The Santa Stakeout

Or Keystone cops meet Christmas. Actually, the slapstick is kind of mild, but the comedic bumbling is front and center. All this dominates over the romance between the leads but it is funny if you like this style.

There was some chemistry between Campbell and Tamera Mowry-Housley but the antagonism between them goes on fairly deep into the story. Yet it doesn't melt away as quickly as in some movies in this genre - the transition to friendliness develops more naturally than usual. The Captain is mostly a cliché of the political boss.

As to whodunnit, I made a guess fairly early and it turned out to be correct, but it was based about evenly on clues and on knowledge about how these movies develop.

The Santa Stakeout is a refreshing addition to this year's Hallmark Countdown to Christmas series. This entertaining buddy cop comedy, with a touch of romance, strays a bit from your standard Hallmark Christmas romance/romantic comedy. Indeed, the comedy overshadows the romance for much of the movie. The story revolves around two Denver police detectives Tanya (played by Tamera Mowry-Housley) and Ryan (played by Paul Campbell). Tanya, a rookie who recently arrived from Wisconsin, is an ambitious and well-organized detective who is looking to prove herself, while Ryan, who is a bit of a slob, is a seasoned detective that works from his gut. These unlikely pair are teamed up together to solve a string of holiday art heists that have swept the city. They go undercover as newlyweds and stake out their primary suspect Francis (played by Joe Pantoliano), who is known as Mr. Christmas in the community. As they investigate and go deeper undercover, they soon realize that the magic of the holiday season in the company of Mr. Christmas and the neighborhood is more enjoyable than they anticipated, so too is each other's company. The script is well-written with some good banter and dialogue between Tanya and Ryan. The detective work and mystery are what one would expect from this genre of movie (and Hallmark): light and uncomplicated. The writers too try to develop a bit of neighborly Christmas spirit via Francis, a rehabilitated ex-convict. Indeed, there were some touching scenes and dialogue sprinkled here and there throughout the movie. Though entertaining, I never found myself having an actual laughing-out-loud moment, as the humor was a bit light for my taste. The acting was strong, overall. Campbell, one of Hallmark's regulars, performs well in such roles. In 2020, he had an impressive performance in Hallmark's Christmas by Starlight. Though not as strong of a performance as last year, he was entertaining and engaging nonetheless here. Mowry-Housley also had a very good performance, I thought, injecting a bit of mystery and joy into the story. But it was the banter between the two that made this one work, I felt. That said, I was not completely convinced by their chemistry (i.e., the romance between the two), I'm afraid, as this never fully developed on screen. As such, it seemed forced at the end. This, of course, is partly due to the dominance of the comedic element of the script, as noted above. The supporting cast was great. Pantoliano is particularly good as the Santa suspect. The movie has a lot of the classic Hallmark Christmas spirit with several Christmas celebration scenes. The music in this one was well done, adding to the comedy and the Christmas vibe of the movie. All in all, this is a light-hearted, fun, yet warm, Christmas movie. If you are looking for something different this holiday season, then The Santa Stakeout might be what you are looking for.

We loved all the actors, just not together. Paul is always funny but I didn't find him hit the mark in this movie as much. I can't believe Joe Pantiliano was in this! Movie was very slow. There were very few funny parts. If you know anything about HM murder mystery movies that you know the killer isn't always who it seems. The leads acted well but didn't seem to really connect like usual HM xmas movies do. We did like how it wasn't a typical xmas movie though.

Is this a great hallmark Xmas movie no it's not but it's different from all the rest. The plot is actually good even tho hallmark did a bad job at it but it's different from all the other hallmark films which I really enjoyed. I loved the chemistry between the leads also. It's not the best film but it has its moments and becomes it's different from the rest it's one of the better ones.

Paul Campbell is my favourite Hallmark movie male lead! He doesn't go for that serious, smouldering persona that so many other male leads do. He's got genuine comedic talent! His acting and comedic timing are so natural. He's a joy to watch. Tamera is also one of the better Hallmark actresses. She and Paul are both talented; however I think this would have been a better movie if it had been kept as a buddy-cop mystery movie. But alas, Hallmark must have the leads fall in love by the end of the movie!! That part was a little forced and was the only downside for me. Also, the gay couple addition seemed a little forced and not at all relevant to the main storyline. More Paul Campbell please! He's Hallmark's best leading man!