OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

At the beginning of Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, Nandor poses the thought-provoking question “If I say there’s a man in the corner, and I can see him, but you can’t, does he exist?” The scene grabs your attention immediately as you ponder people's differing beliefs and how they shape an individual's perception of the world. Though this underlying theme in Adam Sigal’s Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose is fascinating, the story surrounding it is a dull disappointment that doesn’t have enough meat on its bones.

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As for the backstory, Nandor Fodor was a parapsychologist who investigated different paranormal cases throughout his career during the 1930s. Among the many mysteries was that of the Irving family, who lived on the Isle of Man and claimed that a talking mongoose named Gef lived at their farmhouse.

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If you think the story sounds bizarre, that’s because it is, which is what got me curious in the first place. Plus, what better way to embrace such absurdity than to cast Simon Pegg in the leading role of the offbeat Nandor Fodor? 

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Unfortunately, the film falls flat quickly, and Fodor is such a bland character that not even Pegg can elevate the material. In addition, he also adopts a somewhat distracting accent that you can’t help but focus on, which took me out of the film completely. Then you have Minnie Driver, who plays Fodor’s subservient assistant. I wish they would have made Anne a bit more interesting because Driver is a fantastic actress, but she doesn’t have much to work with, and her character is forgettable. 

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The leadup to the initial meeting between Fodor and the Irving family is effective and builds intrigue. However, once the investigator arrives at his destination, the minutes drag on, and nothing remotely interesting happens. Each member of the Irving family is painfully boring, and the monotonous conversations are a chore to get through. 

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By the time the mongoose starts talking through walls, viewers will likely have lost interest. The execution of such events fails to create suspense due to the uninteresting characters and uninspiring setting surrounding the mysterious animal. 

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As the film concludes, we are left with a somewhat ambiguous ending and the notion that Fodor is no longer the skeptic he used to be. Ultimately, you can’t help but feel like the viewing experience failed to teach us much of anything and was all a bit pointless.