As an old fan of Nancy Drew books, I thought the Weekly reviewer was too hard on the film. I'd give it 2.5-3 stars; I hope they turn it into a t.v. series, it has promise. (But then, I am a big family-film fan: I thought "Cars" was robbed at the Oscars last year!)

Okay, the reviewer had a point about the inappropriateness of a secret out-of-wedlock pregnancy in a movie with such a young target audience, but overall the movie was clean fun. I thought there was plenty for fans of the old Nancy Drew books. The actress who played Nancy was a great choice.

There were so many tongue-in-cheek references to the old books, that I recognized them (and laughed) throughout and I haven't read one of these books for decades. What would a Nancy Drew story be without these plot elements? The scary, suspicious character who later turns out to be good, Nancy finding a secret passageway, Nancy getting chloroformed, kidnapped and escaping, Ned coming to Nancy's aid, Nancy seeing something that seems supernatural but that later has a logical explanation, Nancy getting scary phone calls warning her to stop investigating or else, Nancy saying she'll stop sleuthing for her safety but being inexhorably drawn into a mystery...

The whole premise that the current plot is set in the present but that Nancy loves the '50s is hilarious -- there are scenes right from the old book jackets: Nancy in her plaid pajamas at the window, Nancy's old blue '50s roadster, etc. Plus, the new Nancy is '50s wholesome and unapologetic about it, but she still has internal conflicts and hurts about being different (yet still likes and sticks to who she is). Unlike the reviewer, I thought Corky was more annoying than necessary to the plot, but Nancy did need a sidekick.

My kid liked the movie and now wants to read the books. I'd say that's a success for a family film.