PaigeTurner

I stumbled upon this movie last year because I thought it would make a nice companion piece to things like household chores (folding laundry) or writing out Christmas cards. But I've come back to it a couple times because it's actually a sweet, feel-good fairy tale with appealing leads. Melissa runs a little diner in Brooklyn that infuses its comfort food recipes with creative flair and Prince Jack is in town from the vaguely Saxon-esque kingdom of Edgemont for a big charity banquet. It's Christmas and it's a rom-com, so you see where it's going. Overall, I think it's worth the 90-minute watch time if you're doing your hair or some other hands-on task, and it makes you want to look out for Mompremiere and Burns in other productions. How about an alluring international spy thriller?! They both look like they can handle stunts.

Alas, there are significant weak points. Some of them can't be fixed, like the cheap production value. I don't know why Hollywood has to churn out movies like these on a conveyor belt. To fill airtime on all the cable and streaming services? Maybe. But this is an example of what not to do even on a tight budget. Prince Jack's hotel is downscale, not simplified and modern, like the W. The interior of the palace in his native country of Edgemont-a name that sounds like a Mid-Atlantic suburb, not a small European country-doesn't even try to be grand. It looks like a model home in a new neighborhood, not a historic palace of said European country. There has to have been a more ornate, wood-paneled salon in an historic grand house somewhere or maybe a small, rentable castle in Scotland that could have stood in for this emblem of a kingdom. Rupert's jackets are ill-fitting, also making Edgemont look cheap.

The script badly needed some Jessica tightening. She's a restaurant owner in Brooklyn, and that's supposed to count against her. Well, the last I heard Brooklyn has moved up in the world and is no longer an automatic backwater or Manhattan's ugly sister. There are lots of pricey, trendy neighborhoods where affluent, trendy people want to eat, and where a creative and driven chef with culinary arts training could make her stand. Why not write in some solid credentials for Melissa, then hang framed photos of her with big shots stopping by her diner? Instead of Prince Jack overstepping, tracking her to her parents' house and looking at her baby pictures with her mom, how about making that a scrapbook of articles about her graduation, winning awards and a few glowing press reviews for her restaurant? The restaurant game is probably highly competitive, so it's easy to imagine an accomplished chef running The Little Diner That Could, but that still gets looked at as the underdog.

Hollywood, please STOP hiring actors whose foreign accents are a tragedy. I know this is an improbable fairy tale and we're not going for realism, but if they can't simulate a European accent or any other kind of accent, they break the illusion. Also, instead of trying to depict a three-person throng of paparazzi, how about a shot of a lone photographer parked a distance away from Jessica and Prince Jack, and show him or her pointing a long-range lens at the couple? Then the pictures end up on Page Seven (cheap movie, can't afford the licensing) the next day. Mompremiere and Burns did their best to depict Jack and Jessica evading the press, but that paparazzi scene was almost a joke for the three lumbering, middle-aged photographers who looked like any fit prince and his leggy lady friend could easily out sprint. Geez.

There were other issues, too, like the weird interlude shots of the cooking. Whose recipes are those, and where are they being prepared? Since this is a 90-minute Christmas rom-com, let me help you with a meet cute. Jessica is looking cute in a pretty Christmas sweater, an apron and fingerless gloves. She steps out of her diner with a sandwich board and has a good morning for everyone because it's Christmas and she runs a business that thrives on hospitality. While she's writing Prince Jack's car comes around the corner. He gets out and is walking down the street just as she completes her menu descriptions. Prince Jack reads the menu highlights, which are pretty good and have him intrigued, because he's looking for alternatives. She caps her chalk pen, stands up and spins around in time to crash into Prince Jack. They laugh it off and interrupt each other with apologies, and she insists on inviting him in for a coffee on the house, because she runs The Little Diner That Could and she wants to show off her Christmas menu specials. The standoffish, borderline soup nazi that the script and direction made of Jessica had no place in a 90-minute Christmas rom-com, especially with Jack flashing those baby brown eyes all over the place.

Jessica's surprisingly lackadaisical about accepting Prince Jack's offer, and we should have seen her Instagram page showcasing her recipes, then hit the restaurant supply warehouses or whatever with Jack, instead of lollygagging on faux dates with Jack to looking for recipe inspiration. The dinner scene with he queen was believable and a little improbable, too. Yes, I can imagine a woman like her looking down on Jessica for some reason, but the movie sidestepped what the queen's bigger issue with Jessica might have been. I know, it's a romance and they didn't want to get heavy. But it was glaring.

So that's my take on the movie. Nice fluff that somehow was rough around the edges.

The closest I ever came to an HBCU was looking through a catalog for Spelman College as a freshman hopeful. That and faithfully watching "A Different World," to see when Whitley and Dwayne would get it together and be my dream power couple!

So I like the idea that BET is offering another hour-long, prime-time drama closely centered around the lives of Black excellence. Only trouble is right now Dr. Eva Fletcher, as portrayed by the sublime Anika Noni Rose, is one of the few truly excellent things about this show.

It has great potential, with its production value and subject matter. But what is the contemporary HBCU experience, for the students, alum, staff and administrators these days? After eight episodes, I can't say that I'm any more invested in what happens to Cedric Hobbs, Noni Williams, or Cecil Diamond or Sydney Fletcher than when I started watching. And that is saying a-lot because I'm well aware that a murder investigation, band treachery, parental abuse and rape happened to these characters. Despite all of these high-drama plot points, these characters fall short. They feel shallow. For instance, in the promo for Ep. 9, the narrator says, "It's the answer to the mystery we've all been waiting for. Who killed (Cedric's girlfriend)." ARE WE NOW?! The show itself seemed to forget all about the poor young lady for at least 3 episodes in a row. We didn't see flashbacks of their romance. We didn't see Cedric miss her while at school. Did he want to stay behind in Chicago to stay close to her, and does he blame himself for her death because she only came down South to see him? None of this was addressed, *on top of* the fact that we saw very little sleuthing, CSI work, and detective work being done to find out how this poor girl died, and that we cared.

Sydney is lazily written as a rich spoiled brat, a one-and-a-half dimensional Tyler Perry character waiting to be humbled. Noni has potential as a "don't let the sweet face fool you," type of villain, but then again -- what is driving her? In dramas the main people who are evil for no reason are serial killers. Hmmm. The brief, fast-talking diatribes are not enough to establish character, and so the series suffers a bit, I think.

It also doesn't feel contemporary. There is no commitment to deftly handling the issues touching on young Black lives, and it seems like the show's creators have decided to steer clear of entanglements in the major issues and experiences -- except for sexism -- that make us the varied culture that we keep telling the world we are.

Hope is not lost, even though the first season has wrapped. The Quad still makes the Top 50 cable ratings charts. If it gets renewed for a S2, maybe the writing team will pick up on the things that audiences these days gravitate to, whether or not it challenges our religious, political and social dogmas. There's even fodder for "ships," which, if done right can win over a loyal fandom to a show. Who else thought right away that Dr. Fletcher and Coach Hardwick had potential? And what about BoJohn and Tiesha -- "BoEsha" anybody? Laugh now at the wink- wink 90s throwback, but that's easy low-hanging fruit right there, and you didn't even need to hire Brandy's expensive self for a cameo. Anyway, give thinking fans something to cleave to, people make a hashtag for and trend on Twitter during live viewings. There is social media buzz now, but no hive. No Gladiators or Sleepyheads.

I could go on, but I already have, and no one is paying me for my review. :)

I wanted to love this movie. Everything seemed to be in place for an enjoyable, if not groundbreaking, film. It was set in southern France, good-looking and recognizable actors led the cast, and I really admired the vibrant African costumes, the proverbs and music. Despite all this, I didn't love it. Movies are supposed to convey their meaning at the first viewing, but "Secret Laughter" doesn't do that. Nimi and Matthew, as played by Long and Firth (both of whom have played romantic leads before and should have known better), radiate as much warmth and passion as dried fish. I used 'dried fish' deliberately, because it was one of a few - too few - strong lines and moments sprinkled throughout the film. Another winner was when Nimi catches Matthew snooping around her apartment. He finds a book of hers with her first name written on it and says: "Your name is Nimi. I never knew." Then he insists that she call him by his Christian name. I watched this scene intently as Matthew asked Nimi over and over to "say my name", realizing that up until that moment, they always called each other by their last names. I thought this was a turning point for the film, and expected that it get better. It didn't. Why do Nimi and Matthew always seem to stand at ten paces, even in that "say my name" scene? What does Matthew like about Nimi, aside from her obvious beauty? And why would a sensible woman like Nimi fall for a comic book writer who regards his marriage as something he can put on hold when a beautiful exotic 'adventure' comes along? And I'd like to add that it was a little hard for me to get behind a romance built on adultery. Yes, Jenny is a vicious harpy, but if I were in her shoes, but I'd probably match her Cruella tactics to stop my husband from straying. Believe it. The story hints at Nimi's painful past, but never fully explores it. Some critics say Firth seemed a little awkward here, and I agree. For goodness sake, the actor summoned more palpable longing and passion as that early 19th-century snob Mr. Darcy (and while wearing those hideous britches)! As for Long, who did shine in 'Love Jones', there were times when she seemed to concentrate more on her accent than playing her character. Even so, there were many moments – the 'say my name' scene among them – when she was in total control and came across really well.