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Murder in a Small Town

  • TV Movie
  • 19991999
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
591
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
20,343
1,012
Murder in a Small Town (1999)
CrimeThrillerMystery
A widowed theatre director moves to a small Connecticut town where he gets involved in solving the murder of a millionaire, who was the most despised man in town.A widowed theatre director moves to a small Connecticut town where he gets involved in solving the murder of a millionaire, who was the most despised man in town.A widowed theatre director moves to a small Connecticut town where he gets involved in solving the murder of a millionaire, who was the most despised man in town.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
591
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
20,343
1,012
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Joyce Chopra
    • Writers
      • Gilbert Pearlman
      • Gene Wilder
    • Stars
      • Gene Wilder
      • Mike Starr
      • Terry O'Quinn
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Joyce Chopra
    • Writers
      • Gilbert Pearlman
      • Gene Wilder
    • Stars
      • Gene Wilder
      • Mike Starr
      • Terry O'Quinn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 12User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos

    Murder in a Small Town (1999)
    Elisabeth Rosen in Murder in a Small Town (1999)
    Murder in a Small Town (1999)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Gene Wilder
    Gene Wilder
    • Cash Carter
    Mike Starr
    Mike Starr
    • Tony
    Terry O'Quinn
    Terry O'Quinn
    • Sidney Lassiter
    Cherry Jones
    Cherry Jones
    • Mimi
    Frances Conroy
    Frances Conroy
    • Martha Lassiter
    Deirdre O'Connell
    Deirdre O'Connell
    • Kate Faxton
    Ebon Moss-Bachrach
    Ebon Moss-Bachrach
    • Billy
    Elisabeth Rosen
    Elisabeth Rosen
    • Sophie Carter
    Terri Hawkes
    Terri Hawkes
    • Esther
    David Fox
    David Fox
    • Walter Godlin
    Carlo Rota
    Carlo Rota
    • Charles
    Matthew Edison
    Matthew Edison
    • Albert Lassiter
    Ben Bass
    Ben Bass
    • Michael
    Sten Eirik
    • Thin Man…
    Renee Murphy
    • Vickie
    Kate Hennig
    • Mary, the Maid
    Craig Eldridge
    Craig Eldridge
    • Detective Eddy
    Sam Malkin
    • Medical Examiner
    • Director
      • Joyce Chopra
    • Writers
      • Gilbert Pearlman
      • Gene Wilder
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Features Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
    • Soundtracks
      You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me
      Music by Harry Warren

      Lyrics by Al Dubin

      Played at the French restaurant

      Sung during the final scene

    User reviews12

    Review
    Top review
    Average film for the undemanding mystery daytime TV fan
    Having lost his wife in a violent crime, theatre director Larry "Cash" Carter moves to a small town in Connecticut to get away from the stresses of bigger city life. Looking for funding for his latest play, Cash comes into contact with local millionaire Sidney Lassiter who immediately rubs him up the wrong way by being anti-Semitic and demanding. And so Cash finds himself just one of many people that have a reason to dislike Lassiter. So later that night when Cash's friend Lt Tony Rossini tells him that he is investigating Lassiter's murder, Cash helps out and gets involved in the case.

    Having seen "The Lady in Question" and found it bland and undemanding fare, I still decided to give the other film in the stalled series a try. Like the second film this is very undemanding fare that will fit nicely with audiences that enjoy the basic mystery movies on Hallmark and the like (Mystery Woman, Jane Doe etc). The plot is interesting without ever getting going although the development of the case is reasonably engaging. Of course this means it lacks any depth which is rarely a problem when a film is slick and stylish, sadly this one tends to move sluggishly as if it has nowhere to go and nothing to do – an approach that rather flies in the face of face of the fact that a murder has occurred! The director does well if this was her aim but otherwise she plays it far too slowly and with a sense of urgency that was needed underneath.

    The cast match this meandering approach and with a bit more help could have pulled it off. As it is they are just reasonably good in an average film. Wilder is a bit more interesting here than in the second film (where it did feel like he was just moments away from falling asleep at times). Here he is actually pretty good fun despite the material. Starr's character doesn't make a great deal of sense but he is a fun character. The two men have a bit of chemistry but it is difficult to believe they know one another that well because they don't merge that well – I assume this is part of the reason that the series didn't catch on. The support cast features turns from Lost's O'Quinn and Six Feet Under's Conroy and others like Edison and Rosen. None of them have much to do though and generally their characters are just quite thin.

    Overall this is a mediocre or average film that might just be good enough to distract viewers who aren't looking for much more than that. The cast match the amiable and ambling mood which makes for some nice touches but generally just slows the film down further.
    helpful•2
    3
    • bob the moo
    • Jun 20, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 10, 1999 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site (A&E)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mord i byn
    • Filming locations
      • Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • A&E Television Networks
      • Crystal Sky Worldwide
      • Fred Berner Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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