skinnybert

Marc Singer has to say some pretty stylized dialog in this film -- and darn if he doesn't make it stick: he speaks like a man who truly believes what he says. Surprising that Claudia Christian isn't a bigger name, as she navigates a fairly tricky balance between types, a decade before she voiced Adrianne Avenicci in Skyrim. John Saxon delivers yet another beautiful performance, villainous without feeling like a parody. Watching this for the second time, I found myself marveling at how convincing all the principals are, regardless of the wha-huh? Qualities of the plot. (And yes, I had also just been re-watching Beastmaster, why do you ask?)

Better than expected, if you saw the first INSPECTOR MOM movie, which bordered on tedious when it wasn't busy being over-the-top or implausible. IM2 ups the ante - not a huge improvement but nonetheless there. Both movies are, of course, considerably carried by the energetic Danica McKellar, who is still as cute as ever -- and busier than a one-legged mom in the proverbial butt-kicking contest. Fortunately her character has an amazing number of convenient friends to dump her kids on when her investigations get busy. Compared to the first movie, she seems less likely to commit felonies during investigations, but just as prone to being disarmed by suspects, like a suburban one-woman version of Charlie's Angels. And just like CA, you can't really hold that against this, because it's basically a vehicle for the charms of the lead actress, with some support from the rest -- which is pretty decent actually, so there it is.

... a surprisingly good production, for what it is -- or at least, what it claims to be: a live, one-hour TV production. The variety of camera angles and costumes seems to belie that, and the credits do say that some portions are pre-recorded, so -- whatever: let's just take it for what it is.

Being only 52 minutes, we're not getting the full novel, which is just as well. And we certainly aren't getting any location shots. What we do get is some fairly good casting, played out over some fairly decent (if stagey) sets. Camera cuts are sensible and effective, music cues likewise, and it's well-organized for the commercial breaks. Support roles are just enough, and even likeable; Leslye Hunter seems promising as Adele. Sally Ann Howes strikes a good balance of the youthfulness and intelligence which characterize Jane in the novel, and has several voice-overs to give us more of the novel's mood. What really makes it move, though, is Zachary Scott's forceful Rochester, which doesn't seem to owe anything to anyone else's interpretation. All of these have their stronger and weaker moments, but all feel worthwhile. A good take on the adult part of this often-filmed story.