Dead Over Heels: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Not exactly the murders are the axis of story but situations, slices of humor, reactions of characters and Hallmark familiar ingredients , served by lighthearted misteries. A comfortant episode about new hunt of proofs and chain of theories of the same Aurora Teagarden , so charming acted by Cameron Bure.

Given the current climate in this country - unrest, frustration, unhappiness, bad news every time you turn around, Hallmark has come into its own.

After years of being a sweetness and light network of small-town family values and chaste romance, it's in vogue. People want to watch attractive stars they know from soap operas or prime time comedies in light romances and mysteries with happy endings and no bad language.

Though it's obviously geared toward fundamentalist religious parts of the country - you can tell by the Bible and holy water ads - lots of people who fall outside this group are now addicted to Hallmark, people you'd never expect. And who can blame them?

Dead Over Heels: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery is from 2017, and it's an episode of the mystery series that stars pert Candace Cameron Bure. She plays a librarian and amateur sleuth.

Aurora has a chaste relationship with her boyfriend (Yannick Bisson), and in some of the episodes, lives with her real estate broker mother (Marilu Henner). Aurora runs a mystery club that discusses old unsolved murder cases.

In this particular episode, the police chief falls from a plane - dead - into Aurora's yard.

The stories are okay and inoffensive, the wide-eyed Bure is cute and familiar to audiences who saw her on "Full House."

The only problem I have is with the look of the show - all the women have long hair and sometimes can be hard to tell apart if you don't know the actresses very well. I'm not sure if this is because producers think that people have no sense of style in certain parts of the country or what.

Anyway, enjoyable.

I think this is the first time I was a bit irritated of Aurora as a character. There's just something so grating about how she handles herself and her relationships when it comes to her investigative nature. I feel like she only sees her reasoning but does not understand the concerns of people around her.

As for the plot, this one has a bit of holes in the story or feels way too big to weave into this low budget hallmark film. While I don't mind ridiculous cases there are times that logic just kicks in and sometimes sours the mood. I guess I just need to constantly remind myself that this is a cozy hallmark feel and take it too seriously.

A lot of reviewers seem to forget that these mystery movies are Hallmark productions, which probably means low budget. Don't expect a Kate Hepburn performance from the leading lady! Another common complaint is that the movies don't follow the book. Well, duh! How many movies based on books actually follow the book? And they also forget that is based on a 'cozy' mystery, meaning lighthearted (well, lighter than usual) murder mystery.

If you view this movie as a stand alone and don't try to compare it with a book, it's an enjoyable murder mystery without tons of blood and gore. The acting isn't world class, but it isn't intended to be. Remember, it's a Hallmark movie, not a mega bucks production. If you do that you may surprise yourself and actually enjoy it.

Aurora (Bure) is having plumbing problems and with the help of her friend, Sally (Doig) they set about fixing it. While checking out the well's pump in the garden, the body of Chief Of Police, Captain Burns (March), falls from an aeroplane... at their feet. Being the compulsively curious amateur sleuth she is, Aurora sets out to track down the cop killer...

Storywise, this isn't as solid as previous instalments of the enthusiast crime solver. In a few scenes, it feels especially contrived. Specifically where the two sisters are concerned. The reaction of Bess Burns' (Cairns) reaction to her husband's death is kind of unbelievable. She doesn't appear to mourn him and at times even sees a bright side to his death. Then there's her sister, Lillian Tibbit (Harvie), who has an episode where she's the complete opposite of her normal personality, This would have been okay had Bess been more realistic. But to have two strange personalities in one story is one too much. This does pull the audiences attention away and out of the story and film.

This though is pretty much the only downside to the movie. The rest of the story is strong and sound. Filled with red herrings and false suspects. Though it shouldn't be too hard for you figure out whodunnit... though you may find yourself changing your mind a couple of times.

There's nothing too interesting in the direction, it's pretty standard stuff. Also, the special effect of the falling body looks cheap and nasty. Luckily it's at the start of the film and over in a couple of seconds.

It's the acting along with the story that will keep the attention of the audience. Just like the previous episodes, the acting is above average and nobody stands out more than anyone else. Everybody has the limelight, allowing the story to take precedence and helps to extend the mystery (there's nothing worse than having some actor or actress walk on screen and you know they're the bad guy or gal).

If you're a fan of the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries you will like this chapter of her life. You needn't have watched the previous episodes to enjoy this film, though you would probably get more enjoyment if you had.