Plum crazy

A while back I'd heard that the first of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels was being turned into a film (it's not as if the author hasn't been gunning for this from the get-go). The titles on the novels are sequentially numbered, the easier to read them in order. The first few are hilarious and great fun; after about number eight the quality is uneven, as various ghosts take over much of the writing duties. Still, they are quick, light reading with an ever-expanding cast of strange, yet strangely endearing characters.

My first reaction on hearing Katherine Heigl was cast as Stephanie was a shudder. Stephanie is described as a half Hungarian, half Italian Jersey girl with frizzy curly brown hair and barely Bs. The curvaceous Katherine is a bit of a miscast physically. Colored and permed hair took care of most of the outward characteristics, but somehow, Katherine doesn't exactly say "jersey girl" to me.

I've recently viewed the trailer. It appears that the casting agency has about as many misses as hits. They are batting fifty percent on the two men who play Ms. Plum's love interests. If you can handle a classically trained Irish actor playing an Italian-American cop, you'll like Jason O'Mera as Morelli. Ranger, the second love interest, is being played by Daniel Sunjata, more known for his theater than film work. He's cute, but can't possibly live up to the Ranger mystique. Shemar Moore would have been a better choice.

One of the craziest, but most loved characters in the books is Stephanie's maternal grandmother, Grandma Mazur. The old lady visits funeral viewings for a social life, carries a long barrel .45 in her purse and is up for any sort of adventure, assuming her dentures stay in and she doesn't have to walk too far. Here, the casting agency lost their collective minds, giving the part to Debbie Reynolds.

Debbie Reynolds??!!


Doesn't fit. At all. The late Estelle Getty, in her role from The Golden Girls, is how I've always imagined Grandma Mazur. Ms. Reynolds is a fine actress, but not fit for this role.

Eh - another movie I'll wait to see on video. I don't think it's going to be a long wait.