The Cases of Mystery Lane

I'm a licensed Med Tech and my absolute favorite part of the Lucifer series was Aimee Garcia and her crime lab...so when I saw she would be starring in a new Mystery series on Hallmark with Paul Campbell I was VERY excited...maybe too excited.

There was good humor in the series and Paul and Aimee played off each other well as husband and wife Birdie and Alden Case. My biggest complaint is around the sad theme of divorce that was introduced and woven throughout the movie. I thought it was wholly unnecessary to the story...especially as it really played as a comedy except for that. My other complaint is around Birdie's mom and her terrible behavior towards her daughter at work. Birdie should quit that job immediately! My final complaint is around a potentially unhealthy relationship that they seem to be trying to normalize and that is of a wealthy heiress and her gay husband who is having homosexual relationships outside of their marriage with her knowledge...including going on cruises etc. I am by no means saying that is wrong, to each his own, especially if everyone knows and no one is getting hurt. But my complaint is in the normalizing having sex outside of one's marriage...straight, gay, whatever. I am not sure that builds a healthy bond or marriage and distracted from the story.

I love both Aimee Garcia and Paul Campbell and will definitely watch an additional film if they make more, but I am hesitant to strongly recommend this film and am afraid it is not breaking in to my top three hallmark mysteries (Hannah Swensen, Aurora Teagarden and Mystery 101) any time soon.

Fun detective show that has you rooting for them. Seeing Campbell as a quirky pre-midlife crises suburban husband is worth the ticket alone. I didn't mind the usual red herring turns, because the interplay between husband and wife characters was engaging.

It's starts out as a fish out of water movie, then becomes a bit of a romantic comedy-mystery. Don't expect grit or gore, this movie is family night appropriate. Which is a delightful change from Hollywood's norm.

Hoping that they make more of this series, it would be fun to see the main characters go through the transitions ahead, as well as seeing more side character development.

7.1 stars.

I was excited for this show after seeing the previews, however there is something amiss with the bond, or lack of bond shared between the leads. They are both very capable actors, but they don't mesh, and it's not for lack of effort, however I feel an absence of chemistry between Campbell and Garcia.

The title of this film is about the most clever I've seen in a very long time. Good one.

The plot is good enough, the killer was actually very predictable, as if you suspect this person as the killer early on and figure it would be too easy, and you would be correct, but you'd also be right in going with your hunch. I love Campbell's antics as a nerdy guy named Alden who has finally found his passion: to be a private detective. Unfortunately his quirks go unrewarded by Garcia's character Birdie - his unsatisfied wife. Or do they? It's hard to discern what she's thinking and we never really find out. All we know is that she likes to play online poker. There is a disconnect between Birdie's true feelings and what she is conveying in the presentation. Frankly, it's confusing and I'm not satisfied with her performance.

I think the writer would have been justified in making her the sleuth and him the lawyer, it would have been more convincing. My guess is that he was so hilarious with the bumbling geek schtick that they decided to switch the roles. Total conjecture on my part.

I fully expect a sequel sooner than later. Maybe I'll add to this review after the second installment.

Birdie Case (Aimee Garcia) is a hard working lawyer. Her mother is her demanding boss. Her flighty husband Alden (Paul Campbell) quitted his accounting school and switched to private investigator classes. Before he gets up the courage to tell her, his class work investigation about her firm leads to the apparent suicide of one of the firm's partner.

This is a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. The first act is a little confused until the exposition at its end. As for the mystery, it's a confused start, but the couple mystery team does grow on me. A couple mystery team is a long running cinematic tradition. I do like the two actors and their chemistry. This is not the best mystery movie, but it has the potential to be a good Hallmark series.

Light and fun comedy, and done really well! I am impressed by the whole package: acting, plot, light jokes and just simpleness and cuteness of it all and how it is all wrapped up in a very good entertainment choice. Quirky little jokes were actually pretty original and funny, and actors did a very good job at doing their bit throughout the whole movie. As a huge fan of whodoneits, this one falls into light entertainment category that will leave you light and in a good mood after watching it. As TV movies go, this does the job and almost feels like there should be sequels. Well, I'm pretty sure there will be...