The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (1999 TV Movie) User Reviews

"I think Madame DeFarge is gruesome. don't you?"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 24 November 2019]

The widowed Mrs' Pollifax wants to realise an old ambition to become a spy and after an initial confusion does indeed become one, going from Morocco to Paris to Switzerland while falling in with fellow agent Jack Farrell. It is an entertaining TV movie that holds one's attention despite being a film of basically two plots stuck together. There is a good music score by Peter Manning Robinson to accompany the lively proceedings.

Angela Lansbury is great as Mrs Pollifax and holds the film together as she is onscreen for most of the time. She makes the whole story believable and her character is well delineated. Her way of talking to her deceased husband is funny but also poignant. The other actors are in her shadow but do well in their roles.

This was Ms. Lansbury's only movie as Mrs. Pollifax which was a shame. The ending suggested a sequel.

Unexpectedly bad

[mjsweet · 6/10 · 2 January 2003]

I was excited to see a movie rendition of this charming mystery series. And having Angela Lansbury as the delightful Mrs P. really upped my anticipation. Then I watched it. Mrs Lansbury was a good choice for the main character, and that was about it. The entire show made me wonder if the screen writer had read only bits and pieces of several stories, because that was how the movie played.

This book series deserves attention on the individual books. The situations Mrs Pollifax gets herslf into, and out of, are plenty interesting, full of danger, ingenuity, and intrique, and lend themselves to great "TV movie" telling. I am sorry this show is out there, because people may not read the books after this awful movie. Let's hope Anglea Lansbury can be persuaded to do her again, maybe even produce the shows herself.

She coaxed the secrets out of a spy....

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 20 June 2023]

Another old Rosalind Russell role taken over years later by Angela Lansbury, and beautifully so. Following the roles of Mame Dennis and Mama Rose Hovick, Lansbury took on the role of a widow fulfilling a lifelong dream to be a spy, Mrs. Emily Polfaix, a widow who manipulates her way into an espionage assignment, ending up in Paris after she's been held hostage by international criminals, following one of them (a deadly female Natasha type), befriending young Thomas Ian Griffith (building a motherly affection for him, obviously returned), and annoying the American agency who just wanted her out of the country and more importantly, out of their hair. In between spying, she tenderly talks to her late husband, one of the film's most touching details.

Roz Russell had played Emily Polifax in her last theatrically released film in 1971 (the same year that Angela used witchcraft in her own Disney spying game), a critical failure, and it took 28 years for Dorothy Gilman's character to fall in Lansbury's lap. Fortunate to say, this is a much better film than Russell's, even though it's completely preposterous. This works better because its tongue is in its cheek, while Russell was basically trying to be James Bond's mother with a hip wardrobe. That film dated instantly, while this version appears to be fresh as when it first aired. Lansbury and Griffith have good chemistry, so as Emma gets her taste of excitement in her work, the audience roots for her, while with Roz, they were afraid she'd hurt herself. Spying she did, and then some!

Good, but definitely TV movie

[anneofgg · 20 March 2004]

I had never read the Mrs. Pollifax books so watching the movie was a completely new experience. I really enjoyed it, Angela Lansbury played the part PERFECTLY. I also think the other actors did a very good job. It was of course a made-for-TV movie which always means low-budget and not-the-best screenplay but overall was very good FOR a TV movie. It seemed choppy switching from the first half to the second half, like it didn't flow very well switching to a new plot...which makes sense. Not many movies have two completely different plots. If you ask me it seemed like two 1 hour TV shows that happened to play back-to-back. However I would very much enjoy seeing this made into a TV series!

Great fun.

[stevenduhig · 7/10 · 21 May 2023]

Good Sunday afternoon entertainment but not a classic movie in any sense of the word LOL!.

Takes itself, and the actors take themselves just enough tongue in cheek, and with just enough comedy.

Some of the accents are truly (deliberately?) chronically bad!

Some clever unique dramatic content.

(e.g. Love the way CIA bosses conversation with his deputy was split and misunderstood as they climbed the stairs and his deputy did not understand).

Relax and watch it.

Ed Bishopand plays very straight and well while Angela Lansberry also carries the movie well... Easy to follow the characters. Not read the book which is apparemtly very different. The rewrite seems very creditable to me!

Ed Bishop highlights an otherwise hackneyed tv movie

[SHADO-5 · 1/10 · 2 June 1999]

Ed Bishop, best known for his brilliant realization of Commander Straker in the epic Science Fiction series, "UFO", makes this otherwise predictable and dull tv movie worth watching. Bishop lends both humor and gravitas to a movie that desperately needs both.

A drama/mystery with a twist.

[ksprouse1 · 10/10 · 18 December 2006]

I loved this movie. Although Angela Lansbury is not the Jessica Fletcher we know, she plays a similar role and is unrelenting in her endeavor to resolve this mystery. It is very interesting to see how her dream of being a government agent is realized through a comedy of errors. It is sometimes hard to determine who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. Is he trying to help Mrs. Polifax or help her out of his way? You eagerly await the end of the movie to find out what the plot is and who is involved in the evil deeds. A good drama/mystery that keeps you in suspense and sitting on the edge of your seat until the end of the movie.

The Unexpected Cameo

[frankieroberto · 3/10 · 6 January 2004]

This film itself was nothing special. I watched it from in bed early in the morning. The old-lady-as-amateur-spy is nothing really new, and the plot possibilities this could have given weren't really realised. Mrs Pollifax is played well, but the character has an annoying habit of talking to herself.

The best bit of the film is the unexpected cameo/appearance of TV-star Daisy Donovan, who suprisingly isn't listed in the credits on imdb. She doesn't do much other than look pretty, but let's face it, that's quite enough - she's lovely.

Perfect Pilot For A Series

[Gooch-13 · 10/10 · 8 May 2000]

Although it has been a while since I seen this flick I truly enjoyed it enough to rate it even now with a 10! The story was well written and the characters were interesting. I could definitely see this movie turning into a series, or more movies that would air from time to time. The interaction between Angela Lansbury and Thomas Ian Griffith was perfect and made you want to see their characters interact more. They both played their parts well and were believable. I hope it airs again, or becomes available to purchase on video. I'd add it to my movie collection. I would also definitely recommend this film to others.

Great performance by Lansbury

[yohan_nl · 9/10 · 18 May 2007]

Based on the books by Dorothy Gilman this movie tells the story of an old lady who gets into the spying business. By a funny coincidence Mrs Pollifax becomes an undercover agent for the CIA. Her mission is to get some important documents from Morroco; while pretending to be an ordinary tourist. Things get out of hand when Mrs Pollifax gets kidnapped by a terrorist group. And that's not the only challenge she will face.

The storyline isn't really all that great, and there are some coincidences and plot holes; but the performance of Angela Lansbury as the adorable Mrs. Pollifax definitely makes this movie worth your while.

9 out of 10.

amazing film

[tornade-44528 · 10/10 · 31 December 2016]

I've been inspired by this film for 17 years now, and I keep going back to watch it. It also motivated me to read most of the books in the Mrs. Polifax series, and when I did, I learned that this film was a combination of plots from two different books. Angela Lansbury provided another stunning, high-quality performance as Mrs. Polifax, in a more edgy and modern context than in her role as Jessica Fletcher on Murder She Wrote. However, Mrs. Polifax is in keeping with Angela Lansbury's persona as a strong and independent female character in search of justice and truth, though this time in a world of spies with competing ambitions and international intrigue. I'm just disappointed that this film didn't turn into a longer series based on the books.

A very good movie I'd like to see again.

[barbjryan · 12 September 2004]

It's been a few years, but I remember thoroughly enjoying this movie. I've listened to the book on tape. Mrs. Polifax is a very interesting character.

She is well played by Angela Lansbury. She shows how strong and smart an older woman can be. I also like the slight hint that the younger attractive man is somewhat smitten with the older woman, and why shouldn't he be. I'm a big Angela Lansbury fan. I have most of the "Murder She Wrote"'s on tape.

I remember the man in the film being very attractive. I was watching Karate Kid 2 and realized that he is in that movie. I would love to see the movie again but have no idea where to get it. If anyone knows, please email me. Thanks.

Go, Granny, Go!!

[Garbo46 · 8/10 · 8 May 2007]

Thought I'd write about this movie to balance out some of the more negative reviews. I really enjoyed this movie. For those of us who do NOT read the novel and then kavetch about how it was portrayed on film, this is a perfectly entertaining offer. Yes, Lansbury is good in the title role. She seems slightly more vulnerable than in her "Murder She Wrote" series, but her spirit drives her on. I find Thomas Ian Griffith most affable in this, and his concern for Mrs. Polifax is almost like a son loving his mother. I particularly enjoyed John Light as Robin Hughes-Wright. He's got the most adorable grin. Just found out he married the actress Neve Campbell recently, too. For me, all the twists and turns and changes in locales were all interesting. I liked this TV movie, and if your expectations are not all tied up in your literary pursuits, perhaps you will also.

Just doesn't compare to the books

[katiek · 19 October 2001]

They started out with a great idea -- making the beloved Mrs. P. into a movie -- but went about it half-heartedly. Angela Lansbury did a decent job, but otherwise the casting left a lot to be desired. They used most of the good characters from all the other books, leaving no room for more shows (which, under the circumstances was probably a good thing).

Resounding good fun

[SceneByScene · 22 October 2023]

Not sure how true this is to the original book (or the later 'Mrs Pollifax' novels; maybe it's an amalgamation of several of the titles?) but the result is a TV movie that is resounding good fun.

A month ago I watched the Rosalind Russell version. A very different feel, but then it was made nearly 30 years before this 1999 offering. The story in this later version veers away from the path of the Russell 1971 plot, very early in the film. The plot then brings our lead character back to mainstream Europe and away from Morocco. Presumably this was to make the story more familiar and safe to American viewers (Paris being somewhat of a dream to most Americans, it seems!) This did not happen in the '71 version. But does it really matter?

Lansbury, as ever, plays a lead character brilliantly. Yes, she has in this film taken on another role of the more-able-than-she-looks Marple-esque type, somewhat repeating her 'Jessica Fletcher' days. So, yes, it might seem a bit déjà vu, but then we know she does this type of story to great effect. It's amost tailor-made for the actress.

The film does have its poor moments. Daft features and events are let into the plot - for example, if all the world's spies knew what their enemy agents looked like, there wouldn't be any need for secret spy armies! And the last ten minutes of the film has far too many events squashed. But as a case of a little widderwoman being sent on a spy mission in a case of mistaken identity, we do not care. It offers a good story, with fun characters.

Sublime. All-round entertainment. 8/10.