Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

The first must-see film of the year.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Not many late summer kiddie movies come out every year. Catering to Pre-teens is tough. Yet, too often the efforts that are made to woo this age group turn out to be bad. That's what has happened with this film too. Ace the Case has nothing to ace neither there is a case. The mystery is not half as intelligent as it should be for the kids that it targets. Yet, its not totally unwatchable. In fact, kids would probably love Olivia, A 9 year old everyday New York girl who will resonate with a lot of kids of her age. Being involved in a detective story that takes her to the uncharted and "dangerous" big city all alone is a child trap. While some may consider it risky content for kids, I think its standard children's story trope. Kids these days are exposed to much worse. Heck, even Home Alone movies had more violence. There's also this adorable dog and a humongous rabbit in it which btw, have zero significance to anything happening in the movie. However, if you ask me its just a steaming pile of toddler puke. Chances are that your kids are asking for this movie or you want to take them out to see it. My advice is well, rather take them to a museum or something. Then again, they're your kids, so do whatever you want. I may even recommend it for my own nieces and and nephews.Susan Sarandon is a pro and its endearing to see her interacting with the the main character of the movie. I hope she got paid well for the role and its not a favour to the producers because her every scene in the movie added a little bit of life to its limp plot. Ripley Solo who plays the role of Olivia, the little red-head kid trying to solve a crime, is promising. Its no wonder that she comes from Broadway experience. She should get more sensible roles in Hollywood while she's cute and charming. We know what happens to most of the prodigious child stars when they grow up. Unless, she turns out to be the next Natalie Portman. Besides these two, every other cast and character is basically unimportant and treated that way.I can see why kids might enjoy it but won't they gobble up just about anything that's got a child doing bold things? Just plop them in front of a TV and put on a DVD of this movie. It will work. Although, I wouldn't go so far as to claim it is the modern Home Alone. It does remind of the Macaulay Culkin's New York misadventures but its not as entertaining. What's most puzzling is that despite so much classic material available for children movies, filmmakers choose to experiment with sub-par concepts that don't sit well with any generation. Make a modern adaptation of Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer and even adults will go to watch it. On second thought, Ace the Case is probably a welcome break from constant barrage of superhero movies that are not even talking to kids anymore.

I took my son and daughter to see the film at Lefont this past weekend. We heard that the director would be in town talking about the movie. My family took a trip to NYC last summer and my daughter BEGGED to see Matilda. Ever since she has been obsessed with Ripley Sobo. She's seen all her movies. What a resume!I didn't know any of the actors except the two leads on the poster so I was a bit skeptical but figured let's give it a shot! The dog and the bunny looked promising and I love me some Sarandon! I've been waiting for a movie all summer that my whole family would enjoy and we found it! Ace the Case had that old fashioned slapstick humor reminiscent of my generations Home Alone. Ripley was charming and very convincing as the little crime fighter. My son and daughter can't wait to see it again. I know we'll be getting it on i-Tunes!

I'm a huge fan Susan Sarandon and will watch anything and everything she's in. Stepmom is one of my favorite films of all time. When I saw she was in this new film, Ace The Case, I decided to watch it right away and downloaded it so I could watch while I babysat my young cousins. We all loved it.The scenes between Susan Sarandon and Ripley Sobo (the young star who plays the daring girl detective) are wonderful. Sarandon and Sobo have great chemistry together. And I loved that the cast was more diverse than most. I just know Sobo is someone we're going to be hearing more about in the future.I love that the director really seemed to show us NYC - from the subways, to alleys, to parks, to upscale apartments. I feel like we got to see it all. I love that the script included comedic moments for kids, and for those of us who have aged out of childhood. And while Sarandon was still my favorite, I was nicely surprised by the performances of the ensemble cast, in particular Luca Managanaro - who plays a bumbling criminal with a great combination of comedy and pathos. I hope to see more of him.

Ace The Case is at times a thrilling mystery, and at others is a fun-filled family caper. I rented this on Itunes and ended up buying it for my two girls who really identified with the main character. My family and I live and work in New York City- It was definitely a love letter to the city- The locations visited and seen on screen are beautifully shot. Visually the Director of Photography and the Director combined forces to really showcase the setting. I thought that the production really found a gem of an actress with Ripley Sobo (Olivia). We had seen her earlier in the year on Broadway in "Matilda." I've always liked Susan Sarandon- not just her as an actress but her politics too- and she does well as a seasoned detective. My husband and I were a little bit wary at times of the scary aspects in the film- (kidnapping, hostage) but it never gets so out of hand that we were worried about our kids seeing it. Overall this film is lovely, and I can see several more evening viewings in our families future.