Mr. Holmes (2015)

An aged, retired Sherlock Holmes deals with early dementia, as he tries to remember his final case, and a mysterious woman, whose memory haunts him. He also befriends a fan, the young son of his housekeeper, who wants him to work again.

Director:

Bill Condon

Writers:

Mitch Cullin (novel), Jeffrey Hatcher (screenplay)

Stars:

Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada

17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian McKellen	...	Sherlock Holmes
Laura Linney	...	Mrs. Munro
Milo Parker	...	Roger
Hiroyuki Sanada	...	Tamiki Umezaki
Hattie Morahan	...	Ann Kelmot
Patrick Kennedy	...	Thomas Kelmot
Roger Allam	...	Dr. Barrie
Phil Davis	...	Inspector Gilbert
Frances de la Tour	...	Madame Schirmer (as Frances De La Tour)
Charles Maddox	...	Oswald
Takako Akashi	...	Maya Umezaki
Zak Shukor	...	Masuo Umezaki
John Sessions	...	Mycroft Holmes
Michael Culkin	...	Bank Manager
David Foxxe	...	Chemist

Storyline

The story is set in 1947, following a long-retired Holmes living in a Sussex village with his housekeeper and her young son. But then he finds himself haunted by 30-year old case. Holmes memory isn't what it used to be, so he only remembers fragments of the case: a confrontation with an angry husband, a secret bond with his beautiful but unstable wife.

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Plot Keywords:

sherlock holmes | son | memory | mother | nest | 

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Taglines:

After a lifetime of detective work, there's one mystery left to solve: his own.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, some disturbing images and incidental smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Japanese French

Release Date:

24 July 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Slight Trick of the Mind

Filming Locations:

Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,434,908, 19 July 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$17,737,646

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,355,203

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax,Roadside Attractions,BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Laura Linney and Hiroyuki Sanada worked together in The City of Your Final Destination (2009).

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Goofs

One of the scenes where Holmes is writing up his memories of the old case as they come to him, he passes his pen from right hand to left, puts it down with the left, then when he picks up his drink with the right, a different camera angle shows the pen is in that hand between his fingers. Cuts show the two situations one more time each.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sherlock Holmes: You shouldn't do that. Tap the glass.
Boy: How did you know I was going to?
Boy's Mother: You must forgive my son, he loves bees.
Sherlock Holmes: It isn't a bee, it's a wasp. Different thing entirely.

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Connections

Featured in Projector: Minions/Mr. Holmes (2015)

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Soundtracks

Tea Ceremony
Written by Graham de Wilde

User Reviews

A beautiful look at Sherlock Holmes' last case.

When I first heard that Ian McKellen landed the role of Sherlock Holmes in a film about the end of the great detective's life, I knew he would be perfect for the part, and indeed, he was. "Mr. Holmes" (2015), based on a novel by Mitch Cullin called "A Slight Trick of the Mind", is a delightful film, full of humor and sadness as Mr. Holmes revisits his last case, and finds his memory isn't quite what it used to be. He has retired to his cottage by the sea and taken up his well known hobby of beekeeping or apiculture. With him are his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her son, Roger (Milo Parker), a precocious young boy. The on screen dynamic between these three is astonishing. More is conveyed in one glance than could be said in lines of dialog.

The sets were detailed with precision, the scenery was vibrant and gorgeous (except one scene which was perfectly moody and dark), and the cinematography was stunning. The score was perfectly understated and captured the sentiment of the scenes with finesse.

"Mr. Holmes" is a very different kind of Sherlock Holmes story. It is sentimental without being saccharine and I believe it is a fair representation of the greatest detective in fictional history. The movie is set to be released in Great Britain on June 19 and in the U.S. on July 17. I recommend it highly.