The Dummy Detective

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The Dummy Detective

2025

1h 29m

Comedy

Crime

Mystery & Thriller

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7 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

In the spirit of Clue and Knives Out, THE DUMMY DETECTIVE follows Detective Van Trillo, a real-life ventriloquist, and his wooden partner as they investigate a string of bizarre murders inside a secluded inn filled with eccentric guests.

Jonita Davis

The Black Cape (Medium)

Jan 13

The film plays with the genre in a style reminiscent of the Naked Gun films, but with an underlying darkness akin to that of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Oh, and there are actual dummies — the kind that ventriloquists use.

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Ethan Padgett

Film Threat

Jan 6

8.5/10

Anyone who loves a good mystery and the crime genre will be thoroughly entertained by The Dummy Detective.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Dec 21

3.0/4.0

Don't be a dummy. Check out The Dummy Detective.

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Tim Brennan

About Boulder

Dec 15

If you’re making a movie about a ventriloquist detective, you need to be prepared to go to some strange places. What we’re left with is a screenplay that promises something much weirder than it actually delivers.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Dec 12

4/5

…with Sean Young leading a committed ensemble cast and a traditional whodunnit structure, The Dummy Detective is easy to watch and fun to try and guess where the story is going; the ventriloquism angle is fresh and adds novelty to ancient conceits…

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Amanda Mazzillo

Film Joy

Dec 4

The Dummy Detective is filled to the brim with jokes, delightful absurdity, and surprising twists. If a detective comedy starring a ventriloquist with his dummy as partner sounds like a fun time, you definitely should check out The Dummy Detective.

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Ellis F

@EllisTheFrank 3h

A true winner from top to bottom. Kids like it as much as adults.

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Tommy M

@Animal174 5d

I enjoyed it. Some nice little twists in there, never knew what was coming next. Guessing till the end. Great to see a feature length film featuring a Ventriloquist and assistants.

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tm11999 M

@tm11999 Jan 19

lots of twists and misdirection and knives/guns in the study. sean young as a fat old lady was quite refreshing. murder mystery worth watching. go ahead and enjoy this.

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E. G

@MelodyNelson Jan 17

This is one review that if I say the actors were wooden, it'll be taken as a compliment. The Dummy Detective is one of those movies that only works if you "go with it". From Pet Detective to Dummy Detective, Sean Young has starred with some bizarre gunshoes, but is an utter delight to watch in this. As are the scenes where Trillo and the puppets talk through the crimes. Definitely worth taking a punt on, you may be surprised. Extra points for using the word, dunderheaded. Dunderhead is what my dear old maths teacher used to call me.

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Les N

Jan 12

Yeah... What is the point?

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Ken H

@swpupp Jan 9

Wonderful film! Well acted and brilliant cast. Nice dark comedy Strongly recommended! - Ken

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Rob Margolies

Director

Sean Young

Actor

Jonathan Geffner

Actor

Deborah Twiss

Actor

Ed Altman

Actor

Kristin Samuelson

Actor

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Synopsis

In the spirit of Clue and Knives Out, THE DUMMY DETECTIVE follows Detective Van Trillo, a real-life ventriloquist, and his wooden partner as they investigate a string of bizarre murders inside a secluded inn filled with eccentric guests.

Director: Rob Margolies
Producer: Rob Margolies
Screenwriter: Jonathan Geffner
Distributor: Filmhub
Production Co: Different Duck Films
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2025
Runtime: 1h 29m

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