Hallmark Channel Premiere | October 24, 2021
In this movie, Tanya (Tamera Mowry-Housley) is a rookie police detective who is tasked with staking out a Santa suspected of stealing from high-profile Christmas parties. Forced to work with partner Ryan (Paul Campbell), she finds herself undercover as a newlywed next-door neighbor to Santa himself. What follows is a ridiculous yet fun whodunit with lots of Christmas cheer and a little romance.
While the movie was indeed silly, it worked for me. I enjoyed the dialogue, which actually had me laughing out loud, and the cast of characters was likable. This is not a pull-at-your-heartstrings kind of movie, but Hallmark already does a lot of those. Instead, it's a mystery with enough intrigue to keep you guessing, and it's not just the same old Christmas plot that we have come to expect from Hallmark.
Hallmark gets an A on: the pairing of Tamera Mowry-Housley and Paul Campbell; the banter; the neighbors; the hot chocolate bar; the police chief
Hallmark gets an F on: the annoying "ding" that comes with Hallmark's "All New" candy cane graphic - can we just stop this already?
Grade: B+
* Note Grading Scale:
A = This is seriously a good movie. It will remain on my DVR for the season.
B = Totally exceeded my expectations. I'm happy to recommend.
C = This is an average Hallmark movie. Good holiday fun.
D = I'm disappointed... but I watched it. Why not?
F = I actually had a hard time getting through this one. And that says a lot.
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