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The Santa Stakeout

  • TV Movie
  • 2021
  • TV-G
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Tamera Mowry-Housley and Paul Campbell in The Santa Stakeout (2021)
Watch a preview for the Hallmark Channel original Christmas movie "The Santa Stakeout" starring Tamera Mowry-Housley and Paul Campbell.
Play trailer0:35
7 Videos
29 Photos
Holiday RomanceComedyCrimeDramaRomance

Police detective Tanya is partnered with fellow detective Ryan to solve a recent string of heists. They go undercover as newlyweds, moving into the vacant house next to Mr. Miller, the prime... Read allPolice detective Tanya is partnered with fellow detective Ryan to solve a recent string of heists. They go undercover as newlyweds, moving into the vacant house next to Mr. Miller, the prime suspect in the case.Police detective Tanya is partnered with fellow detective Ryan to solve a recent string of heists. They go undercover as newlyweds, moving into the vacant house next to Mr. Miller, the prime suspect in the case.

  • Director
    • Peter Benson
  • Writers
    • Gregg Rossen
    • Brian Sawyer
  • Stars
    • Tamera Mowry-Housley
    • Paul Campbell
    • Joe Pantoliano
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Peter Benson
    • Writers
      • Gregg Rossen
      • Brian Sawyer
    • Stars
      • Tamera Mowry-Housley
      • Paul Campbell
      • Joe Pantoliano
    • 44User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos7

    Preview
    Trailer 0:35
    Preview
    The Santa Stakeout: Sneak Peek
    Clip 1:04
    The Santa Stakeout: Sneak Peek
    The Santa Stakeout: Sneak Peek
    Clip 1:04
    The Santa Stakeout: Sneak Peek
    The Santa Stakeout: Tamera Mowry-Housley On Working With Paul
    Featurette 0:43
    The Santa Stakeout: Tamera Mowry-Housley On Working With Paul
    The Santa Stakeout: Paul Campbell On Working With Joe
    Featurette 1:04
    The Santa Stakeout: Paul Campbell On Working With Joe
    The Santa Stakeout: On Location (Featurette)
    Featurette 1:04
    The Santa Stakeout: On Location (Featurette)
    The Santa Stakeout: Tamera Mowry-Housley On Christmas Memories
    Featurette 0:59
    The Santa Stakeout: Tamera Mowry-Housley On Christmas Memories

    Photos29

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    Top cast21

    Edit
    Tamera Mowry-Housley
    Tamera Mowry-Housley
    • Tanya Morris
    Paul Campbell
    Paul Campbell
    • Ryan Anderson
    Joe Pantoliano
    Joe Pantoliano
    • Francis Miller
    Peter Bryant
    Peter Bryant
    • Captain Fletcher
    Tom Pickett
    Tom Pickett
    • Stanley
    Liza Huget
    Liza Huget
    • Edith
    David Kaye
    David Kaye
    • Eric
    Devon Alexander
    Devon Alexander
    • Christopher
    Lindsay Winch
    Lindsay Winch
    • Alicia
    Denalda Williams
    Denalda Williams
    • Martha
    Jacqueline Samuda
    Jacqueline Samuda
    • Mrs. Van Houghton
    Mark Sweatman
    • Findlay
    Raf Rogers
    Raf Rogers
    • Talbot
    Rebecca Staab
    Rebecca Staab
    • Lois Carmichael
    Ecstasia Sanders
    Ecstasia Sanders
    • Amy Morris
    Jeff Gulka
    Jeff Gulka
    • Elf
    Dolores Drake
    Dolores Drake
    • Mrs. Wilson
    Alex Rockhill
    • Delivery Person
    • Director
      • Peter Benson
    • Writers
      • Gregg Rossen
      • Brian Sawyer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews44

    6.41.4K
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    Featured reviews

    6lilac-31582

    Mehhh

    We loved all the actors, just not together. Paul is always funny but I didn't find him hit the mark in this movie as much. I can't believe Joe Pantiliano was in this! Movie was very slow. There were very few funny parts. If you know anything about HM murder mystery movies that you know the killer isn't always who it seems. The leads acted well but didn't seem to really connect like usual HM xmas movies do. We did like how it wasn't a typical xmas movie though.
    6toddsgraham

    Staking out Mr. Christmas...

    The Santa Stakeout is a refreshing addition to this year's Hallmark Countdown to Christmas series. This entertaining buddy cop comedy, with a touch of romance, strays a bit from your standard Hallmark Christmas romance/romantic comedy. Indeed, the comedy overshadows the romance for much of the movie. The story revolves around two Denver police detectives Tanya (played by Tamera Mowry-Housley) and Ryan (played by Paul Campbell). Tanya, a rookie who recently arrived from Wisconsin, is an ambitious and well-organized detective who is looking to prove herself, while Ryan, who is a bit of a slob, is a seasoned detective that works from his gut. These unlikely pair are teamed up together to solve a string of holiday art heists that have swept the city. They go undercover as newlyweds and stake out their primary suspect Francis (played by Joe Pantoliano), who is known as Mr. Christmas in the community. As they investigate and go deeper undercover, they soon realize that the magic of the holiday season in the company of Mr. Christmas and the neighborhood is more enjoyable than they anticipated, so too is each other's company. The script is well-written with some good banter and dialogue between Tanya and Ryan. The detective work and mystery are what one would expect from this genre of movie (and Hallmark): light and uncomplicated. The writers too try to develop a bit of neighborly Christmas spirit via Francis, a rehabilitated ex-convict. Indeed, there were some touching scenes and dialogue sprinkled here and there throughout the movie. Though entertaining, I never found myself having an actual laughing-out-loud moment, as the humor was a bit light for my taste. The acting was strong, overall. Campbell, one of Hallmark's regulars, performs well in such roles. In 2020, he had an impressive performance in Hallmark's Christmas by Starlight. Though not as strong of a performance as last year, he was entertaining and engaging nonetheless here. Mowry-Housley also had a very good performance, I thought, injecting a bit of mystery and joy into the story. But it was the banter between the two that made this one work, I felt. That said, I was not completely convinced by their chemistry (i.e., the romance between the two), I'm afraid, as this never fully developed on screen. As such, it seemed forced at the end. This, of course, is partly due to the dominance of the comedic element of the script, as noted above. The supporting cast was great. Pantoliano is particularly good as the Santa suspect. The movie has a lot of the classic Hallmark Christmas spirit with several Christmas celebration scenes. The music in this one was well done, adding to the comedy and the Christmas vibe of the movie. All in all, this is a light-hearted, fun, yet warm, Christmas movie. If you are looking for something different this holiday season, then The Santa Stakeout might be what you are looking for.
    8jensenholmesPA

    Real feels in this zany caper rom-com

    This is a particularly good Hallmark. The male lead, Bill Campbell, is a natural comedian, and he really make this zany caper movie. The female lead, Tamera Mowry-Housley, was good too, and she had good chemistry with Campbell. There's a decent little mystery in the script as well as neighborly Christmas spirit that had genuine heart, and a rehabilitated con to tug the heartstrings. The best Hallmark holiday movie so far in 2021.
    7Jackbv123

    Defund these police

    Or Keystone cops meet Christmas. Actually, the slapstick is kind of mild, but the comedic bumbling is front and center. All this dominates over the romance between the leads but it is funny if you like this style.

    There was some chemistry between Campbell and Tamera Mowry-Housley but the antagonism between them goes on fairly deep into the story. Yet it doesn't melt away as quickly as in some movies in this genre - the transition to friendliness develops more naturally than usual. The Captain is mostly a cliché of the political boss.

    As to whodunnit, I made a guess fairly early and it turned out to be correct, but it was based about evenly on clues and on knowledge about how these movies develop.
    7JoBloTheMovieCritic

    The Santa Stakeout

    7/10 - this is so far the 2021 Hallmark Christmas movie to beat with a nice mixture between romance and mystery which will be sure to thrill fans of the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries offerings throughout the rest of the year.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Tanya shows Ryan her laptop, one of the sidebar ads on the screen is of another Hallmark Christmas movie, Neuf Chatons pour Noël (2021). The main feline star, Ambrose (real name Trace), is shown in the photo. The movie had yet to premiere on Thanksgiving.
    • Goofs
      When Captain Fletcher tells Taylor he has the wrong fishing rods, he tells him he brought ice fishing rods. The Captain is wrong; those are fly fishing rods. Ice fishing equipment is different.
    • Quotes

      Captain Fletcher: Talbot. Please, out of my way.

      [sighs]

      Captain Fletcher: Give me strength. Give me strength. Talbot, I said fly fishing, not ice fishing. I'm not retiring to Alaska.

      Talbot: Sorry sir. The only fishing I do is for compliments. I'm on it. Yeah. Oh. Hi. Hot rods coming through.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Rob McElhenney/Ariana DeBose/Sting (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      All Because of Mr. Santa Claus
      Written by Hal David & John Cacavas

      Performed by Hal David & John Cacavas

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 24, 2021 (Canada)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official sites
      • Hallmark Channel Press (United States)
      • The Hallmark Channel (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • I Spy Christmas
    • Filming locations
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Spy Road Productions
      • Front Street Pictures
      • Stephanie Germain Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 24 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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