Murder in a Small Town (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Joyce Chopra

Writers (WGA):

Gilbert Pearlman (written by) &
Gene Wilder (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Mystery

Plot:

A widowed theatre director moves to a small Connecticut town where he gets involved in solving the murder of a millionaire, who was the most despised man in town.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Detective | Theatrical Director | Flight Attendant

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gene Wilder	...	Larry 'Cash' Carter
Mike Starr	...	Lt. Tony Rossini
Terry O'Quinn	...	Sidney Lassiter
Cherry Jones	...	Mimi Barnes
Frances Conroy	...	Martha Lassiter
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Kate Faxton
Ebon Moss-Bachrach	...	Billy
Elisabeth Rosen	...	Sophie Carter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Allodi	...	Man in Tuxedo
Ben Bass	...	Michael
Justine Campbell	...	Sexy Woman
Fulvio Cecere	...	Richard
Matthew Edison	...	Albert Lassiter
Sten Eirik	...	Thin Man / Kovacs
Craig Eldridge	...	Detective Eddy
David Fox	...	Walter Godlin
Terri Hawkes	...	Esther
Christian Hebert	...	Teddy, the Gardener
Kate Hennig	...	Mary, the Maid
Sam Malkin	...	Medical Examiner
Renee Murphy	...	Vickie
Roman Podhora	...	Detective Scalise
Carlo Rota	...	Charles

Runtime:

Brazil:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:PG

Company:

A&E Television Networks

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Showbiz Today: (1999-01-08)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me

Gene Wilder plays it straight and does a terrific job.

Gene Wilder is terrific in his over-the-top comedic triumphs ("The Producers", "Young Frankenstein", "Blazing Saddles", and more), but hasn't always been wisely used in more moderate roles. "Haunted Honeymoon" comes to mind!

This one, though, is extremely enjoyable, and I hope it's the beginning of a series. His performance is smart, restrained, believable, professional, and witty. The movie, a lovely period piece murder mystery, is a surprisingly effective vehicle for him. It has everything for a satisfying couple of hours on the sofa: 1930s costumes and cars, detective work, romance, and light comedy.

Let's have more of Wilder in this kind of role.