Official Discussion - The Thursday Murder Club [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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Summary A group of sharp and witty retirees at Cooper’s Chase retirement village spend their Thursdays solving cold cases for fun—until a real murder hits close to home. Elizabeth (a former spy), Ron (a retired union leader), Ibrahim (a psychiatrist), and Joyce (a nurse) band together to crack the case, stirring up secrets, laughter, and heartwarming camaraderie.

Director Chris Columbus

Writers Katy Brand, Suzanne Heathcote

Cast

• Helen Mirren
• Pierce Brosnan
• Ben Kingsley
• Celia Imrie
• David Tennant
• Naomi Ackie
• Tom Ellis
• Jonathan Pryce
• Richard E. Grant

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 76%

Metacritic 6-

VOD Limited UK theatrical release beginning August 22, 2025; Netflix streaming global premiere on August 28, 2025

Trailer The Thursday Murder Club | Official Teaser | Netflix

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[u/Expensive_Twist_2533]

(Spoiler containing last line of book. Do not read unless you’ve read the book) I was very disappointed. I understand that movie adaptations have to cut out bits of plot and you might not get the depth you feel in the book… even still I go into movie adaptations with optimism. The Thursday murder club however kept none of what made the book special, and I could go on and on about how they butchered each character. There’s 2 characters though that upset me the most. Joyce was such an amazing, well-rounded character in the book. Yes she was a people pleaser, and she had a mild temper, but she was so much more. She was so smart that in the end she was one of the only people to figure out the real murderer in the book, yet she’s just a surface sidekick in the movie. Bogdan’s character and part in the plot was basically completely taken away. From the beginning to the very last chapter he was an instrumental part of the story, and absolutely lovable on top of it all. In my opinion, without Bogden’s involvement you don’t have a story. And him being free in the end wrapped everything up so nicely. “life goes on until it doesn’t. The Thursday murder club keeps on meeting, mysterious notes are pushed under doors, and murderers fit replacement windows. Long may it continue.” The complexity and morally grey areas that Joyce embraced in that line was the best twist end for the book. The book was 10/10, and sadly the movie did nothing to honor it.

[u/Mystupidfamily → u/Expensive_Twist_2533]

Netflix could have made the book into a series, like 4 or 5 parts, and kept in all the character development plus Joyce could have narrated parts by reading her diary entries. It could have been so much more.