ANTIQUES MAUL

A theatrical mother and a clothes-obsessed daughter combine their talents to solve a murder.

Recently divorced Brandy Borne (Antiques Roadkill, 2006, etc.) and her blind Shih Tzu have moved back to charming Serenity, on the banks of the Mississippi, leaving her son Jake with her ex. Concerned with her mother Vivian’s mental health since she lost her directing job with the local theater group to her former friend Bernice, Brandy suggests they rent a booth at a new antiques mall. At a federal auction, they pick up some bargains for their booth, including a rolltop desk very popular among bidders, to add to the items they have at home, including a cigar-store Indian from Bernice that she begs to buy back. When they’re ready to set up their booth, they even get some help from Jake, who’s visiting on a school break. The mall is run by Brandy’s former teacher Mrs. Norton and her pit bull guard dog, a timid creature named Brad. Brandy and Vivian are shocked when they discover Mrs. Morton apparently mauled to death by Brad. Convinced of Brad’s innocence, Brandy sets out to prove it. There’s not nearly enough Prozac to keep her out of trouble as she struggles to control her madcap mother’s wild ways in their hunt for a killer.

A facetious farrago of fluff that tells you more than you really want to know about shopping.