The Santa Con (2014 TV Movie) User Reviews

The con is that its not the movie you are expecting to see

[story_by_corey · 7/10 · 24 December 2014]

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.

Enjoyable, Unexpected Christmas Movie Experience

[tabuno · 7/10 · 31 December 2022]

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 drunk and the con man

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 28 October 2019]

Con-man Nick DeMarco (Barry Watson) sweet-talks his way into parole. He's picked up by his sister Rose (Melissa Joan Hart) who is tired of his antics but must fulfill their mother's dying wish. She works at the mall and gets him a job as the mall Santa. Little Billy Guthrie wants Santa to bring his parents (Melissa Sagemiller, Scott Grimes) back together after his father's many drunken outbursts. In a rush to get out to the race track, Nick agrees to the wish without listening to the boy. Rose is infuriated and confronts his callousness. He is called to fulfill the wish and he uses all of his con skills.

I really like the premise. It has loads of wacky possibilities. Being a bad contractor is not one of them. It's trying to be wacky fun but it is more off-putting than anything else. It's the start of a downward spiral. Nick stops being likeable as the constant lying takes a toll. I don't want to go back to her drunken husband or the lying con man. It would nice if the husband's problem is something other than alcoholism. The serious condition really clashes with the attempts at lighthearted humor.

Wow A Great Christmas Movie on Lifetime THUMBS UP

[Christmas-Reviewer · 8/10 · 22 August 2017]

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.

Heartwarming and Endearing

[lavatch · 8/10 · 10 December 2019]

The light-hearted touch of "The Santa Con" is established from the get-go when we meet a hardened criminal in a country-club style prison worthy of a visit from Felicity Huffman. At the Danfield Correction Center, the inmates are playing cards with their jovial warden, and Nick DeMarco, the grifter who faked his way to a professorship at Yale, holds the winning hand, yet lets the warden win.

Nick is released from prison early, due to the warden's hyperbolic letter of recommendation, and it appears as though Nick will return to his life as a sponger, gambler, and con artist. But along the way, he meets Pastor Ruth, the most interesting character in the film, who gives him some tough love during the holidays.

While working at a mall as a Santa Claus, Nick made a promise to little Billy that his separated parents will be united by Christmas Day. Pastor Ruth sets Nick straight in allowing him to see that it is important to keep his promises. Nick then ingeniously takes over a construction job at the home of Carol Guthrie, while trying to get the alcoholic husband John into a twelve-step program.

While drawing witty allusions from movies, Pastor Ruth as other aphorisms that she has learned from "The Big Guy." She teaches Nick that he has to give it his all and "return the car with an empty tank." She also emphasizes that it is what we DO that matters, and "the rest is decoration."

The screenwriting was superb with nuggets from the poems of Robert Frost integrated into the film. In "The Death of the Hired Man," Frost wrote that "Home is the place where, when you have to go there,/They have to take you in." Nick learns much about the concept of home in the advise from Pastor Ruth and the ability to finally listen to his heart, rather than his head.

SURPRISINGLY REFRESHING

[tfrasier-68666 · 8/10 · 14 November 2018]

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

A good movie to watch around the winter holidays

[MihaiSorinToma · 8/10 · 15 December 2018]

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.

Honestly good

[Jackbv123 · 8/10 · 31 December 2017]

This is a bit of an unusual story for Christmas. It's not about snowmen and trees and skating. It is about two men who try to straighten out their lives as they help each other, one more than the other.

The con man is slick, but he comes to realize that his lies hurt people, especially the one he told a little boy.

It's not a typical romance story and in addition to that it takes a few turns along the way. The acting is OK. There's a few good humorous moments but also some drama.

Try this movie for something different in the way of a Christmas story.

great. real great

[Kirpianuscus · 20 December 2018]

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.