El secreto de Papá Noel

This is exactly what you think it is: a very casual Netflix movie with nothing too special going on. It's extremely predictable, but it has a certain warmth - the kind of film people might throw on during the holidays without really paying attention.

But honestly?

I don't think it actually has that true holiday spirit. It feels like something is missing the whole time, some magic that never really shows up.

At moments it almost feels like the budget version of Mrs. Doubtfire - same kind of energy, just... cheaper, lighter, safer.

It's not terrible, not great. Just one of those Netflix movies that exists, you watch it once, smile a little, and forget it five minutes later.

Former rock singer Taylor Jacobsen does her best as a single mum, but when she loses her job, the only way to get her daughter into a skiing camp is to don the red suit and work as Santa Claus.

I'm not exactly known for my love of Christmas films, so it takes a fair bit for me not to bring out the festive chopping blade. That said, this one is actually pretty good.

You know precisely what's coming within ten or fifteen minutes. The setup and characters mean the script more or less writes itself, and it plays out exactly as you expect - but that's part of the charm. It's goofy, it's sentimental, but it never force feeds you warming cinnamon-sugar nonsense every two minutes.

Taylor feels like a real person. Yes, she inevitably falls for the bearded, rich chap with immaculate hair, but she's also someone who's known hardship and understands what it is to struggle. That gives the whole thing a bit more grounding than most films in this mould.

Don't take it too seriously or you'll lose patience, but if you're willing to accept ninety minutes of fluffy festive comfort - think 'Mrs. Doubtfire' in reverse - it's surprisingly engaging. Ryan Eggold and Tia Mowry are both very good, but Alexandra Breckenridge steals it; the role is undeniably daft, yet she keeps it anchored.

'Nice' may not be the strongest adjective these days, but here it fits. A film that's rich, wholesome, and simply... nice.

7/10.

The movie was charming and had its moments. But I'm so sick and tired of being fed those uneven relationships as aspirational.

A broke single mum resolves all her life problems by meeting a billionaire. Is that really the spirit of Christmas that we want to watch?

Even her brother and his partner are making plans for how they are going to benefit by the connection to the wealthy guy.

This is not romance; this is dowry marriage. And we know how those play out.

A pretty silly Christmas movie, and for some reason I went into it with high expectations (probably because it's from the same creator as The Princess Switch). Unfortunately, it didn't live up to them. The funniest part is how you can constantly see the main characters' breath turning into vapor whenever they're outside, but not the extras. There's so much of it that it looks like they're all smoking the whole time. Once you notice it, you can't unsee it and suddenly it's the only thing you're watching.

My wife and I go into watching a movie like this to be entertained and we were entertained. All the harsh reviews and "1" ratings are bogus, this is a nice family movie with a twist that borrows heavily from "Mrs. Doubtfire", but in a gender reversal.

Taylor is a single mom with a teen daughter. She has a job but it is clear from interactions with her landlord that she has no surplus funds. Then she gets laid off during Christmastime. Plus, her daughter, an avid snowboarder, gets accepted to a weeklong program at the resort but Taylor can't cover the costs.

Through searching and careful listening she learns that (1) the resort needs a Santa and (2) employees get 50% off the cost of the program her daughter wants. (yeah, all that kinda unlikely but hey, it's a fictional Christmastime movie so we just go with it.)

Big problem, how does an attractive 40-ish lady become a believable Santa Claus? Turns out her brother and his partner are in the business and make her a costume, padding, and mold a Santa face.

Everything is working smoothly until the complication ... she has to attend a party as both herself and as Santa, she is the guest of the owner's son. Then the "Mrs. Doubtfire" switch, switch, and switch again is called for.

Not a great movie by any means but we were entertained. To me the funniest part was when the daughter awakes from an accident on the slopes, mom at her side but dressed as Santa, looks at her and says, "Santa?"

Streaming on NFLX.