MovieChat Forums > Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (2015) Discussion > Why the low rating?

Why the low rating?

posted 8 years ago by gary-64659
8 replies | jump to latest

The quality of these Jesse Stone tv movies make a joke of Magnum PI, which for some unfathomable reason (unless it's mindless popularity) received the award for "best detective" show from Sleuth TV (when Magnum is much more of a comedy or light-hearted American version of a whodunnit). They are by far the best I have ever seen of Tom Selleck. I'm guessing the invariably low approval scores the Jesse Stones invariably get on this site -- all in the low 7's -- mostly very low 7's -- is because of the sombre tone, unhysterical pace and ultra-realistic acting typical of these Canadian productions that seem to follow in the mold of other detective series from Canada like Da Vinci's Inquest, Blue Murder, and the like.

More comment please.

[–] MaximRecoil 8 years ago

Magnum, P.I. was the best show in TV history. Jesse Stone is a series of made-for-TV movies, with the first one (Stone Cold) being the only one that was particularly good. I've seen them all over the years, and the first one is the only one for which I can even remember the plot.

Thomas Magnum was a very entertaining character, and so was Higgins. Jesse Stone isn't an entertaining character, and neither is anyone else in the series. Without entertaining characters, you need a particularly entertaining plot, and only the first movie had that. By the way, humor is a good thing, especially when it arises from realistic/relatable scenarios as it usually did on Magnum, P.I.

Also the dialog in the Jesse Stone movies is ridiculously stilted. The characters say each other's names far too often (in real life, people rarely say the person's name that they're talking to); they usually avoid contractions; they reply to questions which people would normally answer with a "yes/yeah" or "no", with statements such as "I am", "I am not" "I have", I have not", "I will", "I will not", "I do", "I do not", and so on. Additionally, no one ever says anything offhand or has a believable spontaneous reaction to anything; nearly every line seems carefully rehearsed, and is delivered as if they are saying the most profound thing anyone has ever heard. They all talk pretty much the same way, as if everyone in the Jesse Stone universe lives to constantly engage in carefully crafted verbal battles of wit with each other.

As for acting, Jesse Stone is probably the easiest character Selleck has ever played. Thomas Magnum required range, because he was a believable character who spoke, reacted, laughed, yelled, etc., like a real person. For Jesse Stone, Selleck only needs to hit one note (somber/depressed) and stay there.

This latest Jesse Stone movie was the worst yet. The investigation wasn't at all interesting, and then Stone just stumbles across the person who did it while looking at an arrest log book, and then that person goes straight into cartoon villain mode the very first time we see him onscreen (as if he'd do something so stupid and blatantly self-incriminating after he knows they are onto him), only to be dusted a few minutes later. We didn't even get a cat and mouse game, just, no real leads, no real leads, play benefactor to a "troubled teen" cliché, no real leads, no real leads ... oh, I know who did it! Bam, he's dead.

I don't dance, tell jokes or wear my pants too tight, but I do know about a thousand songs.

[–] gary-64659 8 years ago

If what you want in a detective series is "entertainment" I think you've gone to the wrong place. Besides, there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of more entertaining characters in tv history than Higgins, Thomas Magnum and his two sidekicks -- in just the comedies and variety shows from the Fifties and Sixties alone..

[–] MaximRecoil 8 years ago

If what you want in a detective series is "entertainment" I think you've gone to the wrong place.

Is that a joke? Entertainment is the entire purpose of watching any TV show or movie (and in this movie series, only the first one really succeeded at that from my perspective). Why do you think they are produced by the entertainment industry? Judging from the rest of your post, you seem to think that entertainment equals comedy. It doesn't. Comedy is merely one of many forms of entertainment.

Besides, there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of more entertaining characters in tv history than Higgins

No, there aren't; not even close.

in just the comedies and variety shows from the Fifties and Sixties alone..

None of those were particularly good. The concept of comedy on TV and in movies back then was limited almost entirely to farce and low-rent situational comedy, and farcical comedy is rarely funny. The only funny example I know of is James Best and Sorrell Booke (playing Rosco P. Coltrane and Boss Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard), who did farce and physical comedy better than anyone from the '60s, '50s, or earlier. They ad-libbed much of what they did on that show, and they were masters at it.

As I've already pointed out, the humor on Magnum, P.I. usually arose from realistic/relatable scenarios, which means it wasn't farce-type humor. You can see the exact same type of humor in real life by observing people who don't get along with each other very well, and go out of their way to annoy each other. For example, Magnum telling Higgins he was going to feed "the lads" leftover takeout food from "Macho Taco", and Higgins' reaction to it, was hilarious, and it didn't involve anyone e.g., taking a pratfall. Also, there was far more to them being entertaining characters than just the occasional humor.

Magnum, P.I. wasn't a comedy any more than Columbo was, but they were both frequently funny because of the particular personalities of the characters, and the interactions between them.

I don't dance, tell jokes or wear my pants too tight, but I do know about a thousand songs.

[–] gary-64659 8 years ago

I think you'll find, Maxim, that almost every humanoid is capable of the range of expressions (and more) that Tom Selleck achieves in Magnum PI. Aside from John Hillerman, who's a good actor when he wants to be, what Tom and his sidekicks get up to on Magnum is called "mugging", a slightly toned down version of the face-pulling and physical gallumphing that performers used to get up to in vaudeville. Magnum is pitched at the level of Murder She Wrote or Fantasy Island, hence its disqualification from any proper consideration of the genuine detective genre, and its paling into insignificance as a drama compared with Jesse Stone.

[–] MaximRecoil 8 years ago

I think you'll find, Maxim, that almost every humanoid is capable of the range of expressions (and more) that Tom Selleck achieves in Magnum PI.

In real life. Not so easy to do it on cue, in front of a camera, reciting someone else's words, and have it appear natural / be believable. That's why there's such a thing as bad actors. For example, watch most any cameo in a TV show by a real-life non-actor celebrity (such as a professional athlete, singer, etc.). Same writing, same directing, but the bad acting sticks out like a sore thumb.

Aside from John Hillerman, who's a good actor when he wants to be, what Tom and his sidekicks get up to on Magnum is called "mugging", a slightly toned down version of the face-pulling and physical gallumphing that performers used to get up to in vaudeville.

You don't know what you're talking about. Hillerman and Selleck were both excellent actors on Magnum, P.I., while his "sidekicks" (Mosley and Manetti), weren't. They were okay in most scenes, but they both had a comfort zone, and it was blatantly obvious when they were out of it. None of them did any "mugging", which is precisely the opposite of the natural/believable acting style of the show (except when Mosley and Manetti got out of their comfort zone, but that wasn't mugging, it was just bad acting).

Magnum is pitched at the level of Murder She Wrote or Fantasy Island, hence its disqualification from any proper consideration of the genuine detective genre, and its paling into insignificance as a drama compared with Jesse Stone.

You've obviously never even watched Magnum, P.I., or if you have, it was only one, or few, episodes, a very long time ago. There were 162 episode of Magnum, P.I., ranging from deadly serious (e.g., "Did You See The Sunrise?", "Memories Are Forever") to comedy (e.g., "Paper War"), most of which were entertaining (which is all that actually matters). Just as in real life, some events are more serious than others, and some things people do are funny, even if they don't intend them to be.

Also, consider your laughable attempt to proclaim yourself as arbiter of what does and doesn't qualify as being part of "the genuine detective genre", dismissed out of hand.

And Jesse Stone, aside from the first installment, isn't even very good, and I've already explained why.

I don't dance, tell jokes or wear my pants too tight, but I do know about a thousand songs.

[–] gary-64659 8 years ago

You'll be including Robert Downey Jr & Jude Law in the detective genre next.

[–] MaximRecoil 8 years ago

Your non sequitur is dismissed, and given that you failed to address anything I said, your tacit concession on the whole matter is noted.

I don't dance, tell jokes or wear my pants too tight, but I do know about a thousand songs.

[–] fullautoarmalite 8 years ago

If you like it you like it and if you don't you don't, it really doesn't matter about ratings. This show really does not get a lot of publicity, not really interesting to the younger crowd, forties and up like it.