ldavis-2 Review of Million Dollar Murder

Million Dollar Murder (2005 TV Movie)

Cleaned up for Your Protection

[3/10 · 31 December 2005]

With two of the principals dead and the other in jail, I don't understand why the film makers skipped and/or took liberties with key details, and didn't delve headfirst into the sleaze fest that was the real story. Pelosi has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever, but, here, he's a pretty decent guy. It didn't show how he ate up his 15 minutes while he plowed through Generosa's (or Ted's) money. He couldn't keep his fly zipped or his big mouth shut, either, both of which proved to be his undoing. It doesn't even mention that he was an unlicensed electrician or how desperate he was, he just showed up at Generosa's because he heard she might be hiring. Ted here is a wuss and Generosa is your standard-issue wack-job. Other characters tell us what was going on between this unholy trio instead of just showing Ted, Generosa, and Danny interact (except when she goes off her nut.) The actors try to overcome the limitations of the Z-Grade script, but the performances are merely passable, although the actor playing the nanny was suitably creepy. Seeing what she did in "Blonde," Poppy Montgomery's performance here was a real letdown. Come to think of it, "letdown" sums the movie up very well.