Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch

Having been to Paris several times, and being a cozy mystery fan, I had looked forward to this addition to the Hallmark mysteries, but it was disappointing at best.

I realize that the tone generally should be light, but there's still supposed to be a credible plot and interesting characters. The writers created decent characters, but the plot left a lot to be desired. Sure, the perky heroine is supposed to stupidly put herself in danger, but really - in a country where her knowledge of the language is limited to all of three words, which she persists in using together no matter what - it got old and annoying pretty quickly - first time sort of cute, then just stupid. Someone with the academic credentials (so presumably effort spent in getting them) Lauren has should have at least tried to learn a few more phrases, or at least that "Merci, bon jour" as a perpetual response to anything is pretty dopey. And, given her level of ignorance of the city and the language, it made no sense for her to go careening around the city and poking into stuff all ON HER OWN - especially when she had a perfectly hunky police detective who was fairly willing to accompany her.

Also - maybe some people like this actress, but I found her constant slow "aren't I special/precious/too beautiful for words" smile annoying, as if her character felt it was necessary for her to be the primary focus of anyone in range. It didn't quite ring true for someone who is a professional mental health provider, in my opinion.

A few suggestions if they decide to continue this particular series: 1. Lauren needs to learn to at least be able to manage more than "Merci, bon jour." 2. Do something about the stereotypical police chief (no, making her a woman is not enough - the character still fit all of the tired tropes) and Andre's professional relationship with her and his colleagues. Just because they're not main characters doesn't mean they shouldn't be more than sterotypes. 3. Put a little more effort into credible plot lines - the only reason I didn't stop watching halfway through or so on those grounds was because I wanted to find out if my guess as to the villain was right (it was).

A beautiful, fascinating city, an interesting setting (fashion industry), a fascinating culture different from American culture in many ways, and, yes, a pretty good-looking hero - come on, Hallmark, you've got a good bit to work with already - put a little better effort into it!

There's a bunch of fake 10 star reviews on here. The movie is definitely not this good. But it's also getting panned by real people. And it is better than this.

The biggest gripe people seem to have is the implausible nature of the lead's role. And I completely agree. But (to me) that didn't take anything away from an otherwise quirky and fun film.

The acting was great and the mystery setup had some fairly unique elements. The gentle parody of the fashion world actually made me laugh out loud once or twice.

The romance also felt real. They certainly seemed more smitten with each other more than the average film.

Brooke D'Orsay stars as a fashion psychologist- whatever that is - in Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch.

Lauren Elliott goes to Paris for Fashion Week and in the midst of it, her friend is accused of murder.

Lauren teams up with a detective (Giles Marini) to prove her friend innocent.

I will address my pet peeve first. On another site, someone complained that the cops spoke English. No, the cops were speaking French. French people do not walk around Paris speaking English with French accents, nor do they speak English to one another. One assumes they are speaking French, just as we assume Romeo and Juliet are speaking Italian.

I loved the fashions, hated the rats.

Brooke D'Orsay is a pleasant actress. For the most part this is an okay entry ino Hallmark Mystery genre.

This is obviously a vehicle for Brooke but it was too much her acting was OTT but to be fair the writing didn't help - a fashion psychologist turns detective and of course is better at the investigation than the actual detective - so predictable. And her job title what was that about!

The casting of Gilles Marini and Paloma Coquant is super! Both are enjoyable to watch and can actually act that's always a surprise in a Hallmark production. Also Paloma est très belle.

Can't work out if this was filmed in Paris at all But I enjoyed the illusion of it being Paris and the use of French throughout was a nice happenstance as I speak French I don't know if non speakers would feel the same.

That said it didn't make sense that Lauren traipsed around Paris solving a crime without bothering to try to speak French. Talk about unrealistic

I'll just add Mohamed Belhadjine is a revelation I hope he has a long successful career.

Gilles Marini who played the French police detective Andre Dubreuil was wonderful as the leading man and the Hallmark regular Brooke D'Orsay who played the fashion psychologist Lauren Elliott was beautiful and a consummate professional as usual.

The mystery itself was decent, I liked that Lauren has a police detective father...and I thought she followed the clues well and asked the right questions. I didn't mind the Paris fashion week backdrop...but I really found the "fashion psychologist" profession odd and hard to believe. Don't get me wrong, I think many members of the fashion industry prevail themselves of members of the psychological profession...but?

Also poking fun of the monolingual American seems like a bit of a cheap shot in this day and age, and I didn't find it funny. Overall, if you can get over the poor sense of humor and the questionable profession, the mystery was good and I do think the two leads have chemistry. I would watch another, but it's not on my recommendation list just yet.