I watched this under the title Dating Santa. Between the title and the actors and settings, it appears to be a foreign (to USA) film. I even wondered if the actors filmed the movie in Spanish and then used English voice overs, but the lips appear to be in sync with the words mostly in English. The closed caption, however, had a lot of discrepancies.
In the beginning of this movie, I thought it was going to be great. The lead, Lucia, is very appealing, at least at first. The two lead actors have great chemistry and the dialog is lively. At first, the daughter, Leo, looks like she is going to be a cutie. Mom is able to stay out all night on a date and greats her daughter amicably upon waking. Clearly the plot is going to be more than so many other Christmas movies.
Then it crashes and burns, all because of that little cutie. It is not unusual for a single mom to be especially doting with her little girl. It is not surprising if she is a little spoiled and tyrannical. But when Leo meets the boyfriend, she throws an absolute tantrum and Lucia caves completely, willing to give the child anything she wants. This, of course, is how the movie sets up the need for Sergio to impersonate Santa. I just wish it had been done without making Leo such a spoiled brat. Also, it almost seems that the mom and child are more in sync than the romantic leads.
These things smooth out as the movie goes on and it becomes a comedy about the ruse to make Sergio into Santa and the place they are visiting into the North Pole. Leo remains a bit manipulative but not as tyrannical as she was.
If Leo doesn't turn you off, this could be a fun movie. If she does turn you off, it does get better, but leaving a little sour taste behind.
