Fans of Alyssa Milano and Nora Roberts, this one's for you! I had a chance to preview Netflix's new romantic crime thriller, Brazen, starring Alyssa Milano and Sam Page. Brazen is based on on the popular novel, Brazen Virtue, by best-selling author Nora Roberts. I also had a chance to speak with Alyssa Milano about her role in the film, so put on your comfy slippers, grab a glass of wine, and get ready to stream a new murder mystery. Read on for my spoiler-free review, a trailer of the film, and details from my interview, too!
Disclosure: I was given an early screening of Brazen, as well as an opportunity to interview Alyssa Milano, but I was not otherwise compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.
About the Plot
Here's a little blurb about the general plot, straight from Netflix: "Prominent mystery writer and crime expert, Grace (Alyssa Milano), hurries back to her family home in Washington, D.C. when her estranged sister summons her. When her sister is murdered and her double life as a webcam performer is revealed, Grace ignores the warnings of cool-headed detective Ed (Sam Page) and gets involved in the case." The film is directed by Monika Mitchell and produced by Stephanie Germain, Peter Guber, and Peter E. Strauss. The screenplay was written by Suzette Couture, Donald Martin, Edithe Swensen, and is based on Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts.
Watch a Trailer of Brazen
Check out this official trailer for Netflix's Brazen:
Interviewing Alyssa Milano About Her Role in Brazen
When I was a little girl, I used to have a picture of Alyssa Milano taped to the dresser next to my bed. I thought she was so pretty, and I wanted to look just like her. I thought if I fell asleep with her photo there, maybe I'd wake up looking like her. Ah, young minds! Anyway, I digress. Flash forward a few decades, and here I am chatting with Alyssa Milano in my kitchen (well, she wasn't physically in my kitchen, but modern technology put her there through a Zoom call).
"I'm a huge true crime fan, also, I write, and I'm pretty brazen myself, so I was able to identify a lot of who I am with the character," Alyssa told me. Alyssa is not only an actress, but a producer, host, activist, entrepreneur, humanitarian and NY Times Best-Selling author (and a mom!). Fans of the Nora Roberts book have been waiting a long time for this movie adaptation, and they sure can be vocal about who they want portraying their favorite characters. I can assure you all, Alyssa's done ya proud! She embodies this character and is really the shining spot in this film. Alyssa told me that she read Nora's book and felt that the film did a great job of staying true to the plot and modernizing it a bit, too (since the original novel was released in 1998). "I wanted to be true to Nora's vision, not only because I think that's respectful, but also because I know how many people love her books. I knew that I had to portray Grace in the way that they saw her when they read the book." I also asked Alyssa if she had a chance to speak with Nora Roberts herself, and indeed she did. "I had one question for her," Alyssa said, "which was- tell me something about Grace that is not on the page, that is not in the book, not in the script. Tell me one thing about her that you think encapsulates everything about her. And she said, well, Grace is the kind of girl who will jump up on a kitchen counter and drink a beer out of the bottle and have a slice of pizza. Just that little piece of information can change your perspective. You think about this author who writes true crime books, which is what Grace does, that can be taken in a lot of different directions as a character, but when Nora gave me that little piece, I was like, I know who this woman is now." I agreed with a nod, saying that it helped to 'humanize' (or personify) the character. "That's exactly right," said Alyssa, "It makes her more of a real person." As a writer myself, I really appreciated Alyssa's desire to seek the author's input, as well as delve into the personality traits of her character.
Check out a short clip of my interview with Alyssa Milano! Click on the bottom right side of the video to make it larger.
The Jersey Momma's Spoiler-Free Review
If you are a fan of Nora Roberts or Alyssa Milano, you'll enjoy this film. Alyssa really embodies this character and does a great job of making Grace come to life on screen. I felt like I was really watching Grace and not Alyssa Milano. Nora Roberts fans will find the storyline very true to the book, and can rest-assured that their beloved characters are well-represented. True crime fans might find the plot a bit predictable and at times a little outlandish (sorry, Nora, but it still bugs me that Grace was allowed to assist in this crime case! If it were only that simple in real life!). Remember that this is a movie based on a book- a romantic thriller - so you get exactly that. It's entertaining, somewhat steamy, and fun to try to solve on your own (I had to restrain myself from skipping to the end to see whodunnit). If you're looking for a way to unwind at the end of the day with a modern mystery thriller (with a lil' romance, too), then this one's for you!
Brazen is now streaming on Netflix!
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