Mandatory Movies: Adam Brody at the Top of His Game in Comedic Mystery Case of ‘The Kid Detective’

Adam Brody is best known for playing The O.C.’s wise-cracking rich kid. It’s been a long time since Seth Cohen befriended the neighborhood tank top. Since his teen drama days, Brody has done his best to escape The O.C., starring in films like Some Girls, Ready or Not, and Shazam! (maybe not so much against type). In writer/director Evan Morgan’s The Kid Detective, Brody plays against Seth Cohen-type and is at the top of his game.

Brody plays Abe Applebaum, a perceptually hungover private investigator (aren’t we all) tormented by his days as a celebrated kid detective. As a child, Abe was the go-to gimmick for finding someone’s lost cat. He was so beloved by the town that they gave him his own office. However, when one of his classmates went missing, and Abe can’t find them, his 15 minutes of fame perished with puberty. Now, as a washed-up, 30-something detective, Abe still solves trivial/childish cases. One day, a naive high-school student, Caroline (Sophie Nélisse), hires Abe to solve her boyfriend’s murder — his first “adult” case. The comedic mystery case of The Kid Detective puts Abe on a path to redemption worthy of Brody’s talents. Check out the trailer below. 

As a noir-style mystery/dramedy, The Kid Detective is a fantastical case of life imitating art. Watching the film, one can’t help but draw parallels between Abe’s rise as a kid detective and Brody’s as Seth Cohen. Revered as a child and mocked as an adult, young Abe’s story is romanticized while adult Abe’s world feels cynical. In this way, The Kid Detective appeals to those who feel like they might never grow up or that their best days are behind them (*cough* Millennials?). Those who were once so filled with hope and promise, but are now quarantined, watching popcorn pop or Nevada count votes. 

The Kid Detective’s coming-of-age story isn’t about growing up, but coming to terms with who you are once that’s already happened. Maybe even overcoming it. It’s quirky, entertaining, surprisingly dark, and satisfying, both for Abe and the audience. All of that complied with the fact that Morgan and Brody (also a producer on the project) spent nearly a decade getting it made, makes The Kid Detective a mandatory movie.

Cover Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) 

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