By Faith McQuinn

“You’re like no other girl,” Corky exclaims as he and Nancy recover from a near-miss with an SUV in Griffith Park. Oh boy, is Corky right. Writers Andrew Fleming and Tiffany Paulsen bring us an updated NANCY DREW for a whole new group of girls to enjoy. Well … sort of updated.

Nancy (the adorable Emma Roberts) may be living in 2007, but she sure looks like she stepped right out of the 1950s. Everything — from her cute dresses to her signature blue roadster — screams Middle America. But, I’m not complaining; I loved every bit of her wholesome persona.

Nancy and her father (Tate Donovan) leave their small town of River Heights for a temporary stay in Los Angeles. Nancy is not only taken from her hometown, she’s taken from her celebrity status too. The people of River Heights revel in her sleuthing abilities. When Nancy is thrown into the craziness of Los Angeles, her wholesomeness is far from the norm, and she’s teased accordingly.

Just like in every other tween/teen girl movie out there, Nancy finds a way to be herself and make friends. This time, though, the friend is not a fellow outcast girl, but a wisecracking 12-year-old boy named Corky (Josh Flitter). From the onset, Corky seems to be the scene-stealing sidekick, but unfortunately, the kid’s not given enough solid dialogue to make this happen.

While NANCY DREW is a refreshing diversion from the oversexed teen flicks currently flooding the market, the dialogue leaves something to be desired. Most of the really solid lines are in the previews, and the remaining good ones are dealt out before the second act begins. I know I’m probably being too harsh because I haven’t been a  “tweener”  for a long while now, but I see nothing wrong with demanding solid dialogue along with a cute story.

About that cute story —  it’s not 100% cute. Nancy is attempting to solve the mysterious death of a famous movie star. While looking for clues and following leads, Nancy finds herself inches away from the bad side of an SUV, seconds away from a bomb blowing up in her back seat and trying to convince a bad guy not to shoot her. All this danger never fazes our heroine, and oddly, it never seems to faze anyone around her either. OK, maybe that’s not true. It fazes them a little, but about as much as a fender bender or a lost cell phone would. It’s probably Nancy’s infectious charm that makes all this danger hunky-dory for everyone around her. To quote Nancy herself, “It really gets my goat when people try to kill me. It's so rude.” How can anyone really be scared when the bad guys are simply being overly rude?

Generations of book fans will not be disappointed to find the old-fashioned qualities of Nancy Drew still firmly in place. New fans who’ve never read any of the books will enjoy the adventure. All in all, NANCY DREW is fun for girls, women, and maybe a few guys will have a good time … though they’ll probably never admit it