Made-for-cable movie is appropriately quirky and darkly comic. Clues regarding a small-town sex murder leads a wise female police detective and her rookie partner (Marg Helgenberger and Henry Thomas, both excellent) to a twisted grandma who keeps changing her story. Off-putting details and a few nasty sequences made me wince, but the actors certainly don't look embarrassed, especially Ann-Margret as the granny with a whip (she has a ball!). The story threads are complex and engrossing, but I had trouble with the presentation, which borders on smut with a bigger budget. Some funny lines and memorable bits (like A-M referring to her "bad ticker"), but overall just so-so.
Review of Happy Face Murders
