Mystery Movie Review - The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

Based on the Mrs. Pollifax books (14 total) by Dorothy Gilman, was a movie by CBS, who would later run Angela Landsbury in Murder She Wrote (click here). But in There was an earlier version in1971 with Rosalind Russell the title character in "Mrs. Pollifax-Spy" alongside Darren McGavin in the United Artists film. What I am reviewing today is the 1999 version starring Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Pollifax.  This made-for-TV movie was likely the pilot for a possible follow up series that, sadly, never materialized.  

What It's About:

When her doctor recommends that a widow pursue her unfulfilled life ambitions, he doesn't realize that she has always wanted to be a spy. Sending a letter to her Representative gets her an interview with the C.I.A. and accidentally gets her an assignment to Morocco for a supposedly easy task of picking up an encrypted code book. When the agency realizes their mistake, they send a super-agent to watch over her. Both are taken prisoner and the real agent is injured, leaving Mrs. Emily Pollifax (Dame Angela Lansbury) to use her considerable wits to help them escape and to save the day.

Cast:

Angela Lansbury- Mrs. Emily Pollifax

Thomas Ian Griffith- Jack Farrell

Ed Bishop- Carstairs

Paul Birchard- Bishop

John Light- Robin Hughes-Wright

1999 PG

Run time: 1hour 29 minutes

Writers: Dorothy Gilman and Robert T. Megginson

Director: Anthony Pullen Shaw

My thoughts:

This movie doesn't follow the book of the same name very much.  The book is a bit more espionage-like.  But Angela Landsbury is effortless and shines, making this a fun and quirky movie. This has delightful comedic elements and I had to wonder if "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" wasn't inspired by this movie with its common sense "senior" heroine and comedic mix-ups.  If you want something light and family friendly, check out this lighthearted espionage film.

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