The Gourmet Detective

I've watched many of the light mysteries on HMM, including all 17 Aurora Teagardens, and all five of these. While Aurora's gang has proven most entertaining, it's not really 3.5 times better than this series. I realize the food premise limits the number of possible story lines, but Brooke Burns is terrific, and the way Dylan Neal depends on her toughness, while yearning for more than a partners-in-crime-solving relationship, makes them the most appealing duo the network has offered.

As Oliver Twist said at mealtime, "Please, sir, I want some more."

I decided to watch this movie because of Dylan Neal; I've seen him in a few other movies and always enjoyed his performances. It started off great; he's charming, and the movie seemed like a fun little whodunnit with a twist.

And then Brooke Burns (aka the sour-faced dragon lady from hell) opened her freaky lips and spewed unwarranted aggressive bitchiness (and I say opened her lips because I've never seen anyone so clenched and uptight that their jaw couldn't move when they spoke). And she didn't stop until about 3/4 of the way through the movie, when she actually seemed human for the first time. Seriously, dial it down, lady! I nearly packed it in after ten minutes because she was so intolerably annoying.

But hey, I've watched far worse and this did turn out to be an okay little time waster. Not especially taxing on the intellect in terms of working out who did what, but still a bit of fun. Worth a watch if you come across it.

The general story arc was fairly good. I never saw that climax coming.

On the other hand, when it comes to specifics, the plot was so full of holes, it would sink an aircraft carrier. The biggest factor in those holes was police procedure. I guess we can't count among them the fact these two were paired up to begin with given Castle went on for how many seasons with a very similar arrangement. But there were so many other obvious police procedure flaws, I won't even start to name them.

The acting was decent. Neal and Burns got along about like you'd expect and certainly a lot like Castle and Beckett in the early days. Some critics refer to Maggie as bitchy, but her reactions through all the early scenes are exactly what should be expected when her captain has just handcuffed her to an amateur. Perhaps at the cooking demonstration at the top, she should have just kept her mouth shut, but her skepticism at Henry being labeled a detective is natural. She does eventually lighten up and they seem to almost like each other and end up carping at one another like a married couple.

I think in terms of enjoyment, it is fair to compare this to Castle, although in my mind Castle brought a lot more humor to the table through a combination of lame theories and general bumbling.

First of all I like Dylan Neal in almost anything. He's a cool actor and in this is perfect for the part. He says more with his looks than words could tell. But Brooke Burns is no match. She comes off snippy and bitchy. Has a real attitude in this film. Put them together and he comes off the winner in this mystery/comedy.

Everyone is under suspicion in this cooking/killer text. It does take a while to figure who is who and such. Can be confusing. But maybe they are trying to make that happen in this film.

But Neal makes the film work. He is subtle and charming in his approach to his character. Sort of a modern day Thin Man type. But Burns is no Myrna Loy. I just feel she has an edge that doesn't mix with this type of film. She has one look - that of disgust. With everyone else in the movie. And her mouth bothered me. Strange looking and like a tight jaw.

There is also an array of assorted character actors representing chefs and police that mingle in and out the plot. But the two leads are the main focus and solving the crime. And Dylan Neal wins my focus and applause.

This is a great jumpstart to the Gourmet Detective mystery series.

There are some good twists and turns in this initial mystery...but the best part of the show is the great banter between Henry and Maggie. Their relationship gets off to a real rocky start when Maggie meets Henry at a cooking class where she takes umbrage at his title detective as she is a real detective. Then they meet again at an actual murder at a gathering of who's who in the food industry in San Francisco. Because of Henry's deep knowledge and connection to all of the suspects, the captain pairs Maggie and Henry together to solve the case.

Wonderful series that you should watch.