Dear Prudence

This was a 2009 Hallmark Channel mystery movie. It has a good plot and was very well done. It was really good to see "Snow Bird" Jane Seymours co-star from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman in this movie. The beginning started off a tad slow but picked up and was really good. I could do less with the Prudence tips and more with the mystery. This movie is definitely a lot better than its sequel which had nothing to do with a mystery. I was hoping this would be a series of mystery movies but apparently that never came to be. It would be great if Hallmark Mysteries would start doing the Dear Prudence mysteries again and forget the second movie which was awful. This movie was great--kinda reminded me of Murder She Wrote.

Hallmark Channel is big on recognizable stars and mediocre scripts that move like molasses. "Dear Prudence" had the stars and the mediocre script, but it actually moved a little faster than, say, "Mystery Woman."

Jane Seymour plays a household hints TV lady who goes on vacation at her boss' mountain place in Montana. Once there, she becomes involved in a murder.

Seymour is playing in essence a character role here, one you might see a younger version of Angela Lansbury doing. It's inspired against type casting - Seymour is beautiful and energetic, investing the role with a sense of enthusiasm that's refreshing on Hallmark.

The downside is the plot; the mystery was solved by this viewer in the first 10 minutes or so. However, the script had the household hints going for it, which are great, and the young man playing opposite Seymour was very good. Plus, Jamey Sheridan made a good romantic interest for Seymour.

Hallmark is pushing the heck out of this; Prudence has a special page on the Hallmark site, so I'm wondering if this is intended as a pilot.

It would be a lovely series for the "Murder, She Wrote" crowd -I wasn't a member of that demographic when "Murder, She Wrote" started in 1984; I am now.

My wife and I looked forward with anticipation to this movie as we are big Jane Seymour fans and knew she'd be entertaining. However, we also knew that the plot would most likely be pedestrian (after all this is the Hallmark Channel). All expectations were met.

Jane Seymour is very good as a household tips hostess who gets herself involved in a murder in Wyoming while on vacation. Her Prudence character is nosy, interfering, smart, confident and just a bit wacky. It's little wonder that Jamey Sheridan's police chief finds her both irritating and beguiling. He provides a nice gruff contrast to Prudence. (Though I felt the development of their relationship was a bit rushed.) The young actor playing Prudence's brainy and nervous assistant, Nigel, was also good. They make a delightfully goofy crime-fighting team.

The plot is not as strong. The dialog was sharp at times but Jane Seymour really deserves a better script. My wife and I had figured out the whole thing within fifteen minutes.

Ultimately, though, it was all about watching Prudence break into motel rooms, sneak through the woods and investigate crime with her knowledge of the multiple uses of peanut butter, liquid soap, and shaving cream (when she's not inadvertently cleaning up evidence). Fun show!

Jane Seymour delivers a delightful performance. Apart from her character being a household tips show host named Prudence, and her assistant being named Nigel, the plotline seems to have no relation to Perfectly Prudence. I liked Nigel in the sequel more. It may not be the actor's fault, but the Nigel in this installment got annoying at times.

Jane Seymour is absolutely terrific in this movie, and plays her character near-perfect. The humor she brings to this role is such fun, not to mention a cute touch of paranoia regarding stains and the like. I am watching "Dear Prudence" as I write this comment by the way. The young actor playing Prudence's lab guy is pretty good, and definitely brings his own brand of humor to a role that otherwise would be a little drab. Usually I'm very good at picking out 'who did it' within 5 minutes of a movie, but this one does have me stumped at the moment, which adds to my interest in watching "Prudence" to its conclusion. Hopefully Hallmark will produce additional episodes of "Prudence" with Jane Seymour in the lead role.