A Little Thing Called Murder (2006)

It might be hard to believe this story if it wasn't true. For the record, I'd never heard of any of this until I watched this, nor have I read the book. I cannot comment on how close this stays to the actual events. I understand that this is a comedy, and I suppose I can see how some, maybe even most, would find it funny. Not a single thing made me crack a hint of a smile in this, but then again, I do not have a great tolerance for unbelievably irritating and obnoxious women, and apart from this featuring that one from According to Jim who's being so is her sole "joke"(not that that show has a lot of hilarity going on anyway... I digress), the lead is also portraying one such individual. I don't blame the actress. In fact, let's clear that up right away: The performances are spot-on, everyone is credible, and Davis does marvelous. I would guess that the behavior is close to that of the real Sante, and *she* is the one I have the real beef with. The plot is interesting enough, and well-told. Pacing is good. The editing and cinematography are nice. This holds mild violence, disturbing content and a little sexuality. I recommend this to those who like films about con artists. 7/10

And truth is definitely stranger than fiction.Richard Benjamin hit just the perfect note in making this story a campy comedy rather than trying to make it a serious study of what are serious crimes. I'm not sure that Sante's and Kenny's behaviors and crimes could have been portrayed realistically (I didn't see the Mary Tyler Moore version) and have the viewer actually buy into how Sante and Kenny really lived, particularly since these were mother and son crimes rather than husband and wife crimes.The entire production was a laugh riot simply because Sante's outrageous behavior was portrayed by a pitch perfect Judy Davis. Her portrayal of Sante's fainting spell in the courtroom wherein she managed to go down for the count while making sure to hold her wig in place is surely one of the most artfully orchestrated short scenes in film.When the film ended it was hard for me to believe that I'd sat rooted to the couch for two hours because it felt like only about 30 minutes had passed.For lovers of true crime and/or just general lovers of great stories and/or just terrific performances, this movie is for you. 10/10.

We're told that the Sante and Kenny Kimes is a true story. Not even Tennessee Williams would have dare to dream up a mother/son relationship like this one. Horribly funny. Monstruosly entertaining. Judy Davis is, quite simply, spectacular. Although Richard Benjamin (the director) seems to go for the campy aspects of this outrageous tale, Judy Davis keeps it rooted to some kind of illogical logic. Sante's madness is a first for the screen. Part Bette Davis, part Judy Garland but one hundred per cent Judy Davis. If that seems like an absurdity, look at the movie. Sante/Judy is in constant movement even when she's standing still. A fearless magnificent performance. If this little murder had been a big screen movie. Judy would, certainly, be nominated for an Oscar.

I love Judy Davis in almost anything she does, and absolutely was blown away by her performance in "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" a few years ago. And while I wasn't sure if it was necessary to re-tell this story that was done in 2001 with Mary Tyler Moore called "Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes" which was not a bad TV movie, this version was done well enough that it is a different kind of movie.And as much as I love Judy, I felt like I was watching Judy Garland do this role, sort of like she was channeling Judy Garland playing Sante Kimes. It was totally watchable though, even though knowing it's a true story (at least the facts of the story) make it all the more interesting to watch. I should have taped it though (yes, I'm still in the VCR world occasionally,) because I cannot stand the incessant and never-ending commercials on Lifetime...