The Christmas Thief

I thought the acting was horrible and boring. Couldn't make it all the way through this mess. It started out bad and got worse from there. Watch at your won peril.

Michelle Borth has long dreamed of being a private investigator. A year ago she quit her job at an insurance agency to solve crimes. She has succeeded in finding a lost cat -- and been paid in cookies. She interviews with Vivica Fox for her 'tec agency, and then it's off to her typical Hallmark Channel hometown, where homeowners apparently clear the snow off their frost-covered lawns, if not their bushes. She is intrigued by a series of robberies, and distracted by her old boyfriend, Leigh Foster, and Jarrid Masse, the handsome detective investigating the crimes. She develops her own theories, and wrangles with Masse.

So it soon becomes apparent this is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy wrapped inside a mystery, or perhaps the other way around. It's a pretty good mystery, with several people dressed as Santa, particularly Tom Lally; I was surprised by who the villain was. But the characters are pretty generic. Even though that's not a terrible thing in classic mysteries, in Hallmark romcoms, my impulse is to say if you've seen one, you've seen them all.

Another would-be thriller Holiday movie from ION. Apparently, not the last one. Not sure what Christmas and crime should have in common, beside both beginning with the letter "C". Michelle Borth, whose name does not appear in the IMDb cast list, is likeable, the plot is original and nothing offends. Thus said, there is not much chemistry between the protagonists, the rendering of the yarn feels amateurish, and the psychology of action and characters sits at a childhood level. In summary, unsubstantial, and very light-fare, yet watchable.

Didn't think Michelle Borth could be any worse at acting than she was in Hawaii Five O, but miraculously she can! The story line is weak, so with the entire cast being bad, there is no saving this one. The cinematography is as bad as the acting.

Chase scenes with the police car going 10 miles an hour is laughable. The people having real stones in a garage display is unbelievable. Another movie with Vivica Fox as the successful, rich business woman ....she has never been able to pull that role off as believable. Makes you wonder who she knows to get the roles. The fact that UpTv is playing this off as a new movie in 2024 is even more laughable.

I think this is a lovely movie that can be watched with the whole family, and is just fun to watch. I wish the chemistry between Lana and Nick was a bit more obvious and they had more scenes to connect and maybe even a bit more of Lana and her nephew but as a whole, I really enjoyed it. Michelle is one of my favourite actresses and I enjoyed seeing her in this role.