Mystery 101

This movie is very clean and well articulated. No nudity, no violence, no stupid dialogues, no cursing, no sex, no drugs and above all well arranged.

It is a movie for smart people.

So often in anything Hallmark, how the viewer connects with the actors makes all the difference. I read one review that said that both Wagner and Polaha act natural, not fake, and I realized that was the description I was looking for in this movie. They also connect well with each other after you get past the obligatory animosity especially on the skeptical detective's part.

The difficult thing in a new amateur detective series is getting past the skepticism of the professional detective(s). It is totally justifiable on their part. Amateur's can destroy a prosecution and as one other reviewer points out, Amy makes a bunch of those mistakes even though they get glossed over and ignored. In this movie, getting past the initial skepticism was clumsy and far too quick. The transition was instant. Burke was resistant one second and then totally caved and became like a puppy dog as far as accepting Amy's participation.

I think it's obvious that if this becomes a series (which it does), then something will happen between Amy and Travis. This is just the start. We have another budding romance in the two assistants. Both relationships are slightly overplayed.

The mystery itself had a nice number of possible suspects and some of the usual red herrings. Overall, the movie was entertaining, as a nice mystery with an appealing cast.

Jill Wagner is the latest female sleuth in Hallmark's stable of with it amateur detectives. She's a college professor in the English Department giving a course in the mystery story. I think someone might have gotten the idea from Murder She Wrote when Angela Lansbury late in the series got a New York apartment and began lecturing at one of the colleges on the art of mystery writing.

A real mystery comes along soon enough as Ben Sullivan with the campus newspaper turns up dead at the bottom of a ravine with motorcycle hanging from a tree limb. Just what was the young man looking into and it turns out it could be many things.

It's motive that Wagner and her police detective confidante Kristopher Polaha are looking into and their motives from people springing up like weeds. I will say that it turns out to be one unlikely suspect which is revealed 20 minutes before the film ends.

Mystery 101 should have a sequel or three.

I really enjoyed this. Saw it on cable tonight. I write crime fiction myself and was trying to get another view of the parameters and necessary elements. I liked the parallel subplots of the two romances, the chemistry between the two leads, and the structure of the plot. The actors were good, the direction crisp, and the setting gorgeous. What's not to like?

Mystery 101 is the second Hallmark mystery movie I've watched in the last two days. In this one, Professor Amy Winslow (Jill Wagner) becomes concerned when one of her students goes missing. She is convinced the girl has met with foul play. The problem is that the police don't agree. Winslow begins an investigation and uncovers clues that the police can't dispute. With Winslow's unwelcomed assistance, Detective Travis Burke (Kristoffer Polaha) determines the girl's disappearance may be connected to other strange occurrences at the college.

If anything, I enjoyed this, the pilot for Hallmark's Mystery 101 series, more than the previous Hallmark movie I watched (Crossword Mysteries "A Puzzle to Die For"). I found the mystery here more engaging for the viewer. There were more opportunities to play along with the whodunnit. And even though I spotted the killer almost immediately, I enjoyed discovering the "why" behind it all and watching Winslow piece it all together. In addition, there's something about the feel of the relatively small college campus in Mystery 101 that I found appealing, especially when compared with the big city of the other film.

Being a Hallmark movie, you just know from the minute Winslow and Burke meet that it's only a matter of time before they fall for each other. Sure, it's kind of predictable and a little cringey, but there was definite chemistry between the two actors that really added to the movie. It helps that both gave solid performances. With a couple of exceptions, the rest of the cast is decent enough in their supporting roles.

Overall, these movies aren't for everyone - in fact, they probably wouldn't have worked for me 20 years ago. But as I grow older, I appreciate the simple story structure with likeable characters and a mystery that's not overly taxing. Mystery 101 is entertaining enough for me to rate a 7/10.

7/10.