Lady in the Lake

It falls apart fast especially with all the dream sequences. Almost nonsensical by the end. The basic story would have worked fine as a straight mystery without all the additional fantastical elements and the weak social commentary. I know I'm supposed to admire both of those things and the crazy production design but it just does not work. I battled my way to the end of each episode and went on to the next just because I'm a completist and I do like Portman in most of her films. I cant recommend this series and I'm surprised at the range of reviews and ratings for the series here. To each his own.

Natalie Portman could have used the coustumes from "Mrs. Mazel" just as easily followed by the old Baltimore sets from "The Wire"--and it would have looked just as good.

I've added an extra star for Slappy, the comedian, due to his Richard Pryor/ Redd Foxx stand-up routines. The rest of the club entertainment was below par.

The whole show was heavy with cliché-after-cliché; the cops on the take, the Jewish jeweler and slumlord, the drugged-up star performer, the evilclub owner...

Maybe this all looked good on paper and sounded like a solid series until somebody added in a committee with final input, thenthe story deviated into a bad dream.

It's 1966 Thanksgiving in Baltimore. A little Jewish girl gets taken by Santa Claus. Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman) has a connection to the girl and has a passing encounter with Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram). Both women are mothers and struggling with the men in their lives. Both are downtrodden in different ways. Maddie leaves her husband and goes searching for the little girl. Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram) is the narrator trying to survive her corrupt boss who runs the numbers and a savvy politician looking to clean up the corruption.

This limited series starts with a problem. I don't always like narrations and this one promises something. It's Cleo Johnson talking. She claims that Maddie comes in to write about her but doesn't actually know her life while she's alive. With that opening, I expect Cleo to be dead by the first episode. Instead, it's another character and let's not talk about the twist. Basically, it promises one thing and does a switch or two switches. I actually like the style and the story until the ending. This show has some good elements like Natalie Portman, but it keeps on dropping the ball.

Drama and story-telling for grown-ups.

I can see why some people don't like this. It's not conventional and simple story-telling. The two main characters, Cleo Johnson and Maddie Schwartz are deeply flawed people. Schwartz especially so, as she is quite unsympathetic and unlikeable. Johnson's story is that of a smart person who can't stop making bad choices. I find all this refreshing and relatable. It's so much more like real life. If you're bored with it, good for you - go back to your Marvel movies or 'Emily in Paris'.

I also get to play one of my favorite TV and movie games - spot the twist in advance. I know there's one or two big ones here, but by episode three they aren't revealed, so it's fun to try and guess. Maddie Schwartz was suspiciously quick in finding a murder victim in a very remote location; something tells me that will have a bearing on things.

Kudos also to Jennifer Mogbock in episode 1. Her character is forced to sing on stage while severely intoxicated and manages to turn it into something strange and beautiful. Actually 'strange and beautiful' sums up the best about this show when it's hitting its high notes.

Beautifully shot, well acted but ultimately dull. Far too long to get to the point. I've given up after episode two.

This should have been an hour and a half long made for television film not a short series. I really dislike when programme makers drag a story out just to make it so many episodes long. They turn a good story well acted into something that turns viewers off because of the length of time it takes to tell that original good story.

Please programme makers just make a good film! Is it because they have to pay Natalie Portman a fortune to have a name on the cast and need to get their moneys worth? I don't know but I'm bored so 5 stars and I won't be watching any more.