Dearly Depotted

"Flower Shop Mystery: Dearly Depotted" is a new Hallmark mystery in the Flower Shop series starring Brooke Shields.

I have to admit, shallow though I may be, I was distracted by Brooke Shields' appearance in this TV movie. More on that later.

In this movie, Abby (Shields) helps her cousin Jillian prepare for her wedding by supplying the flowers and agreeing to wear a hideous bridesmaid dress. She's hoping Jillian doesn't cancel this wedding, too, because of cold feet. But the wedding happens.

At the reception, Abby and Marco (Brennan Elliot) find the body of Jack Sutcliff who tried to crash the wedding. Naturally Abby, a former attorney goes off on her own with the help of Marco, now a bar owner but once a detective. They have a long list of suspects: some outliers who are part of Abby's family and people from the wedding.

I take these movies for what they are - light entertainment. I mean it's improbable that a former lawyer would open a flower shop, though maybe it's been done, and that next door is an ex-detective who now owns a bar. But I don't dwell on it.

I dwelled instead on Brooke Shields' distracting appearance. Here we have a beautiful actress and model, a famous face, now with nearly black hair, still long but now so straight it looks like it's plastered to her head - she resembles Elvira. I hope she doesn't look this way in other episodes.

What's wrong with her lighter brown, highlighted, full, wavy hair? Why have they done this to such a stunning woman? She goes to a wedding here with her hair slapped into a sloppy bun.

Okay mystery, Shields is a likable presence as always; she has a handsome near-beau in Brennan Elliott, and her father played by Beau Bridges is a plus.

Abby Knight, ex-lawyer and crime buff, and the owner of Bloomers Flower Shop, is having a week to be reckoned with. A reluctant bridesmaid at her drama queen cousin's wedding, Abby ends up not just doing the flowers...but having to find out who murdered a wedding crasher.

Brooke Shields is brilliant as the protagonist in this light-hearted mystery which plenty of humour and nice banter between the characters. Shields comes across natural and not so OTT as other Hallmark lead actresses. She's part of the charm in this lively mystery. Her chemistry with Brennan Elliott is really good - every time they get close something/ someone interrupts the romance. Dani Kind as Shields' cousin and serial marry-er plays a great character and she's excels in her role.

I really liked this trilogy, I saw the previous two episodes a few weeks ago.

So , I decided to write a combined review of all.

Each one really worked , the characters are so likeable , but I see that Brooke Shields is getting a fair bit of criticism regarding her appearance !

Hey I wish I could look like that , she's georgous , why does everybody have to look younger and perfect all the time ?

There is nothing wooden about her ,, like so many other actresses in similar roles .

So, back to the movies.... The plotlines were good, scripts were, good, and well acted by both Brooke and her very cute boyfriend played by Brennan Elliot, It's nice when the leading sleuths are more natural, I really got a good vibe from all the cast here !

To sum them up.......... Easy watching and good mysteries that kept me guessing along the way.

Would like if they made some more !!!.

Flock of black sheep...a lot of humor in this Hallmark Cosy mystery starring Brooke Shields and Brennan Elliott. The two play Abby Knight and Marco Salvare whose businesses share a wall and have developed a friendship and mutual respect for one another that is morphing in to more. Abby runs a flowershop but she is a former lawyer, mom and widow. Marco runs a restaurant...and he too has some former skills up his sleeve. Abby's father is retired police officer Jeffrey Knight and is played wonderfully by Beau Bridges. In this installment Abby's flaky cousin Jillian is getting married...Abby is a bridesmaid in a hideous dress (which adds to the comedy as she tries to keep her coat on as long as possible), Marco comes as her date and the two discover a body after the wedding. This puts many members of Abby's family under the crosshairs of the police...spurning Abby with Marco's assistance into action to find the real killer.

This was a solid mystery with lots of humor and entertaining fun. Not my favorite of the Hallmark mysteries...but I am warming up to it more and more. With the mass exodus from Hallmark, I would be happy if they went back to this series and did some more. (And please keep the main actors!) Until then this is the last entry of three based on the series of books by Kate Collins. I have never been a big Brooke Shields fan, but I didn't mind her in this series. I liked that the series was able to poke fun of itself a bit, bring on the flowers puns.

In the third and last to date Flower Shop Mystery films Brooke Shields and partner Kate Drummond get a big order for a cousin's wedding.. As this cousin has twice chickened out before the ceremony, Brooke's biggest worry is being stiffed for her big flower order.

But no one's thinking of flowers when the body of Mark Gibson who crashed the wedding is found later. We don't see much of Gibson while he was briefly alive in this film, but when Shields and boyfriend Brennan Elliott start their investigation this was one thoroughgoing rat who any number of people would like to have done in for business and personal reasons.

Gibson was a conman gigolo and almost in the family as he knocked up another relative of Brooke's and then left her. Other suspects keep popping up, but one who really didn't make the list is the one who does the deed. You won't figure it out until almost the very end.

If there's another Flower Shop Mystery in the offing who knows? Dearly Depotted remains the last and it's a good one. I hope Brooke Shields, Brennan Elliott and Beau Bridges as her father come back for more.