TV Reviews : ‘Mixed-Up Files’ an Engaging Fantasy

Two young runaways hiding out in an art museum turn sleuth to solve the origins of a mysterious statue in tonight’s implausible but entertaining ABC movie, “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.”

Twelve-year-old Claudia (Jean Marie Barnwell, a young actress with unusual appeal) and her younger brother Jamie (Jesse Lee) hit the road after a rather unconvincing provocation and set up camp for a few days in the art museum. There they sleep in an antique four-poster, bathe in a marble fountain and hide their belongings in various objects d’art.

Discovery is inevitable, not to mention guilt feelings over their parents’ distress, but before they go home, the truants are determined to find out if a beautiful sculpted angel, which has special meaning for them both, is a Michelangelo original.

The angel’s donor turns out to be Mrs. Frankweiler, grandly played by Lauren Bacall. A confrontation leads to a surprising proposal as the rich but lonely widow sets the pair on a whirlwind paper search for the answer they seek.

Children energized and enthusiastic over art? What a concept. Based on the Newbery Award-winning children’s novel by E.L. Konigsburg and directed by Marcus Cole, this engaging fantasy is a refreshing nod to a child’s intelligence and natural curiosity.

* “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” airs at 9 tonight on ABC (Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42).