The enticing nature is soon stripped away when the murders are shown early on…as well as the perpetrators. Now, this wouldn’t necessarily be an issue if the remaining story and dialogue focusing on the investigation was strong, however, it is not. Seeing Jon Hamm’s Jordan and Nick Mohammed’s Reddy bumble through their investigation became middling very quickly as it fought for screen time over a sweet, though misplaced, romance angle and a tedious subplot regarding dodgy dealing and mouldy foods. The battle for supremacy between these threads derailed the film to the point where it became a bit daft. Had Maggie Moore(s) focused solely on the murder mystery as a whodunit, we’re looking at a stronger film given the ingredients at hand, instead we are forced into following characters who are, frankly, rather lame.

 

Jon Hamm and Tina Fey’s experience and talents shine through here, both are versatile and both generally get the memo, and whilst their romance subplot does feel as if it is plucked from another movie, they both sell it well. I do enjoy Nick Mohammed in Ted Lasso but I can’t help but feel like he is acting in another movie here - another aspect of Maggie Moore(s) that just does not gel. It’s not a Nick Mohammed issue, he is fine here, but the humour and tone of the character is awry. Like many aspects of the film, the performances are, at worst, simply decent.

 

Visually Maggie Moore(s) is interesting, there is enough variation in locations to at least ensure it doesn’t become stale in that regard. It’s a shame that the film is undercooked and underdeveloped in many other ways. The dialogue isn’t snappy or sharp enough, the tension isn’t palpable enough, the mystery isn’t interesting enough, and the characters aren’t affable enough.

 

Maggie Moore(s) had the potential to be a genuinely intriguing black comedy whodunit, instead it ended up as a generally unfunny slog with no mystery to keep things exciting, but plenty of lacking subplots.