BecomingLizzyBlue

If they continue with the other books, they need to make them a series. This movie had everything it needed to be a standout, except a good script. Even if I hadn't read the books I think it would feel rushed. There's just no real build up to the solution. It's very abrupt. Looking at the credits for the 2 writers it's not surprising the script is subpar. Neither has written anything outstanding. Having read the books it's even worse. To fit the limited time frame they made too many changes and oversimplified the plot. Additionally, with a murder mystery series you have to take time to build the characters and their relationships. With this type of mystery, 2 hours just isn't enough time to do either. I was left wondering if they spent too much of the budget on the cast and didn't have enough left to do justice to the story. I'm hoping they learn from the mistake and make the next one a series, or at least a much longer movie. With the one killer saying it was an accident, they could still do a course correction to include the character in the future as is done in the books. But looking at the ratings they may not continue at all. I'll never understand why Hollywood does this. They secure the rights to a popular book with a built in audience and then proceed to alienate that audience by not sticking to the source material. How does that make sense?

An excellent old fashioned whodunnit set in the White House of all places. And they managed it without any jabs or even allusions to current politics. Why can't all of Hollywood do that? The mystery has lots of twists and turns with a solution worthy of Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle. At the helm is Cordelia Cupp, a quirky detective obsessed with birds, dealing with a long list of colorful characters, virtually all of whom have secrets, and almost none of which tell the truth. The cast is terrific, all believable in their roles, and they will keep you guessing. I was especially happy to see the return of 2 old favorites, Bronson Pinchot and Jason Lee playing 2 of the more fun characters. Though the scene of Tripp (Jason Lee) learning he wasn't invited to the state dinner broke my heart. Like all great stories this one has tense moments, funny moments, and grab the tissue moments. I also appreciated the behind the scenes glimpse of the White House staff. It adds another layer to the story and makes it more credible, as does all the discussion of the house itself. They manage to transmit a feeling of warmth and pride without it feeling like propaganda. Overall one of the best series I've seen, and I'm just sorry there won't be a second one.