The Cases of Mystery Lane (2023 TV Movie) User Reviews

good potential for series

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 22 April 2023]

Birdie Case (Aimee Garcia) is a hard working lawyer. Her mother is her demanding boss. Her flighty husband Alden (Paul Campbell) quitted his accounting school and switched to private investigator classes. Before he gets up the courage to tell her, his class work investigation about her firm leads to the apparent suicide of one of the firm's partner.

This is a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. The first act is a little confused until the exposition at its end. As for the mystery, it's a confused start, but the couple mystery team does grow on me. A couple mystery team is a long running cinematic tradition. I do like the two actors and their chemistry. This is not the best mystery movie, but it has the potential to be a good Hallmark series.

It has potential

[MickyG333 · 7/10 · 8 April 2023]

7.1 stars.

I was excited for this show after seeing the previews, however there is something amiss with the bond, or lack of bond shared between the leads. They are both very capable actors, but they don't mesh, and it's not for lack of effort, however I feel an absence of chemistry between Campbell and Garcia.

The title of this film is about the most clever I've seen in a very long time. Good one.

The plot is good enough, the killer was actually very predictable, as if you suspect this person as the killer early on and figure it would be too easy, and you would be correct, but you'd also be right in going with your hunch. I love Campbell's antics as a nerdy guy named Alden who has finally found his passion: to be a private detective. Unfortunately his quirks go unrewarded by Garcia's character Birdie - his unsatisfied wife. Or do they? It's hard to discern what she's thinking and we never really find out. All we know is that she likes to play online poker. There is a disconnect between Birdie's true feelings and what she is conveying in the presentation. Frankly, it's confusing and I'm not satisfied with her performance.

I think the writer would have been justified in making her the sleuth and him the lawyer, it would have been more convincing. My guess is that he was so hilarious with the bumbling geek schtick that they decided to switch the roles. Total conjecture on my part.

I fully expect a sequel sooner than later. Maybe I'll add to this review after the second installment.

Eagerly anticipated and a smidge disappointed (sorry but it's true).

[cgvsluis · 6/10 · 25 April 2023]

I'm a licensed Med Tech and my absolute favorite part of the Lucifer series was Aimee Garcia and her crime lab...so when I saw she would be starring in a new Mystery series on Hallmark with Paul Campbell I was VERY excited...maybe too excited.

There was good humor in the series and Paul and Aimee played off each other well as husband and wife Birdie and Alden Case. My biggest complaint is around the sad theme of divorce that was introduced and woven throughout the movie. I thought it was wholly unnecessary to the story...especially as it really played as a comedy except for that. My other complaint is around Birdie's mom and her terrible behavior towards her daughter at work. Birdie should quit that job immediately! My final complaint is around a potentially unhealthy relationship that they seem to be trying to normalize and that is of a wealthy heiress and her gay husband who is having homosexual relationships outside of their marriage with her knowledge...including going on cruises etc. I am by no means saying that is wrong, to each his own, especially if everyone knows and no one is getting hurt. But my complaint is in the normalizing having sex outside of one's marriage...straight, gay, whatever. I am not sure that builds a healthy bond or marriage and distracted from the story.

I love both Aimee Garcia and Paul Campbell and will definitely watch an additional film if they make more, but I am hesitant to strongly recommend this film and am afraid it is not breaking in to my top three hallmark mysteries (Hannah Swensen, Aurora Teagarden and Mystery 101) any time soon.

Insipid, slow, failed to engage

[cyclingreimagined · 5/10 · 14 November 2023]

Slow pacing made it feel as if script was being stretched. Characters were uniformly unattractive and acting pedestrian. Lighting, sound and editing were OK.

Lack of emotive moments meant that even a well crafted plot would be wasted and this wasn't that.

Characters failed to care about each other and dishonesty was common. Left the viewer with no one to root for.

It's possible to have a movie filled with anti heroes, but it requires more skill than evidenced here.

Doubt it will become a series if Hallmark's target audience feels the same way. There are common relationship and family themes and tropes that built the network. A different direction may be desirable but this doesn't seem like a safe bet to pivot on.

Fun comedy it is family night approved with relatable sweet & awkward characters

[vrbgkdjbrm · 8/10 · 28 September 2023]

Fun detective show that has you rooting for them. Seeing Campbell as a quirky pre-midlife crises suburban husband is worth the ticket alone. I didn't mind the usual red herring turns, because the interplay between husband and wife characters was engaging.

It's starts out as a fish out of water movie, then becomes a bit of a romantic comedy-mystery. Don't expect grit or gore, this movie is family night appropriate. Which is a delightful change from Hollywood's norm.

Hoping that they make more of this series, it would be fun to see the main characters go through the transitions ahead, as well as seeing more side character development.

Dropped in the first 10 minutes

[skyking-14 · 1/10 · 24 April 2024]

LAME, really lame.

Anything that starts with spouses lying to each other while pretending to be happily married is a non-starter for me. If you don't engage the viewer in the first few minutes, the movie fails.

This is, by far, the worst Hallmark mystery outing I've seen. From the beginning, the characters are just not likeable, and they seem so superficial that there is no connection to draw you in. I found the main characters to be annoying, and immediately non-sympathetic. A guy who wants to be a private investigator but is too worried about disappointing his wife by letting her know his desires, and a wife, too self-centered to take the time to listen when he asks to talk?

I realize that Hallmark is having to reach to replace the familiar stars who have moved to GAF, but this wasn't even a "foul ball", it was a "swing and a miss!"

Love this Hallmark movie

[catrine-48845 · 9/10 · 24 August 2023]

At first I had no interest in watching this but, there was nothing else on so I gave it a try. I really enjoyed it and hopefully they make more of these mysteries. It's nice to see a new mystery movie on the Hallmark channel. I'm getting bored with the repeat ones they keep showing . The two main actors, Paul Campbell and Aimee Garcia are perfect in this as a married couple. They have good chemistry together and make it enjoyable with not only solving a murder but some humor added in. If you are looking for something lighthearted to watch , this would be perfect. Please hallmark looking forward to another "Case of mystery lane".

She had the right idea

[classicrun-44914 · 3/10 · 1 January 2024]

In the beginning, the lawyer wife has divorce papers for her immature, flighty, failure to launch husband. She should have filed them. Why would a successful woman tolerate this incredibly immature man? The series had potential. This could have been a moderate interpretation of Moonlighting. A successful woman is partnered with a flighty private investigator. But, unfortunately, this is just another bad Hallmark movie, which they seem to turn out in great numbers. I occasionally tune to the channel, hoping to see something mildly good, but then I am usually disappointed. I guess you could call this mildly entertaining and watchable if you have absolutely nothing better to do with your time.

Paul Campbell. Nuff said.

[Racingphan2 · 9/10 · 21 March 2023]

Paul Campbell has an amazing talent to bring a sense of humor to even the lamest Hallmark movie.

Luckily for us, this one is also cleverly written, expertly directed and paced and full of great actors. Aimee Garcia does a great job opposite Paul Campbell, with another great sense of comedy timing.

But seriously, shouldn't Paul Campbell be using his great comedic skills in a better way? Major movies or even a network show?

Lucky for us at least he's gracing us with his presence three or four times a year on Hallmark.

So once again I have to pad out a review to reach the IMDB minimum characters. There, done.

excellent movie

[joshua-33177 · 10/10 · 20 March 2023]

I saw this advertised and I knew right away this was going to be good. I dont want to give away too much, but Alden is an accountant, but unsatisfied with his career, but is afraid to step out and become a P. I. Birdie is an excellent lawyer. Alden and Birdie are somewhat drifting apart, but I do love how they rekindle a love for each other, save their marriage and they crack the case. This movie does have a lot of twists and turns and you will be entertained. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you dont see it coming. Normally, some Hallmark movies can be a little boring because you're able to see everything coming a mile away, but this is not one of those times. You will not be disappointed.

nonsensical but cute

[rebekahrox · 8/10 · 20 March 2023]

This one didn't make a lick of sense as a murder mystery but it was super cute. Obviously the writers were counting on Campbell's popularity to gloss over the many problems with the actual murder and the solution to the mystery. How was the second murder supposed to have been accomplished? What was he hanging from? Was there a chandelier in his office? How did the murderer get him up there? She needed a spoiler to get her another spoiler into her car. Also, what was with all of the kudos (and the check at the end) for Paul solving the murder? All he did was get caught by the murderer, and almost murdered himself. The murderer was caught red-handed trying to murder Paul by other people not Paul. However, the murder mystery was just a McGuffin. The only thing he figured out was the GPS thing. Which would have been the first thing the police would have done had it not been classified as a suicide. The puzzle was just an excuse for comedy and character and relationship development. And there is nothing wrong with that.

I love Paul Campbell and also loved the actress who played his wife, who was new to Hallmark. I loved their characters and their relationship. The secondary characters added a lot to the story and open up some future possibilities. I hope Matt Hamilton remains with the series. He is really good at what he does. I Think there is a lot of potential for this series, despite the problems. It probably doesn't deserve an 8 but what the heck?

you wanna be entertained?

[tohmsono · 9/10 · 23 March 2023]

Light and fun comedy, and done really well! I am impressed by the whole package: acting, plot, light jokes and just simpleness and cuteness of it all and how it is all wrapped up in a very good entertainment choice. Quirky little jokes were actually pretty original and funny, and actors did a very good job at doing their bit throughout the whole movie. As a huge fan of whodoneits, this one falls into light entertainment category that will leave you light and in a good mood after watching it. As TV movies go, this does the job and almost feels like there should be sequels. Well, I'm pretty sure there will be...

Slow start but enjoyable

[Kenkeller-98-620553 · 8/10 · 4 July 2023]

I'd like to complain that the movie started at 9pm and ran for two hours ... a ton of commercials, most of them horrible, piled on starting at 10:30pm. But it was a good enough movie to keep me from going to bed. The movie got off to a very slow start, and at the half hour mark it became clear what the movie was all about. The wife is bored and plays online poker which she hides from her husband and the husband (an autistic CPA) is hiding going to night classes to become a PI from his wife. At the one hour mark the actual story begins as the two spouses actually discuss their situation. The wife by the way never shares her poker habit. For two highly paid professionals I was surprised that they weren't driving nicer cars. Must be a product placement thing. Also, any law firm that would sign a contract that violates privacy protection laws isn't a very good one. As the movie ends a second prospective client is waiting at the door. I hope they have more stories but they need a faster start and an 7pm or 8pm start would be better. For me.

A Great Start to What is Hopefully a New Mystery Series

[mfreburg-946-137541 · 8/10 · 27 April 2024]

The Cases of Mystery Lane (2023) (Prime Video/Hallmark Now)

Some of the reviews here are flat out wrong in their facts, so I'll try to correct them. First let's set up the premise. To begin the movie, we witness an old man open an apartment door, only to be shocked to death with a stun gun. We are told shortly after that a known gangster who has been missing for a couple of decades was found dead in a construction site. We the audience should make a connection, but for now that's all we get. On to the Case family.

Aimee Garcia (sooo lovely!) and Paul Campbell (looking goofy in glasses) play a husband and wife here--Birdie and Alden Case. Birdie Case is a lawyer who works for a law firm where her mother (Jacqueline Samuda) is the senior partner--and a demanding boss.

We find out early on that Alden Case has had a number of jobs--and no, he is not an accountant, never was. Most recently he worked in cryptocurrency, and that one cost the couple so much money to get out of that they are still paying for it. Birdie is not pleased with Alden's rotating job history. At the moment Alden is going to night school. Birdie thinks he is learning accounting, but some time ago he gave that up and wandered across the hall to attend private investigation training--without telling Birdie. This will come to light soon enough, and Birdie will NOT be pleased.

Alden is also not terribly happy with Birdie. He tries to tell her about his PI training one morning, but she seems to be WAY too interested in her co-worker Kyle (Jesse Moss), so Alden doesn't get a moment to talk to her. As the next class assignment for Alden is to shadow someone, he chooses to shadow Kyle. We witness Alden's constant mocking comments about Kyle--it's clear he does NOT like Kyle. (Nor did I).

Over the course of a day, Alden shadows Kyle, until that evening when Kyle returns to the law office after hours. Shortly after entering, Alden sees Kyle burst out the front door in a panic and drive away. Alden, puzzled, goes inside. First he goes to his wife's office and pokes around her desk--and finds legal papers for a dissolution of their marriage. Shocked, Alden leaves the papers, then as he prepares to leave, he notices a light on in another office down the hall. He goes to check it...and finds another partner, Tim (Ryan Mah) dead, hanging from a rope...and we've just got our mystery.

As Alden backs out of Tim's door, he is greeted by several police officers. They tell him to put his hands up, but instead he turns and vomits against the wall. Fortunately, Alden's story is believed by the arriving police. As he sits on the back of an ambulance a few minutes later, Birdie arrives. At this point, Alden's PI classes, Birdie's divorce papers, it's all going to come to light.

A pretty good mystery comes out of all this, and, yes, somehow it brings Alden and Birdie a bit (a smidge?) closer--though he will sleep on the couch tonight.

I'm going to leave the true investigation for you to watch and enjoy. There is actually a lot to it. There are a lot of clues to follow up. Some will be red herrings--some will not be. Will Birdie forgive Alden for lying about the PI training? Will Alden forgive Birdie for not telling him about the divorce papers? Will their marriage survive? How deep will Alden...and Birdie? ...get into finding out who killed Tim? Or was this really just a suicide? At the time the police sent Alden home, Officer Newton (Matt Hamilton, who hilariously puts air quotes around nearly everything he says) said the police were ruling Tim's death a suicide. And oh, by the way, Alden couldn't help thinking about the blue sedan that had been following him all day while he was following Kyle, which he didn't mention to anyone yet. Just what was going on with that??

I really think that this movie is both a pretty good mystery and a pretty good romance. It takes some work to create tension in a romance when the couple are already married--but they manage to do it here.

Is this movie perfect? No--it's Hallmark, and there will always be a few head scratchers, but I think you will really enjoy it if this genre is your cup of tea.