Movie Review: Nikki and Nora: Sister Sleuths (2022)

Synopsis: Chicago defense attorney Nora Sullivan has never had anything in common with her fraternal twin, Nikki, and the sisters grew even further apart when their parents were murdered 10 years ago and Nikki, a struggling actress, moved to New York immediately after. When Nikki returns to Chicago and asks Nora to sign off on selling a detective agency they inherited from a mysterious benefactor, Nora wants nothing to do with her sister. However, when Nora finds her employer's body and police rule it a suicide, she accepts Nikki's help in her attempt to prove he was murdered.

Who's in it? The movie stars Hunter King, Rhiannon Fish, Madison Smith, Tony Alcantar and David Attar.

Review: I don't normally watch Hallmark movies without my wife. However, I had the house to myself for a couple hours yesterday evening and, since I like a good murder mystery, wound up giving this film a try. I'm going to admit, it was better than I was expecting.

The murder mystery itself is what sold me on this movie because there were so many possible suspects, ranging from the rich murder suspect (Blake Stadel) being defended by Nora's (Fish) firm, a distraught dad who was upset about his son going to prison, and a cheating wife (Tina Grant) who lied about where she was and who was later seen burning potential evidence. Since Nora's boss (Dean McKenzie) was known for making some crooked moves, it was also possible there was an unknown murderer.

There was also a secondary mystery about who left them the detective agency. Neither of the women knew who he was but he named them his sole beneficiaries and had everything from flyers from Nikki's plays to articles written by Nora when she was still in school. Even with them discovering the photo of the deceased standing by their parents, it did have a bit of a creepy vibe to it, and I certainly didn't trust the attorney (Alcantar) who was in charge of the estate.

I was a bit concerned about the potential sister drama because I didn't know if it would become the central focus of the movie and distract from the mystery. However, the film does a good job mixing in Nora's rekindled relationship with Nikki (King) while still maintaining a fast pace. I especially liked the scene that had them going through family photos and ended in Nikki tearfully admitting she was afraid she was disappointing their parents. Up until that point, she felt more like she would just be the comic relief of the pair with Nora doing most of the work, and that scene made it easier to take her seriously.

The film's ending was also commendable. There's a really good twist involving the murder and, while the film doesn't completely solve the mystery surrounding their benefactor, there are just enough clues to indicate a future sequel will give them a chance to explore that more. 

Final Opinion: This was a surprisingly good movie that I enjoyed watching even though my wife wasn't in the room with me. If and when there is a sequel, I'll be adding it to my list.

My Grade: A