Monk was a critical darling during its run on the Universal-owned USA Network from 2002 to 2009. While the show was the epitome of the network’s programming—light, fun, and never thought-provoking—the accolades came mostly for Tony Shalhoub’s impeccable timing and the breezy and heartfelt nuance he brought to mental health issues.
In the new film revival, Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, the script handles issues of depression and suicidal ideation with a surprisingly deft touch. Along with some amusing jokes, we should have remembered how much we missed our insufferable hero. If only the film took a more caring (and careful look) at another central character’s psychological well-being as much as it does for the main attraction.
You’ll notice right away that the creators of Monk have a sense of loyalty by bringing back its leading stars. (And even one they unfairly jettisoned away for a cameo.) That’s because they are all returning for Monk’s stepdaughter’s wedding! Yes, Molly (Home Economics’s Caitlin McGee) is getting married to a fellow investigative reporter, Griffin (A Jazzman’s Blues’s Austin Scott). Monk promises to pay for the wedding but suffers a setback.
Unfortunately, he must pay back the advance on the book he has yet to produce over the past decade. However, the wedding is set aside when a murder happens involving an Elon Musk-type (James Purefoy). Luckily, the gang is back in town for the nuptials. That means his assistant Natalie (Traylor Howard) and police chums Leland (Ted Levine) and Randy (Jason Gray-Stanford) are there to assist in what looks like Monk’s final case.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie was written by series creator Andy Breckman, and he brings some solid laughs to the usual underwhelming crime plot. There are simple joys in watching Shalhoub become overwhelmed with the eccentricities of his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during the most awkward and uncalled-for situations. This includes a hilarious scene where his germophobia involving a dog pop and a bomb creates the film’s biggest laughs. Also, Gray-Stanford’s Randy’s loveable but dimwitted theories have the same effect.
Director Randy Zisk has been honing the quirky, light, and entertaining USA Network tone on the CBS series So Help Me Todd. However, he evokes some melancholy notes and a serious tone of Monk’s mental state here. That’s a turn for the series because Monk reaches a breaking point. A subplot involves Monk seeing his dead wife, Trudy (The Office’s Melora Hardin), representing Monk’s subconscious.
The good news is that the comedy mostly works, mainly because it refuses to overwhelm the film’s casual enjoyment. The storytelling tool of Trudy brings Shalhoub’s Monk full circle and aims to evolve the classic character beyond its caricature tropes. Yet, we cannot spoil a critical character who does not receive the same treatment. The film’s story becomes uneven as it does not take depression as seriously as Monk’s.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie has enough comic charm to appease diehard fans and gain some new ones. The movie maintains the same plot point structure of revealing the villain immediately and incorporating an underwhelming mystery. (The filmmakers would have benefited from freeing up this restriction, but sadly, they played it safe.) However, the nostalgia factor, Shalhoub’s comic brilliance, and a winning tender turn make up for its obvious faults.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie is currently streaming on Peacock.
Monk has enough comic charm, and a tender turn by the great Tony Shalhoub, to appease diehard fans and gain some new ones.
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GVN Rating
I am a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. However, I still put on my pants one leg at a time, and that’s when I often stumble over. When I’m not writing about movies, I patiently wait for the next Pearl Jam album and pass the time by scratching my wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. I was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs, but I chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find my work on InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Hidden Remote, Music City Drive-In, Nerd Alert, and Film Focus Online.
