L'arnaque de Noël

The first temptation was to define the film as really great. A predictable reaction when you rediscover actors as Barry Watson or Melissa Joan Hart , each performer for series of your youth. Or for the admirable work of Wendy Williams. Or the proposed bizarre relation between a jail director and his "guests". In same measure, the story is so unrealistic than it becomes...charming. And it reminds, a little a good slice of Charles Dickens. But the lead virtue is result of the courage to be more than a nice Christmas film. To be a lovely film about family, duty and faith. And that defines it, real, as a great film.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

A small-time con man ordered by his parole officer to take a job as a department store Santa promises to reunite a young boy's estranged parents.

What is nice about this film is that it is full of tiny surprises. All of them are nice surprises. Its a film that (mostly) avoids the trappings of Christmas Theme Movies.

The greatest thing about this film is the fact it shows that everyone has "Value". This film may not be 100% original however its 100% enjoyable and worth watching.

So far this year this is my top pick.

When Nick gets out of jail for good behavior, he is forced to take a job at the mall, dressed up as Santa. As he hastily promises a little boy that his parents will get back together before Christmas, his sister, his conscience and a weird pastor from a local church make him do his best in order to fulfill the boy's wish.

It's a charming Christmas movie which presents a man who only cares about himself and due to circumstance, is about to get on a path of righteousness. We follow him as he struggles to infiltrate into the lives of the boy's parents in his attempt of getting them back together. But will it be enough?

The story depicted is quite interesting. It has depth, complexity and keeps interest. It's mostly unpredictable and it manages to keep suspense until the end. The characters are OK, well described and mostly pleasant to watch. My only complaint here would be the easiness with which most problems are solved. I understand that it is a family movie, but you should at least try to make them seem a bit more realistic, especially when talking about multiple events which have a big impact, but are resolved in a blink of an eye. As a plus though, I was pleasantly surprised by the "surprise" provided by the ending, although a bit superficially treated.

The winter atmosphere together with the characters which compose the story provide a very good time. You get amusement, you get a bit of drama, you also get emotion and it all ends up nicely. I won't say that it's spectacular or something, but it's a very good watch, especially around holidays.

I came across this movie by accident just looking for Christmas movies to watch, and my standards were low just because I've seen sooo many Hallmark/TV Christmas movies that are painfully over-acted with surface level plots, but I seen Jalleel White and Mellissa Joan Hart so I just played it.

From beginning to end I was hooked into the storyline that was so refreshing and actually very funny. Melissa Joan Hart was great, as was the other cast. This was a Christmas movie that actually had substance, and the character development with the main character was so well done. By the end of the movie I was grinning because it was so refreshing and enjoyable to watch. A Christmas movie well done

Typically missing about ten minutes of the beginning of a movie does not make for a complete movie review, but since this film does not seem widely available except when it is streamed, to seize the opportunity to make some comments here seems appropriate. The name of this romantic comedy drama can be a little off-putting and confusing as it does not refer to the act of Santa committing a con game but refers to a recently paroled con playing Santa and who initially regrets promising a little boy of getting his separated parents back together before Christmas. Maybe it is because the director is the actress Melissa Joan Hart that this movie has some deeper, dramatic elements than typical of a Christmas movie and who has 16 directorial credits to her name. The fascinating balance of comedy, drama as well as the unsettled romantic relational question that develops, and even the mysterious lighthearted but poignant religious element makes for a memorable movie experience if one can even find the opportunity to watch.