Special Delivery (2008 TV Movie) User Reviews (7)

Stink-A-Rooo

[windtar · 5/10 · 26 December 2008]

This movie was awful.

When a Asian guy with a bit part playing a retired cop and has only about 10 minutes of air time is the most interesting character, run for the remote and switch channels.

Its the story of a woman hired to bring a girl from Asia back to Hawaii as her parents battle over custody. The fathers a bigwig in business with guys after him to get his money. The mother is a woman who was screwed over by her husbands power. Sounds interesting right? well, everything i just said takes up only about 10 minutes when pieced together.

The plot would have been good if they picked better actors and defined the storyline better. Both main characters, to me, seemed annoying.

The woman carrier wasn't feminine at all most of the film, and even after the makeup attempt by the young girl, her boyish mannuerisms outweight her beauty. Why her ex-husband still loved her i have no idea. I saw no chemistry between any of the characters.

The Asian girl, from TV show zack & cody i think, was just a brat. This girl is the reason people don't have kids, lol. She wasn't funny nor remotely interesting to me.

The story of bad guys after them could have made for fun adventures to make this movie more interesting, but that was left alone after 2 meek attempts at kidnapping.

The bad guys were explained in the end, but it left the viewers hanging with no finale to that plot.

This is a total chick flick.

I give it a 5, and would recommend it only if nothing else was on TV. If you see something else on that peeks your interest in any way, choose that over this made for TV movie.

Stink-A-Roo

Toxic Masculinity Film

[lavatch · 2/10 · 26 July 2020]

Maxine ("Max") Carter is tasked with escorting a bratty child of a businessman in China to Hawaii for the tidy sum of $30,000, which she will split with her partner Bill. It turns out the film seeks to spin a heartwarming and endearing message in the bonding of Max and the rebellious teen, Alice Cantwell.

The father, Allen Cantrell, has lied to his daughter about the circumstances of his separation from Alice's mom Naomi. The film is slow in revealing that the feckless father lied that Naomi had all but disowned the daughter. Allen used his legal clout to keep mother and daughter separated.

"Special Delivery" never really delivers the goods because of the slow pacing and lightweight narrative. The bonding between Max and Alice is delivered in earnest by the performers. But the ending seemed pat and smarmy, and the narrative slant was to pin the blame on males at every turn.

Postage due: Go back to the drawing boards for a script rewrite with a dastardly villain.

it's good but not great

[arm1606 · 7/10 · 29 December 2008]

This movie is good, but it could have been better. To me, It was good to see over and over again but that was because i am a big Brenda Song fan. I had seen this movie and i understand the story. as far as i know, Brenda's acting was so-so great. Lisa's acting was better than her role on "House".

At first, Alice was a snotty little B****, but towards the end she began to open up to herself and to others. But I have to say, the chemistry between Alice and Max was very unusual. But i'll tell you this much, after watching this movie, I will never see Brenda Song the same way ever again.

I say this movie is worth a look. It was not what i hoped to see, but i did like how well written this story is. But don't take my word for it, you just have to see it for yourself.

Special Delivery Could Have Delivered More ***

[edwagreen · 7/10 · 21 December 2009]

You just know that the difficult 14 year old brat was going to bond with the courier in "Special Delivery."

What was the girl's father really up to? Why did the mother surrender custody at the time of the divorce? What's really going on with the courier's boss? These are some of the questions that could have been handled better.

That being said, we still have a pretty good movie. Of course, it's hard to believe that our "brat" is only 14. She could have passed for a woman.

The bonding between the two girls is really significant given the tragic death of the courier's own daughter, which led to the dissolving of her marriage. By the way, the guy who played the husband could certainly double as an Al Gore-look alike.

much better than the silly review below

[tvmovies · 9/10 · 29 December 2008]

this lady missed the whole point of the movie..it's supposed to be a chick flick, supposed to be a fun romp not a plot-driven drama- two mismatched indviduals...lisa edelstein (from HOUSE) as the divorced, now childless former DA, who can only stand to now work as a joylesss courier has to pick up- unbeknownst to her- Brenda Song (from SUITE LIFE OF ZACK & CODY)- the spoiled brat of a daughter of a wealthy businessman stuck in China...it's less about intricate plotting or an ex-cop and Asian actor chasing them- and more about the dynamics of these two characters completely at odds with one another- on the run ala MIDNIGHT RUN.

Stink a roo indeed- lady you missed the boat, plane and train on this one.

Funny and worth a watch even if it's not the most serious ever film..!

[glitterxx · 8/10 · 11 January 2009]

I see why people mightn't like this movie.. But personally it just sort of worked for me... I only watched it because I am a big fan of Lisa Edelstein. I did find the storyline funny and for a relaxing evening film- I really enjoyed it..

I love Lisa Edelstein and I think she makes the best out of what might not be a great film.. (I love her being "not-feminine" in roles like this)...but for some reason the chemistry between her character and Brenda Song's character a bit weird... it seemed quite put on... (well of course I suppose since they are acting...) I don't know... maybe I'm just not a great Brenda Song fan! (I've never seen her in anything before this...)

Anyway, overall I thought that this was a funny film (I especially loved "I broke my heel" "So break the other one!") and a good chick flick for when you're feeling down!

Uplifting coming of age movie

[KillerRomance · 9/10 · 8 June 2017]

I seen this movie during weekdays and so far it is a joy to watch for a number of reasons. The plot of the movie is about growing wise without growing old and sorrowful, second is friendship, third is about overcoming misunderstandings and gaining trust, and these are daily factors we deal with everywhere.

The outline of the story is set in beautiful Hawaii and Courier Maxine Carter (Edelstein) has a job from a wealthy Business man from China to pick up his Daughter, and Maxine is about to meet her match from hell in the form of spoilt, rich 14 year old Teenager Alice Cantwell (Song) who does have a soft centre to people's pain as they begin to bond, it is up to Maxine to protect Alice from danger lurking by and spies just to send her to the Mother whom Alice is reluctant to see due to disappointment but fathoms to what second chance truly is as she forms a friendship with Maxine due to her past and Maxine's inner demons, then Nate Spencer (Gant) ex Police officer turn Estate Agent offers a helping hand as well as fate comes to play for Maxine.

The setting of the film is breathtaking with nice sandy beaches​, palm trees and crepuscular skies, the cast is unknown to me but they​ hold good chemistry. I am a little confused what one reviewer said about Alice "could pass on for a woman then a 14 year old" but Teenagers do usually look older than their age, that is why they carry ID as proof because people are sceptical​ based on their physical maturity, besides Brenda Song does have a youthful face so she can pass on for being in her Teens despite being a young lady at the same time. Why should she care where Eggs come from? She doesn't have to cook for living like a Princess and that is the funniest part of the movie.

It is a warm, gentle and coming of age movie, it is about learning what a human bond can bring to what you want out of life and anybody can be Daughter or Mother and be a Spiritual Teacher to move on. It isn't just a "chick flick" it is for anyone who wants a relaxing film to watch, it can be sentimental​ at times but I like sentimental. It is a likable and addictive movie to watch. I recommend it