User reviews

The murder plot is actually pretty ingenious, and the murderer, actor Billy Connoly, is quite interesting as Columbo's foil. But the writing is dreadful, as it leaves tons of stuff unexplained and puts in tons of stuff for no seeming purpose or connection to the plot. Early on, when Columbo drives the killer home in an endlessly long scene, it is obviously for some purpose, but that purpose is never explained. An extended focus on a certain aspect of the victim's clothing is likewise endlessly extended, but leaves it very unclear as to what Columbo is seeking to prove with it. Finally, in the final scene, he re-enacts the murder in a staged childlike manner, bringing up issues that seemingly have no connection to his proof, and offers a final "proof" that is one of the least convincing in Columbo history, yet the murderer smilingly gives up w/o any argument. And the final big clue is obtained after the medical examiner overlooked an obvious piece of evidence that would have cost any ME his job. What is most frustrating is that for long stretches of this movie, it is actually highly enjoyable, and with the fine acting of the murderer and the directing of the great Columbo contributor Patrick McGoohan, it could easily have been turned into a dandy episode, if only the writing was at more than a B-movie level.

I have to agree with everything that's been written about this episode - it's a bomb. Not THE BOMB, a BOMB.

The story wasn't bad, but as has been pointed out, too much went unexplained. The drive to the killer's house - Columbo running out of gas - what was all that about? I think Columbo was trying to rattle the guy or get him to lose his temper. We don't know though.

Obvious filler to stretch the episode was the "Name that Tune" with the orchestra. Embarrassing.

The denouement - were they kidding? Where was the evidence?

Very disappointing. Obviously, a slapped-together episode because the name "Columbo" meant ratings - they figured the audience would watch anything with Peter Falk as Columbo. They were right. But it was insulting.

Findlay Crawford is an award winning film composer with a small secret – most of his best work has been written standing on the shoulders of the young, uncredited composer Gabriel McEnery. Now that Gabriel has started asking for some credit and has begun being vocal about it in front of others, Crawford decides that the time is right and placates him with the offer of conducting at a show the next night. However he has no intention of letting this happen and instead drugs Gabriel and puts him on the roof (where he usually hangs out) on top of a defunct lift panel. As he starts his show he times the lift to go to the roof, thus opening the panel and flipping Gabriel's comatose body off the roof to his death. All seems like a pointless waste of young talent to the witnesses but a stray noise tells Columbo that there is more to this than a tragic accident or suicide.

This is the most recent Columbo that I have seen and I was therefore very worried that it would be terrible as some of the ones I've seen from around 1990 have been mostly average at best. However the directing presence of Columbo regular McGoohan made me think again plus the plot summary suggested that, having already caught a Spielberg clone, Columbo was going after John Williams. This may be the case but given that I don't know much about Williams outside of his music so any sly digs at him were lost on me. The plot is pretty clever and it was developed well enough to hold my interest but the ending is really weak and is not enough to trap Crawford even in the world of TV detectives. The direction is good and the film feels quite modern, which I know it is but it was still a new feel for the Columbo movies for me.

The cast are so-so and mostly good. Falk was good for the most part but at times his Columbo seemed to be almost an impression of Columbo; this is most evident when trying to "name that tune" with Crawford's orchestra. Outside of this he is good but it is not his best turn in the mac. Connolly is a solid choice of guest star and he works well with Falk – it is nice to have a genuine big name in the suspect's chair. He is a big character as well and, although toned down from his comic personae, he still provides a good presence. The support isn't that great but it doesn't really matter that much (although Willett looks about 12 years old).

Overall an enjoyable film from the Columbo series despite the weak ending and a performance that isn't Falk's best. Maybe not enough to convince unbelievers that the long running series is deserved but fans will find it easy to enjoy.

Having seen almost all the Columbo movies I was disappointed by this latest offering. Peter Falk was trying hard to recreate his best form as the raincoat claden detective but sadly fell short.

The character interaction was predictable and with the likes of Patrick McGoohan directing (again) and the ever 'loud' and 'outrageous' Billy Connolly one would have hoped for a far better script to do justice to this great series of TV movies.

What's not to like?! After reading so many cold-hearted reviews of Murder With Too Many Notes, I had point out how fun this one is, yes not the obsessionally detailed forensic plot of the early era, but with Falk's experience in the skin of the legendary sleuth, and an admirably restrained but very likable killer in Connolly as his mark.... come on lighten up guys! There's not much more of this left in the great catalogue so enjoy the ephemeral element to it all. OK, a declaration of interest, I have to admit I would not give a Columbo episode any less than 7 out of 10 and I have seen all of them at least once.

Murder with too Many Notes(love the title) was a good episode, but it was too flawed to be considered great. Starting with the good points, it is strikingly filmed, the music is delightful, there is some nice scripting and the acting from Peter Falk(not his best mind you, some of the more humorous parts such as "guess the piece" fell slightly flat) and Billy Conolly(toned down but surprisingly effective) is good. However, the plot isn't as strong this time around, the forensics for example as said already is dated and the ending especially was far too abrupt and underdeveloped. The pacing was uneven here, some of it was okay, some of it was slow and other parts felt somewhat frantic. The direction is a tad lacking as well. So overall, it is good, with some good performances, music and title, but the ending and plot fell flat for me. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I wrote a scathing review of the last Columbo episode, and this should have been the last Columbo. I particularly liked how it ended, with the victim's girlfriend showing Columbo how to play the song that had been with the series for so long, "This old man". Fitting end to the series. Good actors and actresses, Columbo at his finest.

I liked this episode.

PLOT: A popular Hollywood composer (Billy Connolly) murders his apprentice (Chad Willett) who's been ghostwriting most of his scores after the young man quits and the threat of exposure looms.

COMMENTARY: There are many things to appreciate about this installment, like the believable and creative set-up: The apprentice practicing on the roof of the theater, the long dormant elevator and the conductor's motive, which isn't just envy, but the threat of ruin and mass embarrassment. Jealousy goes back to Shakespeare and ancient Greek theater, but I find placing envy and status into the framework of Oscar-winning composition compelling. The episode is also an interesting window into the behind-the-scenes activity surrounding the scores to major films.

Yet there are seeming problems with the muddled ending, which can be traced to Patrick McGoohan's rewrites as director. He decided to use a musical demonstration at the climax in order to be theatrical, but the way it's done does not lend itself to a satisfying "gotcha" response. The scriptwriter, Jeffrey Cava, included several clues in his teleplay that failed to make it to the screen after McGoohan's revisions. For instance, the ultimate clue in Cava's script was particularly convicting and impossible for the murderer to dodge, but McGoohan prudently eliminated it for practical reasons. On top of this, it's dishonest to say there is "no evidence" in McGoohan's version. For detailed answers Google The Lt. Columbo Forum and punch-in Murder with Too Many Notes.

Others complain that Columbo's slow drive home with the conductor is filler material. But the rumpled detective already sniffed him out as the murderer and needed to spend time with him to accumulate evidence and start wearing the suspect down in order to eventually break him. Columbo knows that when people get seriously aggravated they start saying & doing things they never intended to and thus reveal evidence against them.

As shot, "Murder with Too Many Notes" is somewhat of a headscratcher, but the answers ARE there if you look for them. Besides, what's wrong with head-scratching in a murder mystery?

GRADE: B/B-

Who wrote this episode and why, Peter Falk is a legend, Columbo is his and his alone and many Actors wanted to appear in this classic, maybe to say they have, some came back for more, some they made Cameo roles like Edith Head, Nancy walker which fitted perfectly has Columbo was based in L.A land of Hollywood and the stars. Billy Connolly it one of U.K gems so is the Director Patrick McGoohan, all I can make of it, it was a tribute to Peter Falk, as Columbo it is 2000 and bless him, he was getting on, in age but still great, the drive home to the murderer's home was funny, I think there was a bit of Ab-libbing by Connolly there. What was Richard Levinson and crew thinking of when they did this episode it didn't do the Columbo franchise any favours but it doesn't stop me loving the series part of my childhood 13 series of pure fun Thankyou all

The decent assembling of Billy Connelly as the murderer and Patrick McGoohan behind the camera, merely compounds the disappointment of this largely unsatisfying, lukewarm 1999 Columbo TV movie, which sees Connelly play a highly-respected Hollywood composer who is forced to murder the dissatisfied understudy he has used to saved his flagging career.

Strongly enough plotted; a rather good platform is established in the early stages, but the momentum is barely maintained simply because the supporting clues are patchy in nature and moreover, the screen chemistry between Falk and Connelly is decidedly hit-and-miss; in fact Connelly's portrayal struggles to make an decent impact as he seems to be caught between a serious and a comedic interpretation of his character.

The finale is also on the bizarre side and is staged at the murder scene on top of a building: Columbo's evidence is not particularly overwhelming and Connelly's character more or less turns round and gives himself up. Also, in an odd error of fact, Columbo asks the deceased's partner to teach him to play Columbo's trademark song "this old man" on the piano, but he says that it is something that his wife hums; when we know that it is actually him who usually whistles the song.

A largely disappointing effort, which stands to date, as the penultimate Columbo adventure in its history and one that will not be recalled in a positive light.

I also totally understand that musical technicalities do NOT have to be 100% for the main drama to work.

Étude in Black is a great example actually, with the great John Cassavetes waving his hands around and making ridiculous comments in rehearsal. It's good enough and really not a big deal

But this guy--- would never have taken all that time upon meeting Columbo dancing around conducting the 1812 overture like that. Never would've called out Columbo on "decorum" in the studio. Walking into the room while they're recording, uh, yeah...poor decorum haha. Never would've connected the ignorance Columbo had about that to Columbo not appreciating sophisticated music. Hilarious. And who the hell let Columbo or anyone walk into the room in the first place?

Oh and that oboist was playing fine. No need to call him out, complaining that he "needed him there" hahaha

And the whole "you're Italian" thing, and suddenly players just launch into Amore? That might happen with a pianist but it was pretty cringe-worthy.

The ep was weak other than any of this, so it's fair to say I'd have given it a 3-star rating, but the musical stuff made me laugh my ace off.

While I am a big enough fan of the "Columbo" mystery series to be glad enough to have the opportunity to watch any episode, I have to admit that I thought this particular episode was pretty weak stuff. It starts off pretty well, with a murder that is pretty original and ingenious. But once Columbo gets into the story and starts doing his thing, things go rapidly downhill. For some reason, this particular investigation goes along at a really slow pace - it takes forever for Columbo to uncover the clues, and the padding is pretty blatant. And while I was keeping attention throughout, the last scene of the episode - the point where Columbo traditionally beats the murderer at his or her own game - didn't seem finished. All Columbo had at this point, if you ask me, was a bunch of circumstantial evidence. While I don't know if I would call this episode the absolute worst "Columbo" episode made - I still haven't watched all the episodes - I have a sneaking suspicion it would be among the bottom five or so.

This was not a strong script and I think Peter Falk has started to almost parody the Columbo character. I did not like the ending. He did not seem to actually prove that the villain had committed this murder and he gave up too easily, but it is still always great to see a new Columbo.

The Columbo series, starring Peter Falk in his famous role as Lt. Columbo, first started off in 1968 with the movie "Prescription: Murder". Five decades later the first 21th century Columbo movie got released. It's a known fact that all later Columbo movies are not as good- and lack the charm and simplicity of the earlier Columbo movies, from mostly the '70's. Unfortunately this movie also suffers from this.

Like basically every 'weaker' Columbo movie entry, the introduction takes far too long. The movie is only about 98 minutes short but it isn't until about halve an hour into the movie. It of course is only also after that, that Lt. Columbo first shows up.

It's extra disappointing that this movie isn't among the best Columbo entries since it got directed by Patrick McGoohan. He directed more Columbo movies, prior to this one and his movies always had a certain bit of extra style, which made the movies rise above the level of average. He also had some misses in his 'Columbo-directing career' though and this movie is among one of those misses.

Problem is that the story is really not that interesting. It really isn't a very exciting murder-mystery movie to watch. It's way too slowly progressing and besides, the reason why the murder gets committed seemed quite dodgy to me. Come on, why does he kill the boy? Was he really such a big treat to him or his career? He still had his reputation in his advantage after all. Why risk so much? It above all is also a quite poorly executed murder. It's done needlessly complicated and left for too many traces at the same time. That alone is also already a real accomplishment. Yet Lt. Columbo at first doesn't pay attention to the most obvious clues as well (the pieces of glass in the hand, the tox screen, etcetera). Seriously, that's not really Columbo style, now is it.

The movie is about a movie composer, so throughout the movie we see him conducting. It's however quite annoying to see that he's never conducting to the music we hear. I'm not even a musical person but you don't have to be a musical genius to see that his conducting and the music we hear don't mix with each other. This to me was quite annoying. It also was quite annoying to hear the actual music, that obviously come straight of the tape and wasn't being played by the orchestra we see on screen all the time. Sounds nitpicking but those things simply bothered me and also prevented me from taking the entire movie and story serious as a good and professionally made one.

Peter Falk is still in good form as Lt. Columbo in this movie, despite his age. He already was well in his 70's at the time of this production. A real good and clever police man would be enjoying his pension by then. Billy Connolly is also acting nicely but I think he deserved a better script to work with. He does his very best with his character but due to the story you just never get close enough to the character. Richard Riehle also appears in the movie again, who previously starred also in the other previous Patrick McGoohan directed Columbo movie "Columbo: Ashes to Ashes", in the same role.

Not a great 21th century Columbo-entry.

6/10

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MURDER WITH TOO MANY NOTES was the last-but-one case for TV'S Columbo, still played with relish by an ageing Peter Falk. Sadly, this is one of his lesser outings, a fault which lies purely with the disappointing script; although the writers do well to include many of the beloved crime scene clues in this episode, the way the story plays out feels unfocused and more than a little padded.

Instead, what we get are a lot of night-time scenes of driving around, plenty of peripheral investigations, and not a great deal of hard evidence; the final 'reveal' at the climax seems particularly weak and hardly a reason to convict the killer. Falk is still good value but the humour involving his character is in short supply here and as for Billy Connolly, well he plays Billy Connolly with no attempt at a different character. He's a love-him-or-leave-him type of actor and I could definitely leave him in this story. Still, Columbo's Columbo, and MURDER WITH TOO MANY NOTES passes the time if you're a fan of the fictional sleuth.

Just saw this in its US premiere on ABC a couple of hours ago and I must say that I was a wee bit disappointed! Peter Falk was his usual reliable self and, although he was pretty good, I expected much more from my main man Billy Connolly. He seemed to take his stand-up routine persona and just transfer it to his Findlay Crawford character, which I personally don't feel worked as it would have if he took his character in a more serious vein, kind of like he did in 'Mrs Brown'. All in all, it was a pretty ingenious plot, but nothing we haven't seen before.

Murderer Billy Connolly has one bad dilemma here in this Columbo story. He's a renowned movie composer along the lines of Bernard Herrmann or Max Steiner. But he's lost his muse over the past few years and a young protégé Chad Willett whom he has mentored has actually been doing his work for him. When the last score that Willett ghost wrote for Connolly wins an Oscar he's determined to make his own mark and he will have no hesitation in exposing Connolly.

This reminds me of a classic film where composer Basil Rathbone has lost his muse and he gets Bing Crosby to ghost write his music and Mary Martin to do the lyrics unbeknownst to each other. A rather happier solution was found there that was less than murder.

Connolly does think he's found a perfect way to murder Willett and not be placed at the scene of the crime. The two witnesses who first discover the body provide a key clue right at the beginning. Also a prop for an old film figures prominently in the crime, something that Connolly is sure he's the only one who knows about it. But Peter Falk does find it, it's called detection.

Charles Cioffi has a nice role as the director of several films that Connolly scored.

Columbo fans will approve.

I am a HUGE Columbo fan.. My trusty Tivo has become my best friend, and I never miss an episode! I don't want to criticize a Columbo, for fear that Peter Falk will read the comments and decide it's time to put the old detective away..

But, I've gotta say - out of the long list of episodes I've seen, this is by far the most disappointing. Not only was it very unrealistic - the forensics (for a 2000 movie) were very out of date, but the plot [the ending specifically] left us dangling.

I didn't even realize it was over! When he confessed and joked about prison, we were like "huh?? what happened?? why would he confess??".. Columbo is a brilliant detective, and this one sold him short.

I know future episodes will make up for it.. [hint hint].. he's not ready to be put down.. I hope if the powers that be read this, they will realize that Columbo has a lot of life left in him, but I hope they also choose scripts that really are his traditional style: the Columbo style we've grown to love.

For this episode specifically, definitely not the best.. but if you're a Columbo junkie, definitely worth a watch - even a bad Columbo makes you smile. =)

Findlay Crawford (Billy Connolly) is a celebrated Hollywood movie score composer. His talented protégé Gabriel McEnery is tired of doing most of the work without credit and covering for the faltering maestro. Gabriel threatens to quit, but Findlay convinces the boy to stay for a solo job. In reality, he is planning to murder the young man. Columbo (Peter Falk) investigates the seeming accident.

I don't like the final scene for one specific reason. From the start, I am not convinced about Billy Connolly's performance. By the end, I do accept that he made a choice. This character is not serious and has no conscience. He's not worried about getting caught. He is playing this for the comedy. That shows up loud and clear especially with the couple in that last scene. That's why I don't like it. Rebecca cannot be there. She cannot contribute to a comedic scene. I want her to slap Findlay. Even that would clash with the comedic tone. She can do nothing. It's almost sadistic to have her sit there while Billy Connolly does his comedic turns. She shouldn't be there.