The Santa Con

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

A small-time con man ordered by his parole officer to take a job as a department store Santa promises to reunite a young boy's estranged parents.

What is nice about this film is that it is full of tiny surprises. All of them are nice surprises. Its a film that (mostly) avoids the trappings of Christmas Theme Movies.

The greatest thing about this film is the fact it shows that everyone has "Value". This film may not be 100% original however its 100% enjoyable and worth watching.

So far this year this is my top pick.

Con-man Nick DeMarco (Barry Watson) sweet-talks his way into parole. He's picked up by his sister Rose (Melissa Joan Hart) who is tired of his antics but must fulfill their mother's dying wish. She works at the mall and gets him a job as the mall Santa. Little Billy Guthrie wants Santa to bring his parents (Melissa Sagemiller, Scott Grimes) back together after his father's many drunken outbursts. In a rush to get out to the race track, Nick agrees to the wish without listening to the boy. Rose is infuriated and confronts his callousness. He is called to fulfill the wish and he uses all of his con skills.

I really like the premise. It has loads of wacky possibilities. Being a bad contractor is not one of them. It's trying to be wacky fun but it is more off-putting than anything else. It's the start of a downward spiral. Nick stops being likeable as the constant lying takes a toll. I don't want to go back to her drunken husband or the lying con man. It would nice if the husband's problem is something other than alcoholism. The serious condition really clashes with the attempts at lighthearted humor.

This is a bit of an unusual story for Christmas. It's not about snowmen and trees and skating. It is about two men who try to straighten out their lives as they help each other, one more than the other.

The con man is slick, but he comes to realize that his lies hurt people, especially the one he told a little boy.

It's not a typical romance story and in addition to that it takes a few turns along the way. The acting is OK. There's a few good humorous moments but also some drama.

Try this movie for something different in the way of a Christmas story.

Typically missing about ten minutes of the beginning of a movie does not make for a complete movie review, but since this film does not seem widely available except when it is streamed, to seize the opportunity to make some comments here seems appropriate. The name of this romantic comedy drama can be a little off-putting and confusing as it does not refer to the act of Santa committing a con game but refers to a recently paroled con playing Santa and who initially regrets promising a little boy of getting his separated parents back together before Christmas. Maybe it is because the director is the actress Melissa Joan Hart that this movie has some deeper, dramatic elements than typical of a Christmas movie and who has 16 directorial credits to her name. The fascinating balance of comedy, drama as well as the unsettled romantic relational question that develops, and even the mysterious lighthearted but poignant religious element makes for a memorable movie experience if one can even find the opportunity to watch.

I came across this movie by accident just looking for Christmas movies to watch, and my standards were low just because I've seen sooo many Hallmark/TV Christmas movies that are painfully over-acted with surface level plots, but I seen Jalleel White and Mellissa Joan Hart so I just played it.

From beginning to end I was hooked into the storyline that was so refreshing and actually very funny. Melissa Joan Hart was great, as was the other cast. This was a Christmas movie that actually had substance, and the character development with the main character was so well done. By the end of the movie I was grinning because it was so refreshing and enjoyable to watch. A Christmas movie well done