When I reviewed Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans back in April, that movie became the best Hallmark mystery of 2024. Now six months later, Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans is still the best Hallmark mystery movie of the year! When I learned Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit was on the horizon, I was so excited for the film’s release. Part of my excitement was due to how much I liked Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans. The Curious Caterer series is one of the strongest series Hallmark has ever created. The strength of Nikki Deloach’s and Andrew W. Walker’s performances, as well as their on-screen chemistry, is one reason why Curious Caterer has been an enjoyable collection of films. It also helps how the movies have been well written. Can Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit be just as good as Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans? Keep reading my review to find out!

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: As I said in my review of Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker, the strength of the cast can add to the story’s intrigue. Even though the acting has been consistently successful in the Curious Caterer series, this is impressive when you consider the series has utilized a rotating secondary cast! I have always liked Jaycie Dotin’s portrayal of Marla Maguire. I not only liked her performance in Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit, I also think she and Luke Camilleri had really nice on-chemistry! When Marla meets Jax backstage before the concert, he shares a memento from his late sister. His entire demeanor is sad, yet he appears appreciative when Marla asks about the memento. Marla’s tone of voice indicates she’s trying to be understanding of Jax’s situation. Later in the film, when Jaycie and Luke appear together in another scene, Jax and Marla are all smiles. They both look comfortable in each other’s company and seem to enjoy spending time with one another. I hope Luke and Jaycie star together in another Hallmark production!

Another strength of the Curious Caterer series is the strong on-chemistry of Nikki Deloach and Andrew W. Walker. Their portrayals of Goldy and Tom were, once again, one of the best parts of the movie! Now that these characters have an established, romantic relationship, they received more opportunities to spend time together in Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit. While observing Goldy’s mystery board, Tom asks why Selena would kiss her former band member, Derek. Goldy then proceeds to kiss Tom. After the kiss, Tom asks her if the kiss was meant to be evidence. Goldy happily replies she just wanted a reason to kiss him. Tom and Goldy’s interaction in this scene was not only sweet, it also felt genuine. Andew and Nikki’s acting abilities made their characters’ interactions enjoyable to watch!

A behind-the-scenes look at the music industry: The mystery in Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit revolves around the death of a band member during a live performance. Because the band and those surrounding them are consistently involved in the story, the movie’s creative team gave the audience a peek behind the music industry’s curtain. During a discussion between Tom and the band’s manager, Nicola, Tom learns each band member was insured in order to keep investors happy. This was new information to me, as I had never heard of musicians being insured before. Prior to the concert, Goldy and Marla were preparing to make their catered food. They were told by the band’s electrician, Sam, they could only use one electrical socket due to the older age of the venue and the other plugged-in electrical equipment. When people attend a concert or a live performance, they are so focused on what is happening on stage, details like a venue’s age or electrical power grids may not cross their minds. Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit showed what goes into planning and delivering a musical event.

Incorporating serious, real-world topics: Hallmark productions, whether it’s a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie or a Christmas film, sometimes include serious, real-world topics into their scripts. What can make or break a script is how these serious, real-world topics are incorporated into the story. The way these kinds of topics were included in Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit was more subtle, yet there was enough information for the audience to understand what was happening. As Goldy is serving drinks to the band members before the concert, she reassures Derek (a recovering alcoholic) there are no alcoholic ingredients in his drink. Because Derek’s drink and Jax’s drink appear similar, Goldy stops Derek from consuming Jax’s drink, which contains rum. This mistake causes Derek to accuse Jax of trying to break his sobriety. The scene I just described felt like a realistic interaction, with the subject of addiction naturally woven into the dialogue. This was made possible by the quality of the acting performances as well as the screenwriting.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Miscast characters: Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit begins twenty years ago, with the band, The Faithfuls, celebrating the success of their single, “Love Me Always”. This opening scene implies the band members are in their early twenties, especially since they all share a bottle of champagne. Several scenes later, when Marla and Goldy explain to Olive who The Faithfuls are, Goldy and Marla claim they were high-schoolers twenty years ago. When the band members are reintroduced in the story, they appear to be the same age as Marla and Goldy. This creative flaw is not the fault of Garrett Black, Luke Camilleri, and Tammy Gillis, as they all did a good job with the provided acting material. However, I do fault the casting director for not recruiting actors who appeared older than Goldy and Marla.

Goldy’s limited involvement in the case: Throughout the Curious Caterer series, Goldy has worked alongside Tom to solve a given case. But in Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit, Goldy’s involvement in the case is limited. She still created a mystery board (which she and Marla called “Rhythm and Clues”) and helped Tom solve the mystery. Compared to the other films in the Curious Caterer series, Tom did the majority of the sleuthing. Goldy did not question potential suspects or gather clues as much as she has before. She and Tom seemed to be on separate pages when it came to catching the culprit.

Lack of food footage: In my reviews of other Curious Caterer films, I have either praised the creative team for their use of close-ups of appetizers or criticized the creative team for their lack of close-ups of food. Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit adopted the latter flaw, as there were barely any shots of Goldy’s catered food at the concert. In the greenroom, there were a few close-up shots of the band members’ drinks. A quick shot of vegan drumsticks was featured in a fan’s video. But other than these, the audience isn’t given a clear idea of what else Goldy served at the event. To me, this was a missed opportunity, especially since I was curious why Marla and Goldy needed to use an air fryer.

My overall impression:

With Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit being the fifth movie in the series, this collection of films has found its rhythm (no pun intended) and understood what works for the overall story. Components like the acting, humor, and prioritizing the mystery have been consistently strong. There were even times when a Curious Caterer movie improved upon the flaws of the preceding chapter. I liked Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit! The peek behind the music industry’s curtain gave this film a unique identity. Serious, real-world topics, such as addiction, were thoughtfully incorporated into the script. Even though I thought the fifth movie in the Curious Caterer series was good, I still think Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans was slightly stronger. Goldy’s involvement in Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit’s case was limited, making it seem like she and Tom were on separate pages when it came to solving the mystery. I also believe the band members should have appeared older than Goldy and Marla. As of the publication of this review, Hallmark has not made any official announcements for movies premiering in 2025. But if there are more Curious Caterer films in the works, I would like to see a seasonal picture, such as a Christmas or Halloween themed Curious Caterer production!

Overall score: 7.6-7.7 out of 10

Have you seen Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit? Would you like to see more Curious Caterer films in 2025? Please tell me in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen