“She’s Running Around Like Some Podcaster Interviewing People.”
I wasn’t super thrilled when I saw the last movie starring Hannah Swensen and company, mainly because some of the changes they made seemed rather jarring. Still, I was excited to see them bringing everyone back for Carrot Cake Murder. I mean, this franchise is what started me watching Hallmark mystery movies, and I’ve read the books since the first one came out. As much as I enjoyed this movie, some things about the ending left me disappointed.
This movie finds Hannah (Alison Sweeney) working on a cold case. An old building in town is the subject of a controversy as some people want to save it while others want to tear it down and build something new. But the controversy stops when Hannah and her friend, Norman (Gabriel Hogan) find an old skeleton at the bottom of an elevator shaft one night. The body is quickly identified as that of a man who was arrest for theft before he vanished one night. And, he was supposed to have been involved in a jewelry robbery right before his disappearance. Will Hannah figure out what happened all those year ago?
My issue with the last movie included some abrupt changes, or what felt like abrupt changes. Probably the biggest was the introduction of Hannah’s youngest sister, Michelle (Tess Atkins). I’m happy to say that Michelle was toned down some for this movie. Yes, her personality was still there, but it wasn’t as over the top in your face. The rest of the movie seemed to be back to normal as well.
Fans of the books are probably scratching their head at my teaser. Granted, I haven’t read Carrot Cake Murder since it came out 15 years ago or so. But that murder mystery centered around someone coming to town for a family reunion and winding up dead. Maybe if I reread the book I’d find some similarities, but they are definitely not obvious. I feel like this is the biggest departure they’ve done so far, although there have been others.
Having said that, I really was enjoying the movie. The story is compelling, with several suspects and questions that kept me engaged. The characters are charming. I am impressed with how many of the series regulars from the books they have incorporated into the movies, and I love seeing them brought to life. Yes, the details are very different from the books, but I don’t care. This alternative universe Hannah Swensen is fun.
And the actors are obviously having fun bringing their characters to life. I laughed at some of their lines and interactions as the movie was rolling along. And it was great to meet Lonnie, as played by Daylin Willis.
Yes, I was definitely having a great time until we got to the climax. That’s when things went sideways for me. First up, there is the solution to the mystery itself. I’m trying to avoid spoilers here, but essentially, the timeline doesn’t make sense. I’d actually thought about the scenario that was ultimately right earlier in the movie and dismissed it because of timeline issues.
Then, Hannah gets upset by what another character does. I get why she is hurt. I also get why the other character did what they did. As this other character points out at one point, they are both wrong and both right. However, the reaction that Hannah has as a result seemed too far to me and made her seem immature. But maybe that’s just me. It just did not feel earned. We needed another couple scenes to build up to it, then I would have bought it completely.
The ending certainly does make a good cliffhanger, and I am glad that the news dropped they are about to start filming the next movie. At least we won’t have the unresolved cliffhanger we got with Mystery 101 here.
I’m disappointed the ending didn’t work for me because I was enjoying Carrot Cake Murder up until then. If you are a fan of the franchise, you’ll still want to watch the movie and see for yourself how you feel about the ending.
That's too bad this wasn't a full win. I'm not a big fan of the book series (that love triangle lasted WAY too long) but have liked the movies. I'll watch this one but will definitely lower my expectations.
ReplyDeleteI read the book fairly recently (a year or two ago). The mysteries are indeed completely different. I did notice one part in the movie when Lisa was looking through her keys and very briefly mentioned the one for the summer cabin. I think that was the only thing that had anything to do with the mystery in the book. I think filming for Carrot Cake Murder finished before the news about Mystery 101 came out. I wonder if that news came out after Carrot Cake was done filming would they have ended Carrot Cake differently.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the ending didn't work for me. Hannah's reaction was over the top. It was almost contrived just to create a cliffhanger. Good to hear the are filming the next movie. If they'd created another Mystery 101 situation, I would have totally given up on Hallmark. It's too painful to get emotionally invested in a pair of characters and be left hanging like thatm
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