For this blog follower dedication review, I was originally going to write about the PixL movie, The Cookie Mobster. However, that film became the worst one I’ve seen this year, so far. Because I feel my readers and followers deserve a better movie and because I just reviewed a bad movie two weeks ago (Chasing Leprechauns), I chose a different film for this post. Recently, I watched the 1987 TV movie, Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love, as it happened to be on my DVR. Mystery related media are some of my most popular content, so this review will be a treat for my readers! Even though some films are stronger than others, I have enjoyed the Perry Mason movie series. Three of these films have been covered on my blog, with all of them receiving good scores. Will Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love receive a similar score? Keep reading my review if you want to find out!

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: Jean Simmons is an actress who I have talked about before, when I reviewed Howl’s Moving Castle two years ago. While that movie was the first of Jean’s I saw, she had a voice-acting role in that film. Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love contains the first live-action role of Jean’s I have seen! What I liked about her portrayal of Laura Robertson is how Jean carried a certain amount of grace throughout the movie. She also gave a different persona to a character of this nature. In films where a woman is involved with politics, the female politicians are usually portrayed with a “no nonsense” personality. Laura Robertson is different because she had a gentler personality, despite running for the United States Senate. Even though he appeared in the movie for a short amount of time, I liked Jonathan Banks’ portrayal of Luke Dickson! He was so expressive; he was like a chameleon. The meeting at the restaurant between Laura’s husband, Glenn, and Luke showcases a perfect example. Jonathan’s face displayed a variety of expressions. Toward the beginning of the meeting, Luke appears serious, as his face is set and he is glaring at Glenn. As he brings up some compromising information, Luke’s face brightens up and he becomes a bit animated.

The Robertson’s house: Despite appearing in the film for less than five scenes, I liked seeing the Robertson’s house in Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love! The house’s exterior was presented in the dark. But from what the audience can see, the house was covered in a gray stone brick. On the left side of the house, a stone cylinder was connected, making the house look like a castle. The most prominently featured part of the house’s interior is the staircase. Notable details are wrought-iron stair rails and a stained-glass window. These design details give subtle clues of how well off the Robertsons are.

The open discussion of mental health treatment: Because of Laura’s history with mental health, the subject of mental health treatment was briefly discussed in this film. While she is afraid this part of her life will prevent her from becoming a Senator, she still willingly brings it up. There is no shame detected in the voices and faces of the characters who address Laura’s mental health treatment. A debate about which kind of treatment is appropriate is even included in the script. This openness toward mental health treatment seems ahead of its time, as society is more aware of mental health now than four decades ago. It also highlights the importance of this particular subject.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Ignored story points: A few story points within Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love’s script were ignored throughout the movie. One example is mentioned toward the beginning of the film. When Luke first called Glenn, he mentions a long-lost son who lives in Arizona. But when Glenn meets up with Luke at a local restaurant, this son was never brought up. In fact, this son is never referenced again. I was disappointed because I was not only curious to see who would portray this mysterious character, but also discover what role this long-lost son would play in the overall mystery. It makes me wonder why this “scandal” was included in the first place?

A late start time for the mystery: As I have said before, I am not a fan of mystery films that start their mysteries at later times. Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love is a movie that does this. The murder victim wasn’t discovered until about twenty minutes into the film. While this timespan featured build-up to this discovery, I think the mystery could have started sooner. In my opinion, introduction of characters and their connections should have been taken care of in the movie’s first ten minutes. The discovery of the murder victim could have taken place at the movie’s fifteen-minute mark.

The closeness of Perry and Laura’s relationship: Within this story, Perry reveals how he and Laura used to be a romantic couple. When Laura’s husband, Glenn, asks Perry if he still has feelings for Laura, Perry says no. However, his and Laura’s actions say otherwise. When Laura and Perry have drinks at a local hotel, they hold hands at one point, with Laura kissing Perry on the cheek. Later that night, Perry brings Laura to her house. Before Perry leaves, he and Laura share a kiss. I found these romantic displays of affection unnecessary. With Laura married and Perry going his own separate way, it felt like the actions among the characters were chosen just to get a reaction from the audience.

My overall impression:

Like I mentioned in the introduction, I have enjoyed the Perry Mason movie series. The films within this series I have reviewed received good scores, as I liked what I saw. However, Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love was weaker than those three movies. It definitely wasn’t bad, but I feel it could have been stronger. A long-lost son being briefly brought up, but never mentioned again took away some intrigue from this story. Similar to what I said in my review of Edward, My Son, the opportunity for an actor to achieve his “standing ovation” through this role was not available because this part of the story was abandoned. The film contained other flaws, like a later start time for the mystery and the unnecessary closeness of Perry and Laura’s relationship. But there are things about the movie I can appreciate. The openness of mental health treatment was a topic I never expected to hear addressed in a Perry Mason film. While there were advancements and progress made within the field of mental health in the ‘80s, society’s perceptions of this topic were not the same in 1987 as they are now. This reminded me of The Boy Who Could Fly, where the use of therapy was normalized. It was a pleasant surprise to see a Perry Mason film address this subject! Before I finish this review, I’d like to thank all of 18 Cinema Lane’s followers! My blog would have never reached this amount of success without you!

Overall score: 7.1 out of 10

Have you seen any of the Perry Mason films? Do you enjoy my mystery related content? Please tell me in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen