''Happy Face Murders'' is a 1999 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

crime drama film In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

directed by

Brian Trenchard-Smith Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith (born 1946) is an English-Australian filmmaker and author, known for his idiosyncratic and satirical low-budget genre films. His filmography covers action, science fiction, martial arts, dystopian fiction, comedy, ...

. It is based on a real story. It was shot in 21 days and is one of director Brian Trenchard-Smith's favourite films.James Chappell, "The Wizard of Oz: An Interview with Brian Trenchard-Smith", ''Screen Highway'' 22 May 2012
accessed 7 February 2013

Plot synopsis

Lorraine Petrovich (

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

) frames her abusive lover killing a young intellectually disabled girl by creating details of the murder from clues she picks up from Detective Jennifer Powell (

Marg Helgenberger Mary Marg Helgenberger (born November 16, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career in the early 1980s and first came to attention for playing the role of Siobhan Ryan on the daytime soap opera ''Ryan's Hope'' from 1982 to 1986. She is ...

). Powell works the case with law doctoral student Dylan McCarthy (

Henry Thomas Henry Jackson Thomas Jr. (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and had a lead role in the film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), for which he won a Young Artist Award and received Golden Globe ...

), whom she repeatedly calls "Doc", despite McCarthy not actually being a doctor yet. After implicating herself, resulting in her jail sentence, she then recants her testimony but no one believes her, until clues surface from the real killer, who leaves messages that he is still out there, has killed before, and will kill again, signing his victims with Happy Faces.

Cast

as Lorraine Petrovich *

as Jennifer Powell *

as Dylan McCarthy *

Nicholas Campbell Nicholas Campbell (born 24 March 1952) is a Canadian film, television and voice actor and filmmaker, who won three Gemini Awards for acting. He is known for such films as ''Naked Lunch'', '' Prozac Nation'', ''New Waterford Girl'' and the tel ...

as Rusty Zuvic *

Rick Peters Rick Peters (born June 1, 1967 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American actor. He has appeared in several films and numerous television shows, and is perhaps best known for his role as Australian Bobby Manning in '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye''. He also p ...

as Billy Lee Peterson *

David McIlwraith David McIlwraith is a Canadian actor who has appeared in numerous television series and in several films since the 1970s. He co-starred in the 1993 television series ''White Fang'' and also had a prominent role as Dr. Reginald Murdoch in the 2001 ...

as Alan Sanford *

Bruce Gray Bruce Gray (September 7, 1936 – December 13, 2017) was a Canadian actor, known for multiple roles in films and television shows for over 5 decades. Early Years Gray was born in Puerto Rico and lived in Toronto after 1949. He graduated from ...

as Ephraim Quince * J. C. Mackenzie as Ed Baker *

Emily Hampshire Emily Hampshire (born 1979) is a Canadian actress. Her best known roles include Angelina in the 1998 romantic comedy '' Boy Meets Girl'', Vivienne in the 2006 film '' Snow Cake'', Jennifer Goines in the Syfy drama series '' 12 Monkeys'' (2015� ...

as Tracy Billings *Christina Collins as Nancy Severn *Sean Dick as Charlie Severn *Lynne Deragon as Virginia Billings * Anthony J. Mifsud as Gary Martin (uncredited)

Reception

David Nusair of ''Reel Film Reviews'' gave a positive review on Marg Helgenberger's performance, writing she "provides enough charm to make it worth a look."

References

External links

*
Review
at ''Variety''
Review
at ''Los Angeles Times'' {{Brian Trenchard-Smith 1999 television films 1999 films 1999 crime drama films American crime drama films Films directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith Showtime (TV network) films Paramount Pictures films American drama television films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language crime drama films