"Nancy Drew" ** (out of four): Sadly bland update of everyone's favorite girl detective series never rises above its "Scooby Doo"-level plot.

It’s hard to believe “Nancy Drew” – the unbearably precocious teen detective from countless books – is almost 80 this year. From Warner Bros’ adaptation, she’s doesn’t look a day over sixteen. And unfortunately, the film isn’t likely to appeal to anyone over ten. The problems start early with an opening scene in which Nancy (Emma Roberts) faces off against two thieves pinched from the “Home Alone” playbook (led by SNL’s Chris Kattan). Nancy offers them desserts and gets them bickering until the police show up to do the arresting. The scene is cute in a for-the-kids kind of way and sets the tone for a film that will rarely rise above “Scooby Doo”-level mysteries.

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