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.

I'm guessing this movie is aimed at the whole family including children since it lacks any subtlety and the PI wannabe, Lana. Is anything but inconspicuous not to mention clumsy. Detective cliches abound like the one at the start with Lana trying to channel Sherlock Holmes with her "deductions" regardless how accurate or inaccurate she may have been. The cliché terminology in the dialogue is even worse than the stereotype roles. Then there is the sting operation. I don't know which is more stupid - that the thief would "toy" with them or using real valuables as bait.

Even though I don't like many of them, Halmark Movies and Mysteries' Signature Mysteries are a definite step up in quality from this movie. Besides quality, another big difference is that this is a one shot movie, so any romance must be accomplished in 84 minutes and that with two candidates for Lana's affections.

The acting is fair to poor unless you adjust for aiming at a younger audience. Likewise the dialogue.

I figured out the theif fairly early but based more on what I know about this kind of story. The clues do build up over time.

Admittedly this, like several Christmas mysteries on Ion, is not the usual Hallmark Christmas Saturday night. It's probably family safe. But that's not enough. For a kid safe movie I might give it 7 or 8 stars. I'm not a kid and no longer watch with any.

I liked the movie, but I'm leaving a review for the beautiful song that was given no credit and took me nearly an hour to find (using the lyrics. ...Even a song identifying app couldn't find it.) The song that plays during the gazebo decorating scene is called "Christmas Lights", by Luna Keller.

When I heard it, It caught my attention to the point that I spent almost the entire rest of the movie trying to find it. This song is better than just about any modern Christmas song by some big name artists. Now that I DID manage to track it down, this song will be be going into my personal collection, and become a classic, to me, at least.

(I submitted this info to be added to the soundtrack credits, But in case that doesn't happen, I left this, too.)

Great, fun, seasonal movie! I really enjoyed it. Wouldn't mind adding it to my collection. I would really like to read the book. Granted, it wasn't a murder mystery, it was still a mystery. A little bit predictable, too- but not the entire time.

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.