The high school age of the story's protagonist trivializes the entire film. Mary (Alicia Silverstone) has an interest in "true crime". And there just happens to be an unsolved murder in her town. So after school, Mary sets out on an adventure to catch the killer, not unlike the youthful fictional character Nancy Drew.
Silverstone gives a nice performance. But I just can't take Mary seriously, so stereotyped is her view of crime, and so easy and predictable are the story's plot points. Naturally, she has easy access to the local police chief. Naturally, she finds romance. And naturally, she encounters some dangerous situations. It's just too easy, too predictable, and too convenient. Further, the plot climax is clichéd and trite. The film is about one step above a kid's after-school special.
I like the carnival setting, always ripe for intrigue and mystery, and the accompanying lighting gives a sense of the macabre. And the film's score is unusual and haunting, especially during the title sequence.
Though Silverstone is well cast, Kevin Dillon is not, looking too young and hip for a newbie cop. Film prod design and costumes are acceptable, as is the editing.
The main problem here is the scriptwriter's bubble-gum approach to murder. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys may have been believable forty years ago. In today's institutionalized world, they are not.
Silverstone gives a nice performance. But I just can't take Mary seriously, so stereotyped is her view of crime, and so easy and predictable are the story's plot points. Naturally, she has easy access to the local police chief. Naturally, she finds romance. And naturally, she encounters some dangerous situations. It's just too easy, too predictable, and too convenient. Further, the plot climax is clichéd and trite. The film is about one step above a kid's after-school special.
I like the carnival setting, always ripe for intrigue and mystery, and the accompanying lighting gives a sense of the macabre. And the film's score is unusual and haunting, especially during the title sequence.
Though Silverstone is well cast, Kevin Dillon is not, looking too young and hip for a newbie cop. Film prod design and costumes are acceptable, as is the editing.
The main problem here is the scriptwriter's bubble-gum approach to murder. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys may have been believable forty years ago. In today's institutionalized world, they are not.