hattie Morahan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ian McKellen, Laura Linney

Summary: In 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper andIn 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it's too late.… Expand

Director: Bill Condon

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Crime

Rating: PG

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

Steven Rea

Jul 17, 2015

Mr. Holmes is about how the past defines us. It is also very much about regret and trying to put things right. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Jul 16, 2015

Maneuvering shrewdly within the boundaries of the traditional canon and aided by the impeccable performance of Ian McKellen, Bill Condon directs an elegant puzzler that presents the sage of Baker Street dealing with the one thing he's never had to contend with before: his own emotions. Read full review

Marc Mohan

Jul 17, 2015

There will always be plenty of fictional geniuses solving impossible crimes, but Holmes, it turns out, it where the heart is. Read full review

A.O. Scott

Jul 16, 2015

The film’s plots are soft and flimsy, and they don’t mesh as gracefully as they might, but they do serve as an adequate trellis for Mr. McKellen’s performance, which is gratifyingly but unsurprisingly wonderful. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Jul 15, 2015

Although it’s a pleasant and handsome endeavor, Mr. Holmes hasn’t the consuming drive and sense of inexorability that marks the award-winning "Gods and Monsters." Read full review

Alan Scherstuhl

Jul 14, 2015

Condon, like this Holmes, can't quite keep everything in his story straight and clear, but he and his film come close just often enough. Read full review

Chris Cabin

Jul 13, 2015

Bill Condon ignores the delights and hardships of becoming an artist in lieu of simply presenting the long-touted liberating effects of art. Read full review

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User Reviews

Rebecca31

Nov 8, 2015

Revolves around the story of an aged and retired Sherlock Holmes. Starring Ian McKellen who is the perfect choice for an older portrayal of Sherlock, such a positive change in comparison the two most recent Sherlock movies (that's right I'm looking at you Robert Downey Jr.). Beautifully toldRevolves around the story of an aged and retired Sherlock Holmes. Starring Ian McKellen who is the perfect choice for an older portrayal of Sherlock, such a positive change in comparison the two most recent Sherlock movies (that's right I'm looking at you Robert Downey Jr.). Beautifully told story, perfect casting choice, highly recommended.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

Captain_Chaos

Jun 22, 2016

A profoundly moving film about an aging, lonely Sherlock Holmes. Ian McKellen as always is in top form. I greatly enjoyed the story of his last case, interspersed with his efforts to train the son of his housekeeper to care for his apiary.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GinaK

Jul 19, 2015

Mr. Holmes is a wonderful film, and I wish I could rate different elements of it individually. Sir Ian McKellen deserves a “10” – he was flawless, deeply moving and I guess the best word is mesmerizing. You knew exactly what Mr. Holmes was thinking and feeling every second. He lived theMr. Holmes is a wonderful film, and I wish I could rate different elements of it individually. Sir Ian McKellen deserves a “10” – he was flawless, deeply moving and I guess the best word is mesmerizing. You knew exactly what Mr. Holmes was thinking and feeling every second. He lived the character, and you believed him completely. Second best was Milo Parker, who, in my opinion, was also completely believable and held your attention whenever he was on screen. He was a great foil and friend for McKellen/Holmes. I was going to say that I was not impressed with Bill Condon’s direction or with the script, but perhaps that’s too harsh – the director and writer were smart enough to get out of the way of the actors. Perhaps my problem is that when I saw the film I was about two-thirds through the original book, which is very interesting and very different in approach from the film, so much so that I think translating the ideas of the book to the screen was very difficult, but the author and screenwriter were successful in doing it. I would give them an “8”. If you are a thoughtful person or someone who loves cinema, this film is more than worth your time.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

MeritCoba

Aug 1, 2015

Holmes can not remember.
He can not remember what happened thirty five years ago when he investigated his last case.
Something must have caused him withdraw to the country to never take on another case again. What made him exchange the buzzing streets of London for the buzzing sounds ofHolmes can not remember.
He can not remember what happened thirty five years ago when he investigated his last case.
Something must have caused him withdraw to the country to never take on another case again.
What made him exchange the buzzing streets of London for the buzzing sounds of the bees at his rural hideout?
Holmes forgot..
What does he remember?
A young man and his wife, a saddened young lady. And something about dead children.
But then his memories fail him.
For at ninety-three the great detective is becoming senile.
And Holmes has only his failing memories to supply him with the facts, for the stories that his friend Dr. Watson wrote were, to say the least, embellished. Penny dreadfuls as they were called. Gripping fantasies that sold because the boring truth did not.
And Watson himself can not help him either, for he has passed away several decades ago.

This then is the main story of the movie Mr Holmes, which has Ian McKellen play the great detective desperately trying to recall what happened.
McKellen is known by the general public for portraying the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies(and by a smaller audience as the archvillain Magneto from the X-men movies) and he plays Holmes with great skill.
There is a certain similarity between Gandalf and Holmes. Both wizened intelligent men with unique skills but also loners.
There is also a great difference, or so the movie has it. For Holmes is a man of logic who has no patience for flights of fantasies and to a certain extent lacks in empathy.
Unlike Gandalf, whose sees the strength of character in both Bilbo and Frodo. He has the insight that Holmes lacks and which is ultimately Holmes weakness.
But even at ninety-three one can learn.

The acting by McKellen is impeccable. Believable would be the word that springs to mind. But the movie as a whole isn’t.
I can accept that Holmes is a man of cold logic, but the movie has to convince me that he also lacks a deeper insight into the soul of men. Or, more to the point, into the soul of a woman.
And I cannot believe that the greatest detective of the world would falter here just because the movie wants me to. Like a court suit it should build that case, but the movie spends less than fifteen minutes on the crucial episode. In fact, the episode is so underdeveloped that it isn’t even clear what the young man is asking Holmes to do. Holmes takes on the case without any clear goal in mind..
Otherwise the movie digresses. There is for instance an almost superfluous trip to Japan. And just too much time is spent on Holmes’ rural life and his progressing senility.
Ultimately the key relation is the one between Holmes and the young lady he investigates. And exactly this episode is so short that it is beyond belief that Holmes should have been deeply affected by the fate of this particular lady.For that the relation should have been developed more.
The concept kill your darlings once again should have been applied and the movie should have concentrated where it mattered. Instead the movie doesn’t spend enough time where it counts and meanders..
It doesn’t help either that at times the movie jolts you out of the suspension of disbelief by showing you scenes populated with neatly dressed people, shiny brand new cars and clean streets. Impeccable in a wrong way. The ultimate jolt for me was the wing of a German plane that stuck out of a patch of farmland. It was so obvious put out there that I could see the movie maker at work. Which isn’t a good thing.

And then the music. Movie classical music once more. The muzak of the filming industry. Highly unoriginal, but it serves the purpose. This is the choice of the uninspired.

Mr. Holmes is a nice movie and should be watched for the acting of Ian McKellen and the supporting cast. The bottomline is that the movie fails to convince because not enough attention is given to where it counts and too much where it doesn’t.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

duncan1964

Jul 17, 2015

Sir Ian McKellen plays Sherlock Holmes in his twilight years, retired to the country to tend his bees, but plagued by his last case that he never solved. A quiet and deliberately paced film, Mr Holmes is more about ageing and how our past defines us as people than it is about the famousSir Ian McKellen plays Sherlock Holmes in his twilight years, retired to the country to tend his bees, but plagued by his last case that he never solved. A quiet and deliberately paced film, Mr Holmes is more about ageing and how our past defines us as people than it is about the famous detective. For those now hooked on Cumberbatch or Downey Jr as the sleuth this may be way too slow and mannered, for those in search of something a little deeper its worth searching out… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

LeZee

Jul 24, 2016

The famous English detective at his old age.

Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes, totally loved it. Directed by an Oscar winning filmmaker, the film was based on the novel 'A Slight Trick of the Mind'. It focused the long retired Sherlock Holmes, who now lives in the English countryside whereThe famous English detective at his old age.

Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes, totally loved it. Directed by an Oscar winning filmmaker, the film was based on the novel 'A Slight Trick of the Mind'. It focused the long retired Sherlock Holmes, who now lives in the English countryside where he meets a boy. He tries to recall one of his old cases, but struggles as he's very old to remember. So with the help of the boy, he undertakes to correct the book version of the story and besides, they together establish beekeeping as a hobby.

It was not that great, though an enjoyable small drama. Having a greatest detective character in it, you just can't expect a boring regular drama of the life. The narration had a multiple layer, in each how much Mr. Holmes dedicates himself to solves the case was nicely told. And of course, all of them had its own twist. After all, that's what everybody seeks from a film with Sherlock Holmes.

I'm sure you would have seen several films and/or series based on this character, but this film was something unique and only one kind, except if there's a sequel planned for this. Some people might be disappointed in this for being somewhat simple, but for a 93 year old man this storyline looked very appropriate and Ian did a fantastic job. I anticipated someone young actor for those flashback parts, but in the end, I'm happy that it was a one man show as it should be. It is a must see for his fans.

7/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

oldmoviegoer

Aug 22, 2015

My husband and I both found the English dialect very very difficult to understand and the plot (was there one??) almost impossible to follow. Only occasionally would we understand what was going on. We are frequent movie goers and enjoy classic films but this one left both of us saying thisMy husband and I both found the English dialect very very difficult to understand and the plot (was there one??) almost impossible to follow. Only occasionally would we understand what was going on. We are frequent movie goers and enjoy classic films but this one left both of us saying this was the very worst film we've seen in years. We even fell asleep! So sad. Holmes had possibilities but they were certainly missed in this film.… Expand

0 of 11 users found this helpful011

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