“Are You Questioning the Efficiency of This Facility?” “Well, if the Envelop Fits.”
I’ve almost started the Signed, Sealed, Delivered franchise a couple times in the last few years when I’ve seen the first movie on Hallmark’s mystery channel. I’m not completely sure why I hesitated, but I finally decided to go for it recently. Now, I’m really wishing I’d started it sooner.
The movie introduces us to a team dedicated to tracking down the recipients of lost letters. They are headed by Oliver O’Toole (Eric Mabius), and the team includes Rita (Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe) and Norman (Geoff Gustafson). On this particular day, they are joined by Shane McInerney (Kristin Booth), who is accidentally assigned to their unit, and doesn’t intend to stay long.
As Oliver is demonstrating what the team does, he picks an envelope addressed to a Charlie (Ben Hollingsworth). As the team searches the letter for clues about who he is, they get caught up in the story of the letter, as written by Kelly (Laci J. Mailey). The two shared one perfect day together, and as Kelly describes their day, the team might have enough clues to get the letter to Charlie. But what complications will get in their way?
Yes, I had the big pieces of the story figured out fairly early on, but I was actually surprised by a few of the twists along the way. And it didn’t keep me from getting completely caught up in the story. I might have even been yelling at the characters a few times when they were overlooking something obvious. (Don’t worry, they caught up to me pretty quickly.)
And I got caught up in the story despite myself. I mentioned the story was predictable, right? That definitely included the arcs for the main characters in the movie. This movie serves as a pilot for a short run series and that came before the movies that have aired on Hallmark for a long time now. This movie came out in 2013, after all. Since I knew that, it was easy to guess where some of the character’s stories were going to go. Anyway, as I often say, predictable doesn’t mean that the movie is bad if I’m having fun along the way. And I certainly was.
Another flaw was the characters themselves. They were an odd bunch. Charming, don’t get me wrong, but they seemed a little odd just for the sake of being odd.
This was one of those movies where I’d be rolling my eyes at how ridiculous things were one minute but absolutely caught up in the story for the next ten. Just how much did I enjoy it? I might have ordered a DVD set of the series and the next four movies the same night I watched, with plans to record the rest when they are on over the next couple of weeks. Yes, the charm far outweighed the rest of it.
And it was heartwarming and ultimately fun. The actors were obviously along for the ride as well, and helped get me caught up in the story.
I will say there were mysterious elements to the story, but this isn’t a mystery like you are probably thinking of when you see the term. Just know that going in, and you’ll be fine.
Yes, I definitely will be back for more adventures with the Signed, Sealed, Delivered gang. If you are looking for something light and fun, you’ll be glad you watched this one.
Looking for this movie on DVD? It is part of this set, which includes the TV series.
I love this series even though I have an impossible time imagining anyone I've ever dealt with at the post office going to such extremes to deliver a letter. This sounds like a fun one and reminds me I need to go back to watching the episodes I have recorded on my DVR.
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