Dying for Chocolate

Posted June 2, 2022 by karenbaron in Hallmark T.V. Movie, Movie Review, Mystery / 0 Comments

Format: T.V. Movie

Dying for Chocolate

Network: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Director: Anthony Metchie

Written by: Erinne Dobson and John Christian Plummer

Production Credit: Timeless Pictures and Basset Hound Distribution

Premiere Date: Sunday, April 10, 2022

Cast:

Nikki DeLoach (Goldy Berry)
Andrew Walker (Det. Tom Schultz)
Jaycie Dotin (Marla)
Jason Schombing (Dr. Owen Gentle)
Lochlyn Munro (Dr. Richard Korman)
Riley Davis (Deputy Mason)
Kendall Cross (Adele Dennison)
Jason Tremblay (Peter Dennison)
Antonio Cayonne (Brad Bowman)
Maesa Nicholson (Olive)
Erin Boyes (Dr. Laura Smiley)
Shawna Clarke (Sarah Langsam)
Easton Van B (Julian Geddes)
Brett Armstrong (Stunt Coordinator)

Plot Summary:

Goldy, a spirited single mom, is thrust into the role of town sleuth to help solve a friend’s mysterious death. With the clock ticking to find the culprit, Goldy strikes up an unlikely partnership with Detective Tom Schultz, who leans into Goldy’s local knowledge. But just as their relationship shows signs of becoming something more, the suspect list rises. Will Goldy narrow in on the killer before the killer narrows in on her?

Based on the characters in the Goldy Schulz Book Series by Diane Mott Davidson

Check out these Cozy Culinary Mysteries. These books also include recipes.

My Rating:

My Thoughts:

Our sleuth here is Goldy Berry; they changed her last name from Bear in the books to Berry, and Nikki DeLoach plays her. Ms. DeLoach is a good actress, but when it comes to playing working-class characters, she falls short for me. She does her best work when portraying high-class characters. Goldy is a caterer and is supposed to be a good chef. I had a hard time getting into the chef part of the character. Perhaps they could show more scenes for that part. However, Ms. DeLoach had more chemistry with Lochlyn Munro, who plays her ex-husband, than with Andrew Walker, who portrays the detective.

Andrew Walker plays Detective Tom Schultz; in the books, the name doesn’t have the “t,” and I liked this character. Mr. Walker has proven that he can play any character; with Hallmark or any role he goes after, he does well. I could see that Mr. Walker tried to build chemistry with Ms. DeLoach, but it didn’t come across well.

Okay, before I get into the mystery, I have to say the two psychologists’ names in this movie are hilarious. Dr. Smiley and Dr. Gentle. It just cracks me up. Seriously, how did they come up with that for their last names? If it were the original author, Diane Mott Davidson, kudos to her.

Now onto the mystery: we have Dr. Smiley, Goldy Berry’s friend, who dies in a horrible car crash, and she meets Detective Tom Schultz. Goldy is on the cops’ radar as a suspect, but they ruled her out immediately, mainly to use her insider connection to the community to find the clues. I don’t know how I feel about this mystery. My stepdad was able to figure out almost right away who did it. This movie, just like Rip in Time, had a fast ending scene that made me wonder if Hallmark doesn’t know how to end movies anymore.

I do like some of the sets that they did. It made sense about Goldy’s house and how she has such a big house when it’s just her and her daughter. The place that Adele and Peter Dennison are living in seemed more like a lodge to me than anything else. It didn’t make me think that we were supposed to be in Colorado either. The “Canadian location” was pretty prevalent.