On the 2nd Day of Christmas

"The Second Day of Christmas" is a standard but enjoyable holiday film. It is cast well. Mary Stuart Masterson portrays the pickpocket aunt. She's great yet again. (She's an under-appreciated actress in my opinion.) Mark Ruffalo showed off his acting and musical talents.

Howard Hessman has a pointless role. I can't believe he took it either. Come on! He was Dr. Johnny Fever. Now he is David / Santa's Helper.

I would recommend this film but don't expect any great social or spiritual commentary.

"On the 2nd Day of Christmas" starts like the Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist": a pickpocket has enlisted a small child in the profession of stealing! As appalling as this scenario sounds, the film then progressed to a rather charming and romantic Christmas story.

The film's modest success is due primarily to the chemistry between the lead performers Mark Ruffalo and Mary Stuart Masterson. Ruffalo's character Bert, who works security in a department store, is given the assignment of guarding the pickpocket Patsy (Masterson) over the Christmas holidays until she may be turned over to the police. Of course, the romantic sparks begin to fly between Bert and Patsy!

To support the principal relationship of Bert and Patsy, there could have been better character developments in the large family of Bert. Arlene Meadows turned in good work as the mother, but the other family members seemed one-dimensional. When Bert and Patsy visit his family members on Christmas, we learn that the entire clan consists of police officers! During the Christmas meal, the banter could have been more lively and the characters more colorful.

Still, there were some touching and tender moments in this film due to the two likable leads. Only one question sticks in my craw: Was it really necessary to make Patsy's character a modern-day Dickensian pickpocket? If Bert had been the department store's security guard and Patsy had been employed as a salesperson, this story would have played out just as effectively as a heartwarming holiday film.

Bert (Mark Ruffalo) comes from a family of police officers and had aspirations for the profession himself. Unfortunately, his eyes are not perfect enough for the job. Therefore, he has settled into a security guard's position in a major department store. Meanwhile, Trish (Mary Stuart Masterson) and her niece Patsy run street cons where they pickpocket and trick folks out of their wallets. The duo comes to Bert's store where they endeavor to take a gentleman's wallet. But, Bert spies the action. Despite Trish saying that she was merely trying to find the owner of the wallet, the store owner orders her and her niece to the authorities. Yet, its Christmas Eve, as Bert points out. The image of the store will suffer to have a CHILD arrested on the holiday. Therefore, the owner commands Bert to take the two back to his, Bert's, apartment and keep an eye on the them until the day AFTER Christmas. Ho ho ho, this should be fun. Trish and Patsy try to run away at least a couple of times, but Bert matches wits with them. Since the two adults are single and good-looking, can a thief and a guard fall for each other? You bet! This sweet, somewhat derivative film has two attractive, talented lead actors who carry the film along nicely. All other actors, including Howard Hesseman, are fine while the film has good sets, costumes, and plot concepts. Are you the type who loves holiday romances? This one will work its warm and fuzzy charm on you.

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 . I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

Here is my first "Discovery" of a good Christmas film for 2017. The film is called"On The 2nd Day of Christmas". In this film Trish (Mary Stuart Masterson) and her six-year-old niece, Patsy, make their living by picking pockets. But when they try to take advantage of holiday shoppers with fat wallets, they run into a little snag—a department store security guard named Bert (Mark Ruffalo) catches them in the act. The store owner wants them arrested, but decides to wait until Christmas is over. To ensure they don't make a run for it, he entrusts their care to Bert. With jail on the horizon, Trish and Patsy are scared for their future. But as the holiday nears its end, it looks as though a budding romance might just save them after all.

The film is about 2nd chances and most of all forgiveness. Nice film! However this film is a rip-off of "Remember the Night".

When I first read the overview of this movie I thought that it sounded familiar. I checked my Christmas movies and it turned out that Remember the Night from 1940 written by Preston Sturges was the film. Here is IMDb's overview of that film which starred Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray "Just before Christmas, Lee Leander is caught shoplifting. It is her third offense. She is prosecuted by John Sargent. He postpones the trial because it is hard to get a conviction at Christmas time. But he feels sorry for her and arranges for her bail, and ends up taking her home to his mother for Christmas" And once again they fall in love... If you enjoyed "On the 2nd Day of Christmas" then you might enjoy this older B&W film with a similar theme.