The Mystery of the Irish Accents
Following Eamon Byrne's (Peter Donat) death members of his family, staff and friends are summoned to the home for the reading of the will including Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) who many years earlier made a difference in his life. Because of that Jessica is left a cottage along with what is inside it which angers Eamon's wife Margaret (Fionnula Flanagan) and his eldest daughter Fiona (Geraldine Hughes) who both feel hard done by due to the will. But there is more and Eamon has arranged for each of those in attendance to receive letters containing clues to a treasure. Whilst Jessica plans to return back home as soon as she can when there is a murder on the estate she finds her natural tendency for crime solving leading her to become involved and in to danger.
Like wearing your favourite old jumper on a cold winter's day watching a "Murder, She Wrote" movie is a strange comfort which allows you to forget all the other stuff going on in your life and be charmed by Angela Lansbury playing the good hearted Jessica Fletcher solving another mystery. It was Angela Lansbury who made the TV series and it is Lansbury again who makes these movies work and who makes you ignore the many issues which the movie has. For example, whilst there are some Irish actors in this movie there are plenty who are not and whose attempt at an Irish accent is far too heavy and almost comical for being so forced.
But as I said, the Lansbury charm allows you to almost enjoy the bad bits alongside the good bits. Those good bits not only include the comically scheming performances of Fionnula Flanagan and Geraldine Hughes but also the double mystery which features both the treasure which Eamon left but also who is behind the murder. Of course you know that whilst Jessica's life may end up threatened no real harm will come to her whilst by the end of the movie she will have at leased solved the murder if not the mystery of the treasure as well
What this all boils down to is that "Murder, She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle" is like that old jumper for those who enjoyed watching Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher but could be a corny experience for those who don't get what is so charming and entertaining about her and her popular character.
Tags: TV Mystery Movie Crime Solvers
