The Christmas Thief

Great, fun, seasonal movie! I really enjoyed it. Wouldn't mind adding it to my collection. I would really like to read the book. Granted, it wasn't a murder mystery, it was still a mystery. A little bit predictable, too- but not the entire time.

I think this is a lovely movie that can be watched with the whole family, and is just fun to watch. I wish the chemistry between Lana and Nick was a bit more obvious and they had more scenes to connect and maybe even a bit more of Lana and her nephew but as a whole, I really enjoyed it. Michelle is one of my favourite actresses and I enjoyed seeing her in this role.

Michelle Borth has long dreamed of being a private investigator. A year ago she quit her job at an insurance agency to solve crimes. She has succeeded in finding a lost cat -- and been paid in cookies. She interviews with Vivica Fox for her 'tec agency, and then it's off to her typical Hallmark Channel hometown, where homeowners apparently clear the snow off their frost-covered lawns, if not their bushes. She is intrigued by a series of robberies, and distracted by her old boyfriend, Leigh Foster, and Jarrid Masse, the handsome detective investigating the crimes. She develops her own theories, and wrangles with Masse.

So it soon becomes apparent this is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy wrapped inside a mystery, or perhaps the other way around. It's a pretty good mystery, with several people dressed as Santa, particularly Tom Lally; I was surprised by who the villain was. But the characters are pretty generic. Even though that's not a terrible thing in classic mysteries, in Hallmark romcoms, my impulse is to say if you've seen one, you've seen them all.

The plot of 'The Christmas Thief' is a great one, however the POV narration is a bit annoying and inconsistent. This Made-For-TV movie is just as great as any other MFT film released for the holidays. I do wish this movie was given just a bit of a larger budget to work with. Reason being, some shots where set noise required voice over in post makes the sound inconsistent with the ambient volume of the movie. This movie very well could have ranked high among other B-rated movies had the budget been a little higher. The acting also felt kind of "Nick at Nite" with adolescent style acting and wide assortment of Non-Copyrighted holiday music that didn't follow a particular style or flow. Despite my many gripes about production, I very much enjoyed the movie and its twist on traditional holiday entertainment.

Another would-be thriller Holiday movie from ION. Apparently, not the last one. Not sure what Christmas and crime should have in common, beside both beginning with the letter "C". Michelle Borth, whose name does not appear in the IMDb cast list, is likeable, the plot is original and nothing offends. Thus said, there is not much chemistry between the protagonists, the rendering of the yarn feels amateurish, and the psychology of action and characters sits at a childhood level. In summary, unsubstantial, and very light-fare, yet watchable.