Much of the dialogue of "A Christmas Mystery" seemed telegraphed and stilted. While the filmmakers tried to develop a compelling narrative about the search for a stranger in the life of the deceased mom of the protagonist, Rebecca Clark, the film juggled a romantic connection between the private investigator and Rebecca to the degree that the love story took over the film.
When Rebecca was a child, her dad went missing under suspicious circumstances. It is only in the homestretch of the movie that the story of the father re-emerges. The action was far too pat in tying the Charles Peterson story researched by Rebecca to the personal drama of her family. The convoluted "mystery" of the film's title never developed enough tension, and it seemed like filler, sitting in the backseat as the romance unfolded.
The film tended to turn into comedy in a series of nearly farcical occurrences at a homey bed-and-breakfast. It made no sense to force Andrew to sleep in the cold, dank car, opposed to sleeping in the room with Rebecca. The forced entry into the room by the villain also seemed far-fetched. The most outlandish moment was when Andrew purchased an expensive jewel as a gift for Rebecca at a time when he was sleeping in the car!
While there was good chemistry between the private eye, Andrew Steele, and Rebecca, it was too far-fetched to believe that he was concurrently working for Rebecca and spying on her for another client. That's not a way to build trust in either a business or personal romantic relationship!
A Christmas Mystery
2014
Action / Drama / Mystery / Romance
A Christmas Mystery
2014
Action / Drama / Mystery / Romance
Plot summary
While searching through her late mothers attic, Rebecca uncovers sealed cards from a mysterious suitor that had been addressed to her widowed Mom over the past 12 Christmases. As she begins to wonder the identity of man, Rebecca hires a handsome, yet mysterious, detective to help solve the mystery behind the letters.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
October 13, 2020 at 08:34 AM
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A Christmas Mystery? Or a Christmas Romance?
When is Daddy coming home?
This is a 2014 made for TV movie rated PG. As a child, Rebecca's;s dad goes missing one Christmas. He was a policeman and was on a case. Years later when her mother dies, she comes home and discovers Christmas cards from an unknown sender. She hires a private investigator and goes Nancy Drew over the letters. Not too hard to figure out in this formula disaster.
Ryan James Bittle, who plays the detective is clearly the love child of Caspar Van Dien. The acting wasn't there. The film had a few cute moments, but otherwise it was fairly lame. For those who would like a simple Nancy Drew/ Scooby-Doo Lifetime mystery, this is the film. I had a hard time stomaching the whole thing
What happened to Murray the dog ???
Where did Murray the dog go ?? Best part of the movie . He had a small bag of product placement dog food and no water dish . Poor Murray .He was adorable