We are enjoying a stream of programs and movies where characters cleverly break the fourth wall to address the audience directly, colorfully commenting on the action in a given scene or peppering in insight that the viewer might have overlooked. This isn’t a new concept, by any stretch. We loved every time Ferris Bueller did it throughout the John Hughes comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Ryan Reynolds uses the gimmick to great effect during his Deadpool movies, and Tatiana Maslany employed it often in the recent Disney+ series She-Hulk. And then there’s Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown), younger sister to famous detective Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill), in the movies that you can watch with your Netflix subscription. But who is Enola speaking with?
We got the opportunity to sit down with the cast of the upcoming sequel Enola Holmes 2, which continues the adventures of the fledgling private investigator who we met in the charming and fun 2020 movie. Read our review of Enola Holmes right here. The game once again is afoot in this story, as Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) agrees to help a young girl find her missing sister. And as she embarks on her adventures, she routinely turns to the camera and talks to… someone. So I asked Brown who she’s speaking with, and she told me:
My mom. Yes, and actually, it’s funny, no one ever has asked me that question. So you are a first! Yeah, I always think about my mom. I always think about talking to my mom, and kind of the way that I say, ‘And that is a job well done!’ I do talk to my mom like I’m lecturing her half of the time, and usually, she’s lecturing me as well. So I usually, I think of my mommy.
And now I’ll never be able to watch either of the Enola Holmes movies without thinking of that incredibly sweet admission from Millie Bobby Brown. The way that she addresses the audience at key moments throughout the Enola Holmes movies is incredibly charming, showing off an amusing side of Brown that we don’t get to see very much in Stranger Things, where her character is far more intense (and prone to crying on the set).
It works very well, especially when this charming actor is paired with the wonderful Henry Cavill, whose reactions to Brown are delightful. So far, as we get closer to the streaming date of Enola Holmes 2, the reviews have been solid and our own Eric Eiseberg called this movie superior to its predecessor. This easily could be a franchise that carries both Brown and Cavill for years to come… even though they are both associated with other major properties – though one is ending (Stranger Things) and the other appears ready to take off, again (Cavill as Superman).
Head over to Netflix beginning on November 4 to see what Enola Holmes is up to on her latest adventure.
