|
|
Ron Miller's DARK CORRIDORS VOL. 8, No. 32 |
|
at 9 p.m. ( 8 central) on The Hallmark Channel |
 VALERIE BERTINELLI ...as a psychic sleuth |
Yet another TV "sleuth"
follows Hallmark formula
of TheColumnists.com
By now, The Hallmark Channel has found its groove in the world of TV mysteries and, unfortunately, seems stuck in it. Case in point: "Claire," the new TV movie that premieres Saturday night (Aug. 11) at 9 (8 in the central zone).
"Claire" returns Valerie Bertinelli to television after a hiatus of several seasons, playing an amateur detective who has "visions" that help her solve crimes. If the movie performs well, do not be surprised to see "Claire" join the family of weekly mystery series on Hallmark's cable channel.
"Claire" has all the earmarks of a typical Hallmark mystery venture: A well-liked and familiar TV star, perhaps on the down-side of her earning cycle, in the leading role of a "cozy" style mystery that stresses romance and family values over realism and suspense. The genre is clearly aimed at female viewers and, so far, most of the shows have been built around female characters who have children.
In this case, Bertinelli is a widowed mother of two young daughters. She has these "visions" of bad things that are about to happen and also can visit crime scenes or touch articles from them and get visions of how things went down when the crime was being committed. No, her last name is not "Voyant." It's Bannion.
In this pilot-like movie, Claire's visions are mostly related to a series of murders that seem to be linked to a fatal auto accident that took place years in the past. Claire's husband was in the car that caused the accident and his childhood friend, who now has eyes for Claire, was in the car, too.
Normally, I'm not so swift that I figure out these murder mystery plots before they're solved by the detective. But this time I saw this one coming a mile away--and I suspect most viewers will, too.
Once Claire reveals her visions to her husband's Uncle Harry (Peter Jason), a retired sheriff, he urges her to consult with the sheriff's detectives currently working on the murders. Naturally, that makes her a target for the killer. And it turns out her youngest daughter (Emma Prescott) has inherited her mom's ESP ability, so that puts the kid in jeopardy, too.
There are some nice red herrings that may trick you into thinking somebody else is the killer, but don't expect this to be a Hitchcock-style thriller. Hitchcock, in fact, would have dropped this script into a document shredder before finishing a first reading.
Bertinelli, who first charmed American TV viewers as a teenager on CBS' "One Day At A Time" in the late 1970s, is a very appealing player and, before she dropped out of sight, had done several crime/mystery films for television that were high-rated and showed she had lots of promise as a leading lady in dramas and thrillers as well as romantic comedies.
Viewers need to be warned, though, that Bertinelli is no longer a junior petite. She has put on quite a lot of weight and, in the film, is costumed in outfits that do their best to hide that fact. Since making the film, the actress has taken off much of the extra poundage and, in recognition of her popularity and her efforts to lose pounds, is now a national commercial spokesperson for the Jenny Craig diet program.
Bertinelli's plumpness didn't spoil my enjoyment of her as the lead in this picture, which still wouldn't have been very impressive even if she were trim, slim and fit. It's just a rather anemic movie that needed a lot more calories in terms of plot, dialogue and willingness to break out of the Hallmark formula.
It's good to see Valerie Bertinelli back
on TV, but I kind of wished she'd waited for something just a
little better.
©2007 by Ron Miller. The Valerie Bertinelli photo is courtesy of The Hallmark Channel. This column first posted Aug. 6, 2007.
Ron
Miller is a former nationally syndicated television columnist
and the author of "Mystery! A Celebration," the official
companion book to PBS' "Mystery!" series. He currently
writes about television mysteries for MYSTERY SCENE magazine.
You can comment on this column online. Please address your message to either "The Editors" or . To send an email, click here and don't forget to mention name: talkback@thecolumnists.com
|
|
|
Archives |
|
|