Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers

Hallmark did a wonderful job with A Biltmore Christmas, filming on location at the Biltmore in NC. I was sad to find out watching this movie, they did not even bothered to film it at the Breakers. Such a magnificent site to see in person. That would have been a saving grace for this bland and slow paced movie. Instead they filmed at the well played out castle in Canada. Aka Lex Luther's house in Smallville and a bunch of other shows.

I saw this series of books at the gift shops at those famous Newport mansion and they are on my list to read. Definitely so now after reading the other reviews that mention how good the books are compared to this movie.

Whew this one was rough. And I love a hallmark mystery. I also love a period piece.

The main actress was rough. Her inability to finish conversations with people. Her 2024 vibes in this era... nope. Her actual acting. 0 stars.

Also, she's kissing and almost betrothed to one guy but very easily flirting with another. Not for me.

How many times was she going to almost die in this movie? The worst one I've seen in a LONG time.

Script -1 out of 10 Plot- 2 out of 10 Acting- 2 out of 10 Set design- 7 out of 10 Level of annoying- 10 out of 10

If you're looking for a hallmark mystery that's good- go for mystery 101 or A Flowershop Mystery.

I was so looking forward to this as I am a fan of Hallmark mysteries and have been very impressed with their period works like "Three Beds, Two Bathrooms and One Ghost" (with the incredible Madeline West) and "A Biltmore Christmas". But, this movie is a huge failure.

The entire cast (except for Nanny) is awful, with the lead actress sleepwalking her way through the role. The lead detective looks like a surfer dude and the third component of this "love triangle" is a complete bore. Add to that a story with horrible pacing and some unbelievably sophomoric detective work. I finally fast-forwarded to the last 10 minutes to find out whodunit because I couldn't take it anymore.

Hallmark, you've been warned. If this really is the first episode of a series, recast the main leads and for crying out loud, enough with the dopey curls!

I looked forward to this group of Hallmark movies. I was so disappointed to see them ignoring historical truths of the time. I don't think different races mixed in higher social settings.

The clothes didn't fit right and were of the wrong fabric. Baggy full length gloves , baggy bodices, even the men's jackets and shirts were baggy.

The female hairstyles had curls dangling onto the face. In this time, hair was put up and didn't usually have curls hanging on the face. If curls were present, the were next to the ears, not in face.

Houses could have been wonderful but instead looked cheap and had the wrong floor coverings.

The plot wasn't bad but the directing and production aspects left it wanting.

I think these mysteries have big potential but can't be done on the "cheap".

The actress playing the main character is completely out of her element. She is supposed to be a young woman in 1895, but vocally she is coming at you from 2024. While the other characters are attempting a more proper accent and intonation, she is mumbling and using vocal fry to end her sentences.

And that's just the beginning of this mess.

African American characters are also being utilized like it's 2024. There would not have been a black, female assistant to the medical examiner in 1895. Add to that, the ball at the beginning of the movie consisted of a large group of African Americans. This is the same part of the country that didn't even allow Jewish people in their country clubs in the early '70s. It's absurd. At least stay true to history.