Brazen (2022)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Brazen (2022)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Length: 94 minutes
Rating: TV-14
Production/Distribution: Eponymous Production, Mandalay Pictures, Netflix
Director: Monika Mitchell
Writer:  Nora Roberts, Edithe Swensen, Donald Martin, Suzette Couture
Actors: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Malachi Weir, Emilie Ullerup, Matthew Finlan, Alison Araya, Colleen Wheeler, David Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Barry W. Levy, Lossen Chambers, Aaron Paul Stewart, Jack Armstrong
 
Blurb from IMDb: When her sister is killed and her double life as a webcam performer is revealed, Grace ignores the warnings of a cool-headed detective and gets involved in the case.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in Brazen. It only made my top 20 for the month because there was a lot of garbage coming out. I was also interested in seeing Alyssa Milano (Insatiable, Tempting Fate, Charmed) in action again. I hadn’t seen her in anything in a while. If this film is any indication, I know why.
 
There was very little redeemable about this flick. The acting, while bad, was the least of it.
 
I had the killer pegged from their very first scene. Sometimes, that kind of predictability can be attributed to the fact that I watch hundreds of movies a year – but I don’t think so this time. I think just about anyone would have had this one figured out.
 

I’ve seen projects make good use out of that kind of predictability and still come up with something watchable. In this case, the creators of Brazen almost definitely thought they were adding a significant twist. They were very wrong.
 
There were parts that dipped into the kind of bad that I had fun laughing at – but most of it was the eye-rolling kind.
 
I’ve never seen a more made-for-TV flick in my life. And I’ve seen a lot of Asylum stuff. I cannot recommend Brazen.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
When I learned that Brazen was an adaptation of a Nora Roberts (Tribute, Blue Smoke, Angels Fall) novel, I had a good idea of how everything was going to play out. Had there been fewer films that had intrigued me more, it might have squeaked onto my top 20, though, simply because I have a nostalgic attachment to Alyssa Milano.
 
As for the story of Brazen, it was a fairly paint-by-numbers murder mystery with a dash of romance.
 
I liked the characters involved and was able to generally invest in the story. Unfortunately, the trajectory of the narrative was grossly predictable. The love story aspect didn’t explore any new territory, either. There were some adorable moments, but overall, it was a been-there-done-that situation.
 

Nora Roberts’ books aren’t generally my cup of tea. I’m familiar with her, in general, after seeing her name in giant print on books in the grocery store over the years. She’s a rather prolific author and has a massive following. I’m just not among the throng of her adoring fans. I tend to like more fantasy or sci-fi aspects worked in with my mysteries or crime procedurals. Either that or a good period piece with historical fiction. Brazen is squarely in the modern age in the real world with nothing mystical involved. The fact that it was made at a TV-14 rating further ensured that the love scenes would also be a bit watered down.
 
If you enjoy movies on the Lifetime or Hallmark channels, you might get something out of Brazen. It has a bit more substance and wit than a lot of the saccharine and soapy stories that air on those networks.
 
All told, Brazen just didn’t hold my interest. It wasn’t horrible, though. I just likely won’t remember it down the line.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score –18%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 14%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 3.9/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5
 
Movie Trailer: