A classic whodunit filled to the brim with loveable celebrities, “Knives Out” intrigued me from the beginning. The holiday mystery stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Katherine Langford and Toni Collette, amongst others. Its stars expectedly shine, but the real thrill of the film comes from the unexpectedness of how the movie structures its plot.

A classic caper traditionally spends most of the movie giving each of its characters motives until ultimately revealing the culprit in a grand finale moment. “Knives Out” reveals the unexpected murder and cover-up at the end of the first act!

The deviation in plot presented the film with a fresh new direction. “Knives Out” goes from a whodunit mystery to a high stakes cover-up. The movie excels with this format and provides edge of your seat entertainment. The real kicker is when the movie reverts to its originally promised murder mystery with a few more twists and turns. The film’s final moments are a pure delight.

As a movie lover, I was expecting the other shoe to drop eventually, but the way “Knives Out” presented its final gag was intricate, clever and fun. The film sprinkled a variety of seeds painting several characters as the possible antagonist, so the reveal was well earned.

The cleverness of the film’s plot was only elevated by the likability of its cast. Evans was fantastic as the full-of-himself playboy, a fun contrast to his role of Captain America. Collette is delightful as the life-guru sister-in-law and easily had some of my favorite line deliveries of the movie. Curtis is fantastic at being basically Jamie Lee Curtis à la “Scream Queens,” and Craig, despite a questionable southern accent, is the perfect detective.

“Knives Out” is a super enjoyable, timely revamp of a classically entertaining genre. Its plot highlights the current immigrant debate going on in our country; one of the funniest scenes in the film presents an all too familiar sight for most audiences – a family debating their stance on undocumented immigrants.

The fun dialogue, smart premise and vibrant cast makes “Knives Out” the perfect choice for a holiday trip to the movies. It is classic, whodunit fun and is pretty much appropriate for the whole family. I highly recommend the film and highly recommend avoiding spoilers about the film’s murderer. “Knives Out” is currently playing in theaters.