When I heard this film was in production, I was super excited, as I really enjoyed the original TV series and over the last two years, I have read the Lee Goldberg written tie-in novels. At the start of the film, Monk has not been investigating for some years, but this is naturally set to change when his stepdaughter Molly’s fiancé dies in what is considered a bungee jumping accident, days before their wedding. Of course, we know there is nothing accidental about the death and in keeping with many of the TV episodes, we are made aware, early on, who the culprit is, and the story instead focuses on how to prove their guilt.
Expectations were high, so what did I make of it?
Comedy is a key element of the TV series, sustaining viewer engagement across many years. This humour is strongly linked to the personality and behavioural choices of Adrian Monk and the way he chooses to interact with the world. In the film this is best captured in the opening scene at the publishers’ office, when he is being told to return his advance, as he is unable to produce an autobiography which is publishable. In a chapter concerned with a crime scene, he spends two paragraphs on the victim and 7-9 pages on the fact they both owned the same model of vacuum cleaner. Every editor he has been given, has quit. You feel sorry for Monk, but his unreasonable suggestion still raises a laugh. Another scene which retains the humour of the original series is in a funeral parlour. This is not a location one naturally links with comedy, but it is exactly the sort of place Monk can cause his own brand of chaos. However, this scene is near the end of the film and the story in between these two scenes is far less funny.
The film, as a whole, has a more sombre tone than I was anticipating and a significant thread throughout the narrative is Monk battling with suicidal thoughts/plans. With such a plotline, it is not too surprising that this flatlines the humour a bit. Furthermore, I would also suggest that after the opening scenes, the other series characters don’t bring the same comedic energy of the TV series. In a way a sadness hangs over the film.
Regarding the case itself, I felt it was too simple. I don’t mean because it is more of an inverted mystery, but the method of murder was glaringly obvious. I figured out the method before the murder even took place! I was surprised it took Monk so long to come to the same conclusion, as given the nature of the murder, there was a limit to what options could have been used.
When it came to the actual investigation, despite running longer than a TV episode, it felt slower and as though it involved less action. This is not ideal with this type of storyline. In addition, we don’t see Natalie Teeger and Monk spending as much time together, so this is another source of humour, which is greatly reduced. I appreciate that the actors are older, but I felt like there was a tiredness or lack of energy, which is arguably reflected in the finale. Given the spacecraft launch setup there was plenty of opportunity for Monk to nearly get into danger and to go right down to the wire in closing the case. But this direction is not taken, the killer accepts arrest almost meekly. You can tell some humour is expected as they have Randy Disher and Natalie being interviewed live at the launch, to comment on Monk’s actions. Yet for me it felt forced, and the comedy felt muted. The wrap up also seemed less convincing than the best episodes in the TV series.
Overall, I am glad I watched it, as you always wonder what happened next to characters you love, but I don’t think it was as good as I was hoping it would be. If another film was made, I would probably watch it, as the characters did stay true to themselves and there were no drastic clashing changes to the Monk universe, but I equally don’t think I will be rushing back to re-watch Mr Monk’s Last Case.