Not many late summer kiddie movies come out every year. Catering to Pre-teens is tough. Yet, too often the efforts that are made to woo this age group turn out to be bad. That's what has happened with this film too. Ace the Case has nothing to ace neither there is a case. The mystery is not half as intelligent as it should be for the kids that it targets. Yet, its not totally unwatchable. In fact, kids would probably love Olivia, A 9 year old everyday New York girl who will resonate with a lot of kids of her age. Being involved in a detective story that takes her to the uncharted and "dangerous" big city all alone is a child trap. While some may consider it risky content for kids, I think its standard children's story trope. Kids these days are exposed to much worse. Heck, even Home Alone movies had more violence. There's also this adorable dog and a humongous rabbit in it which btw, have zero significance to anything happening in the movie. However, if you ask me its just a steaming pile of toddler puke. Chances are that your kids are asking for this movie or you want to take them out to see it. My advice is well, rather take them to a museum or something. Then again, they're your kids, so do whatever you want. I may even recommend it for my own nieces and and nephews.Susan Sarandon is a pro and its endearing to see her interacting with the the main character of the movie. I hope she got paid well for the role and its not a favour to the producers because her every scene in the movie added a little bit of life to its limp plot. Ripley Solo who plays the role of Olivia, the little red-head kid trying to solve a crime, is promising. Its no wonder that she comes from Broadway experience. She should get more sensible roles in Hollywood while she's cute and charming. We know what happens to most of the prodigious child stars when they grow up. Unless, she turns out to be the next Natalie Portman. Besides these two, every other cast and character is basically unimportant and treated that way.I can see why kids might enjoy it but won't they gobble up just about anything that's got a child doing bold things? Just plop them in front of a TV and put on a DVD of this movie. It will work. Although, I wouldn't go so far as to claim it is the modern Home Alone. It does remind of the Macaulay Culkin's New York misadventures but its not as entertaining. What's most puzzling is that despite so much classic material available for children movies, filmmakers choose to experiment with sub-par concepts that don't sit well with any generation. Make a modern adaptation of Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer and even adults will go to watch it. On second thought, Ace the Case is probably a welcome break from constant barrage of superhero movies that are not even talking to kids anymore.

A fun adventure for the entire family! At first glance the film comes off as purely a children's flick, but it's so much more. Ace the Case gives a younger audience the opportunity to be introduced to more serious themes with the playfulness of a youthful voice. Ripley Sobo is an extremely relatable character whose curiosity leads her to partner up with Susan Sarandon. Great for children who love solving mysteries and suspense. I would categorize it with films like Harriet the Spy and Home Alone. Highly recommended for children maturing into a more cinematic experience. Also, super convenient that its straight to On demand in addition to being in theaters.

I wasn't expecting much from this movie but I never expected to get so much less. It's as if all those involved with this movie learned everything they knew about making and acting in a movie from a middle school drama workshop. I don't know how Susan Sarandon got roped into starring in this movie but even her acting in this was so sub par from anything I have seen her do before. One could surmise that she sunk to the level put forth by all involved in it's making. I am curious to learn how this film even got made. Was it funded by some rich family as a vehicle to get their kids or relatives into the movie business? I struggled to find a redeeming quality to this film of which I am held speechless in the attempt.

I rented Ace the Case simply to see why the reviews were so awful they made me laugh and I ended up buying it because my 6 year old watched it 3 times in one day. Very refreshing break from the super hero movies and my kids loved the young girl and the rabbit so big it looked prehistoric. There are definitely a few scenes I could see might be scary for some young kids but not mine. They found them more humoruous than frightening. I usually end up falling asleep half way through the typical kid films but I laughed numerous times and lasted through a great finale. Great for kids of all ages that won't put the parents asleep. It definitely doesn't feel like a big budget movie but I love indie flix like Boyhood and Bottle Rocket and I felt this had similar production quality.