Dear Santa

I recommended this movie to about a dozen people, and every single one of them loved it and watched it at least a second time. Most movies that I watched that were billed to be a Christmas movie either had a plot that had too little mention of Christmas or showed very sporadic scenery that just didn't remind you that you were actually watching a Christmas movie. Not Dear Santa, it was sprinkled throughout the movie perfectly. It is exactly what it was meant to be. A beautiful love story centered around Christmastime with great character acting and a wonderful, quick moving storyline. Romantic, cute, funny, sad, happy, covers all the emotional bases and even has a beautiful song in it, too. And don't be surprised if your eyes well up once or twice .....

Amy Acker plays the poor little rich girl who finds a letter to Santa from a young girl with no mommy. This is your typical Christmas movie, but done in a good way. Brings a smile to your face and has that feelgood Christmas message. Great for all the family.

Formulaic, cheesy, cliché'd and wonderful. Maybe it is all of the afore mentioned, but it is Christmas! Surprisingly well cast with Amy Acker stealing your heart as the rich girl gone good, and a nice turn by Haydn-Jones as the love interest. Gina Holden is excellent in the evil queen personage and Olivia Gowan is not allowed by director Jason Priestly to over act (which is sometimes the problem with made for TV productions) and she does wonderfully. Appreciative nods also must be given to Peter Creery in the role of matchmaker...

A sweet movie not to be taken seriously, and something you can watch with your child or your girlfriend.

Love this movie. Plot is totally predictable like 90% of every other movie in the IMDb. Widower dad adorable daughter wants Santa bring daddy new mommy spoiled rich girl finds letter to Santa yadda yadda ...

But who cares? Great execution by everyone involved. Amy Acker lights up every scene. Jason Priestly smartly keeps the camera on her most of the time. The father/daughter pair are cast perfectly and play off of each other well. The antagonist girlfriend hits just the right note. The LGBTQ character plays beyond stereotype effectively. Production values are passable. Hard to imagine a better Hallmark/Lifetime-like movie.

Pretty and perky Park Avenue shopper Amy Acker (as Crystal Carruthers) finds a "Dear Santa" letter blown away from a mailbox. The letter is from an adorable little girl named "Olivia" (Emma Duke) who is asking Santa to bring her widower father a new wife. Feeling adventurous, Ms. Acker decides to investigate. She finds Olivia's father even more adorable. The handsome and dreamy-eyed David Hayden-Jones (as Derek Gowen) runs a soup kitchen for the homeless, and Acker is mistaken for a volunteer...

Strangely, Mr. Hayden-Jones does not seem notice Acker looks at him with desire. He is engaged to scheming Gina Holden (as Jillian), who steals the movie. But Patrick Creery (as Pete Kennedy) scores points by wearing a pink chef's uniform (pink, get it?) and other accessories with bemusement. Stubborn James Dugan (as Frank McCourt) does well with his small homeless role. Actor-turning-director Jason Priestley samples some "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961); it's dumb, but funny and easy to swallow.

****** Dear Santa (11/26/11) Jason Priestley ~ Amy Acker, David Hayden-Jones, Gina Holden, Patrick Creery