Look, we all know where ION movies sit in this hierarchy: a step down from Hallmark in terms of budget and actors, and usually even more saccharine. This was no exception, with OK (if stereotypical) acting all around, though rather extreme overacting on the part of the matriarch. The pretty protagonist had more personality than is usual for ION movies, even more than some Hallmark movies. The mystery itself was not bad, at least not guessable within 5 minutes. For me there was one real hole (small spoiler coming): the espresso machine was supposed to cause the power outage when she hit the brew button, but the main power draw in an espresso machine is the boiler element, and that would have already been on (you can't draw espresso from a machine you've just switched on); the power draw of the pump is minimal, around 100 Watts for a Nema motor driving a rotary pump. Also, this 'barista' only half-loaded the portafilter; she was planning to fill a small samovar from that? Picky, I know, but when they sourced a decent commercial espresso machine maybe they could have borrowed the dealer's expertise for a bit?
Review of The Case of the Christmas Diamond
The Case of the Christmas Diamond
(2022 TV Movie)
Entertaining for what it was; mystery not totally predictable
18 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers