Director Sophie Kargman’s mystery thriller Susie Searches is a fun ride that offers an engaging main character and several surprises as it examines how far some people will go to become famous.
Susie (Kiersey Clemons) is a university student with a part-time job at a burger joint, an internship at the local police station, and a true-crime podcast devoid of listeners. Susie takes her lifelong talent of guessing whodunit correctly when her mother — who currently suffers from MS — begins to read her mystery novels to try and solve the disappearance of popular fellow student and meditation influencer Jesse (Alex Wolff), who has been missing for about a week. Susie cracks the case, rescues Jesse and even names a suspect — and then things start going south.
Kargman, who cowrote the smart screenplay with William Day Frank, paces the suspense nicely while serving up humor that ranges from the delightful to the dark. Clemons is terrific as the fame-hungry title character, and she and Wolff have solid chemistry together. The members of the sizeable supporting cast — which includes Jim Gaffigan, Ken Marino, and David Walton — provide intriguing turns.
Susie Searches combines mirth, mischief, and mystery, resulting in an amusing feature that fans of fun thrillers should find highly enjoyable.
Vertical presents Susie Searches, which debuted in cinemas on July 28.
