Santa's Cousin

A Hallmark-style Christmas vanity vehicle set in NM with stereotypical tropes, but the production quality of NMSU CMI films has greatly improved since the start of that program. Good camera work and sound. The film's dialogue is risibly bad, and Eric Roberts is phoning it in as Santa, but the female lead and her best friend have a good playful energy together. I enjoyed stopping the film to see which background actors and sights around Las Cruces I recognized. I paid $6 to rent this film and I think that's about right--it would have been disturbing to pay $25 for the premiere. Aim happy to see locals like Eric Brekke, Nick Check and Nora Brown getting some screen time.

If you're a connoisseur of cheesy feel-good Christmas movies, then this one should be at the top of your list. Entertaining from the very beginning, my wife and I enjoyed Santa's Cousin whole-heartedly. It had the perfect amount of magic and conflict, and all of the timing was done very well. The actors and their support all knew exactly how to incorporate the Christmas spirit into every scene.

I can guarantee this isn't one of those movies that builds regret and anxiety over the first 10 minutes until you've finally had enough and find something else. This was our 'something else', and we were definitely not disappointed!