Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie’

12/9/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

MR. MONK'S LAST CASE: A MONK MOVIE -- Pictured: (l-r) Jason Gray-Stanford as Randy Disher, Traylor Howard as Natalie Teeger, Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk -- (Photo by: Steve Wilkie/PEACOCK)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie’. Also, this article contains discussions regarding suicide, which may be triggering to some individuals.

One particular aspect regarding crime stories that we don’t discuss or call out enough, is how the detectives and private investigators that make up these tales… are oft cold in nature. They’re not bad people by any means, but they tend to be closed off to the reader or the viewer. As though living and eating crime is all they know. To the point where they’re not impacted by the horrors they see or they’re numb to them and that is… problematic. For that doesn’t reflect the fact that investigators are indeed people who absolutely have feelings and emotions and take home the things they see, and it is curious why those stories don’t acknowledge that.

It could be, to keep the audience from being overwhelmed by darkness of the tale. After all, lots of these tales involve murder, the worst harm possible a human being can impart upon another. So, having a rock-solid person to guide us through the ugly makes it palatable. Or it could just be to keep entertainment value in play, but for whatever reason, there is a detachment there, one that we are reminded of when we do encounter stories that don’t feature that iciness. For there are indeed stories that tap into more and explore the impact of violent death by violent crime in a humane manner that quite frankly moves us, and stays with us, and teaches us something about ourselves and life along the way. If anything, all of this is top of mind today, simply because a story in that more humane vein is available to stream on Peacock right now, and that makes Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, quite the important watch on so many levels. In part because… well…. Adrian Monk is back on the airwaves to solve a murder one more time.

For this character truly is iconic and missed from the television landscape. So, seeing Adrian come out of retirement to solve a very personal mystery involving the death of Molly’s husband-to-be, is compelling and wondrous in its own right. Since the plot does indeed feature all the tenets of this saga that we love and enjoy. Such as the return of Monk’s OCD and outright impish quirkiness, and of course… his outright brilliance. Not to mention, this story basically gets the band back together since Natalie and Randy return, and Trudy in her own special way. Plus Dr. Bell is back, and even Stottlemeyer finds his way into the case. One that revolves around Monk and Molly’s belief that billionaire Rick Eden killed her beloved fiancé. A case that speaks to the current zeitgeist of America and our disdain for the ultra-rude rich and their inability to care about anything but themselves.

MR. MONK'S LAST CASE: A MONK MOVIE -- Pictured: "Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie" Key Art -- (Photo by: Peacock)

But truth be told, while the case is engaging and also brings about familiar and welcome moments from the show and other movie specials, and ends with good winning the day, it's the stuff in between and after the case that makes this movie worth our while. Because this presents to us, a very different Adrian Monk. One that should be enjoying his retirement but is miserable instead. Because Monk has no purpose here, no understanding of what he should be doing when he’s not actively helping others and that puts him in a dark place. Where he feels he never made a difference during his time on the force and of his own accord, and that his efforts truly did nothing to make the world a better place. Which in turn prompts him to think about taking his own life, and that makes for a powerful journey.

For we are now witness to some hard truths about this man. In that, he has indeed lived a tough life and hasn’t reconciled the horrors he’s seen and is eager to escape the pain he hasn’t resolved. Giving rise to the most relatable and vulnerable iteration of Adrian we’ve seen to date, since we’ve been in his shoes and felt that ache and some folks have given similar thought to Monk’s endgame in this tale, and also feel as though… there is no value to their lives. But this story also takes the time to inform us through Monk’s journey, that such thoughts aren’t true, and that we each provide value to the world and we each touch lives in ways we never thought possible. We don’t always hear the thank you we want, nor do we understand fully how we improve the world… but we do. And we need to find a way to understand that and comprehend and reconcile the pain we’ve endured.

All so we can do what Adrian Monk does in this tale… and go on. Go on and see the beauty we forget about that surrounds us and embrace the value we do create and have created through our efforts in life. For we are precious and wondrous and that makes this… a beautiful story. One that truly addresses the tough mental space so many of us are in coming out of years of scariness and cruelty, and it really is a marvel that a crime story sends that message our way, but this is the right one to do it. For Adrian Monk’s adventures have always been different and beautiful, and the fact that the cast doesn’t miss a beat here to bring all that home is a marvel as well. In fact, seeing them again, gives us hope that perhaps we’ll get more Monk stories down the line. Wherein we can see Adrian in his new chapter, handling his business differently. Making this the ‘last case’ where darkness hangs over him. But if not, finding peace and drive to do good in the world again, is a wondrous way to send off one of television’s most beloved, and human, private investigators.

Watch ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie’

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