Murder, Mystery and Meredith
There are movies you remember, there are movies you wish you could forget and then there are movies which are so ordinary you don't even remember watching them. "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" is one of these movies, a made for TV thriller which plays out and when it is over you don't really remember much of what happened. It's not that "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" is bad although the storyline is full of plot holes and contrivances but it is all so very mediocre and seems to rely on the appeal of Meredith Baxter to keep you entertained.
D.A. Kerry McGrath (Meredith Baxter - Bound by a Secret) gets a shock whilst in the waiting room of a doctors as she sees a woman who is the spitting image of one who died over a decade earlier. Intrigued Kerry starts digging around in the old case which saw Skip Reardon (Art Hindle) end up behind bars for the murder of his wife and she finds herself working with Skip's lawyer Geoff Dorso (Victor Garber - The First Wives Club) in trying to uncover the truth. But there are many who do not welcome Kerry's digging around in the old murder case and it not only puts her job on the line but also puts the life of her daughter at risk.
In so many ways "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" is a typical movie, visually it is typical, character wise it is typical and story wise it is typical. That means whilst we have this interesting set up which sees Kerry becoming intrigued by a woman who has had plastic surgery and looks like someone who died a decade earlier what follows is ordinary. Kerry investigates, miraculously not only does the case end up involving people close to her but also a mobster whose legal representation just happens to be Kerry's ex husband. Throw in a few near misses as Kerry is threatened and her daughter is nearly killed and nothing about it is any different to any other TV thriller, even the twist ending isn't a shock. Oh and just for good measure they throw in a bit of romance as Kerry and Geoff have feelings for each other although of course she denies this.
What this all means is that "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" is an uninteresting movie because you know that firstly there will be huge gaps in the crime being solved so following it closely isn't important and right at the end a twist will be pulled out of nowhere. It is all so ordinary and whilst director Bill Corcoran has done a fair job of delivering a typical TV thriller it just doesn't come alive or feels different to any other movie.
In the end "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" whilst not a star vehicle seems to rely on the loveliness of Meredith Baxter to keep you watching and in fairness Baxter is lovely but her character is weak. Ironically whilst the character of Kerry McGrath is weak it is the strongest one in the movie which also sees Victor Garber as Geoff and Nick Mancuso as former husband Bob.
What this all boils down to is that "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" is your stereotypical made for TV thriller which whilst watchable is immediately forgettable. It relies heavily on the likeability of Meredith Baxter to keep you watching because otherwise we have a plot hole filled thriller with more than a few contrivances.
