Releasing any movie into theaters at any point during 2020 was a gamble, with the pandemic reducing the industry to a hollowed-out shell of its usual self. Even blockbusters and star-powered capers failed to make much of an impact, so a lo-fi independent flick like The Kid Detective never really stood a chance.
Sure enough, writer and director Evan Morgan’s excellent feature landed on the big screen in October of 2020, and went on to earn a measly $367,000 at the box office. Matters weren’t helped by the title, though, which would have led many to believe that the film was a child-friendly adventure or an all-ages romp, when it almost the complete opposite.
Anchored by what might be the best performance of Adam Brody’s career by quite some distance, The Kid Detective is admittedly partially reflective of its title, albeit with a twist. The leading man’s Abe Applebaum did enjoy minor fame for solving mysteries during his youth, but he now finds himself as a washed-up 32 year-old traumatized by an investigation he couldn’t solve.
However, when a new client appears on the scene to offer him the opportunity to solve the brutal murder of her boyfriend, Abe needs to put his self-loathing and borderline alcoholism to one side in order to confront and defeat the demons of his past, present, and future.
A Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 85 percent and widespread praise for subverting the expectations that come with a noir-infused dramatic comedy defined by a central mystery, The Kid Detective deserves to find the audience it never got first time around – and sentiment is already beginning to build on that front.