User reviews

I was excited to see a movie rendition of this charming mystery series. And having Angela Lansbury as the delightful Mrs P. really upped my anticipation. Then I watched it. Mrs Lansbury was a good choice for the main character, and that was about it. The entire show made me wonder if the screen writer had read only bits and pieces of several stories, because that was how the movie played.

This book series deserves attention on the individual books. The situations Mrs Pollifax gets herslf into, and out of, are plenty interesting, full of danger, ingenuity, and intrique, and lend themselves to great "TV movie" telling. I am sorry this show is out there, because people may not read the books after this awful movie. Let's hope Anglea Lansbury can be persuaded to do her again, maybe even produce the shows herself.

I had never read the Mrs. Pollifax books so watching the movie was a completely new experience. I really enjoyed it, Angela Lansbury played the part PERFECTLY. I also think the other actors did a very good job. It was of course a made-for-TV movie which always means low-budget and not-the-best screenplay but overall was very good FOR a TV movie. It seemed choppy switching from the first half to the second half, like it didn't flow very well switching to a new plot...which makes sense. Not many movies have two completely different plots. If you ask me it seemed like two 1 hour TV shows that happened to play back-to-back. However I would very much enjoy seeing this made into a TV series!

Good Sunday afternoon entertainment but not a classic movie in any sense of the word LOL!.

Takes itself, and the actors take themselves just enough tongue in cheek, and with just enough comedy.

Some of the accents are truly (deliberately?) chronically bad!

Some clever unique dramatic content.

(e.g. Love the way CIA bosses conversation with his deputy was split and misunderstood as they climbed the stairs and his deputy did not understand).

Relax and watch it.

Ed Bishopand plays very straight and well while Angela Lansberry also carries the movie well... Easy to follow the characters. Not read the book which is apparemtly very different. The rewrite seems very creditable to me!

Ed Bishop, best known for his brilliant realization of Commander Straker in the epic Science Fiction series, "UFO", makes this otherwise predictable and dull tv movie worth watching. Bishop lends both humor and gravitas to a movie that desperately needs both.

I loved this movie. Although Angela Lansbury is not the Jessica Fletcher we know, she plays a similar role and is unrelenting in her endeavor to resolve this mystery. It is very interesting to see how her dream of being a government agent is realized through a comedy of errors. It is sometimes hard to determine who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. Is he trying to help Mrs. Polifax or help her out of his way? You eagerly await the end of the movie to find out what the plot is and who is involved in the evil deeds. A good drama/mystery that keeps you in suspense and sitting on the edge of your seat until the end of the movie.

This film itself was nothing special. I watched it from in bed early in the morning. The old-lady-as-amateur-spy is nothing really new, and the plot possibilities this could have given weren't really realised. Mrs Pollifax is played well, but the character has an annoying habit of talking to herself.

The best bit of the film is the unexpected cameo/appearance of TV-star Daisy Donovan, who suprisingly isn't listed in the credits on imdb. She doesn't do much other than look pretty, but let's face it, that's quite enough - she's lovely.

Although it has been a while since I seen this flick I truly enjoyed it enough to rate it even now with a 10! The story was well written and the characters were interesting. I could definitely see this movie turning into a series, or more movies that would air from time to time. The interaction between Angela Lansbury and Thomas Ian Griffith was perfect and made you want to see their characters interact more. They both played their parts well and were believable. I hope it airs again, or becomes available to purchase on video. I'd add it to my movie collection. I would also definitely recommend this film to others.

Based on the books by Dorothy Gilman this movie tells the story of an old lady who gets into the spying business. By a funny coincidence Mrs Pollifax becomes an undercover agent for the CIA. Her mission is to get some important documents from Morroco; while pretending to be an ordinary tourist. Things get out of hand when Mrs Pollifax gets kidnapped by a terrorist group. And that's not the only challenge she will face.

The storyline isn't really all that great, and there are some coincidences and plot holes; but the performance of Angela Lansbury as the adorable Mrs. Pollifax definitely makes this movie worth your while.

9 out of 10.

I've been inspired by this film for 17 years now, and I keep going back to watch it. It also motivated me to read most of the books in the Mrs. Polifax series, and when I did, I learned that this film was a combination of plots from two different books. Angela Lansbury provided another stunning, high-quality performance as Mrs. Polifax, in a more edgy and modern context than in her role as Jessica Fletcher on Murder She Wrote. However, Mrs. Polifax is in keeping with Angela Lansbury's persona as a strong and independent female character in search of justice and truth, though this time in a world of spies with competing ambitions and international intrigue. I'm just disappointed that this film didn't turn into a longer series based on the books.

It's been a few years, but I remember thoroughly enjoying this movie. I've listened to the book on tape. Mrs. Polifax is a very interesting character.

She is well played by Angela Lansbury. She shows how strong and smart an older woman can be. I also like the slight hint that the younger attractive man is somewhat smitten with the older woman, and why shouldn't he be. I'm a big Angela Lansbury fan. I have most of the "Murder She Wrote"'s on tape.

I remember the man in the film being very attractive. I was watching Karate Kid 2 and realized that he is in that movie. I would love to see the movie again but have no idea where to get it. If anyone knows, please email me. Thanks.

According to IMDB, "The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax" was likely a pilot episode for a TV series that never materialized. It's a shame, as it would be a cute idea for a TV show.

Mrs. Pollifax (Angela Lansbury) is a bored elderly widow. After her doctor recommends she develop more hobbies, she decides to try to get a job...as a spy for the CIA! The Bureau has no intention of hiring her but through a mistake she IS sent off on an assignment in Morocco! And soon she's drawn into the world of international terrorism! And, she has some amazing instincts for an amateur and MIGHT just survive this crazy assignment.

The show works well because it's all tongue in cheek...as much a comedy as a drama. And, Ms. Lansbury is wonderful in the title role. Well worth seeing and quite a bit different from the original Mrs. Pollifax movie with Rosalind Russell.

They started out with a great idea -- making the beloved Mrs. P. into a movie -- but went about it half-heartedly. Angela Lansbury did a decent job, but otherwise the casting left a lot to be desired. They used most of the good characters from all the other books, leaving no room for more shows (which, under the circumstances was probably a good thing).