IMDb RATING
6.0/10
790
YOUR RATING
A mall Santa Claus promises a boy that he will reunite his parents.A mall Santa Claus promises a boy that he will reunite his parents.A mall Santa Claus promises a boy that he will reunite his parents.
- Awards
- 1 nomination total
Lucy DeVito
- June
- (as Lucy Devito)
Bonnie Discepolo
- Woman in Bar
- (as Bonnie-Kathleen Ryan)
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- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
The story revolves around con artist Nick DeMarco (Barry Watson) who is forced to take a Santa job at a department store (sound familiar?) after getting out of jail. During his Santa stint, he promises a kid that he (Santa) will bring his estranged parents back together by Christmas. Nick gets chastised for making the promise and he has to use all of his con-artist skills to make good on Santa's word. Along the way he falls in love with the kid's mom (Melissa Sagemiller). It sounds like the typical rom-com formula Christmas storyline
..but it's not.
Don't let the first 15-ish minutes of the movie fool you. It's after Nick/Santa makes the promise to the kid that the movie takes a sharp turn from lame comedy to drama and becomes something very different. If you make it to this point in the movie, it will unfold as a serious story about a con finding self-redemption through the rebuilding of a broken family.
Don't let the first 15-ish minutes of the movie fool you. It's after Nick/Santa makes the promise to the kid that the movie takes a sharp turn from lame comedy to drama and becomes something very different. If you make it to this point in the movie, it will unfold as a serious story about a con finding self-redemption through the rebuilding of a broken family.
Did you know
- TriviaParts of "Santa Con" were shot in Stratford, Connecticut in front of one of the oldest churches in New England. The Christ Episcopal Church built their second structure in 1743, which still stands today. Many of the scenes of this movie were shot at this church in the summer, although the movie takes place in winter. That isn't snow on the ground, it's synthetic.
- GoofsWhen Carol chastises her contractors at 3:30 for what she implies is their excessively-long lunch break, the foreman--the fellow with the chopsticks--has a near-full plate of food, belying the fact that this would have been a long lunch break and he should have eaten that much of his food.
- ConnectionsReferences Alien, le 8ème passager (1979)
- SoundtracksDo You Hear What I Hear
Composed by Regney/Shain
Jewel Music Publishing Co., Inc.
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,500,000 (estimated)
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