Robbery at the Rockvale Theatre

Filmmaker Jesse Edwards’ child sleuthing comedy, Robbery at the Rockvale Theatre, feels like Poirot goes to Nickelodeon, with a highly polished and eccentricly written family mystery. 

Brycen Patterson plays Seth, a young actor dreaming of getting a Broadway scholarship after getting the lead role in the theatre’s next show. After a successful fundraising event involving spaghetti, Seth and his sister Andi (Ayla Bullington) are distraught to learn the cash has been stolen during the night. They reluctantly enlist the assistance of a passionate and flamboyant child detective called Monsieur (David Dupre) in order to find the thief and save the show. 

A subtle genre shift from Edwards’ family fantasy The Wildman of Shaggy Creek, this feature leans heavily into the detective genre, with the audience being carried along this mysterious plot full of oddball characters and melodramatic performances. Robbery at the Rockvale Theatre is aimed squarely at a younger audience, sitting somewhere on the age timeline between Scooby Doo and the Knives Out franchise, perhaps just shy of Veronica Mars. The gags are quick and light, allowing the pacing of the film to feel effortless whilst the plot unravels in a typically convoluted yet fun manner. 

The production values are excellent, with a stylish aesthetic throughout, excellent camerawork, and fantastic costume design. The sound design is genre-appropriate, nudging the audience with plenty of intrigue and tension to enhance the elaborate characters on screen, albeit coming over a little overbearing for more seasoned viewers. There’s a theatrical strength to the film, being set in a theatre, that creates a stimulating environment for scenes to play out in, and the musical numbers that are part of the show being put on are impressive. 

It’s a shame the storyline feels a little underwhelming considering the sumptuous filmmaking and energetic acting being presented. A school fundraising heist plot lacks the dramatic peril necessary to truly captivate the viewer, even preteens, who will likely be unbothered about the outcome. Perhaps something a tad more dangerous than a robbery was needed to make this production shine brighter. 

The ensemble is terrific, with Brycen Patterson and Ayla Bullington having a great onscreen sibling chemistry and cementing the audience into their journey with perhaps the most toned-down characters of the movie. Their long-suffering dad (another Wildman of Shaggy Creek veteran - Josh Futcher) also provides a solid foundation for the movie to rely on. It is David Dupre, however, as Monsieur, who most impresses with his extravagant portrayal of the French child sleuth and would perhaps have been better placed as a titular character (can anyone say franchise in French?) and with more scenes. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am off for a croissant, espresso, and well-thumbed copy of Agatha Christie.