Stealing Christmas (2003)
Tony Danza stars as a thief named Jack Clayton. When Jack is about to be caught at the mall, he dresses up as Santa Claus and hops on the bus to Evergreen. He is mistaken for the new Santa at Sarah Gibson's tree store. He is very reluctant at first, but after becoming a part of the town, and falls in love with Sarah, he begins to have second thoughts on robbing Evergreen's bank.
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Reviews
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .
Excellent but underrated film
Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,
I thought this movie was OK, nothing more nor less. It's probably a good movie to watch if you want to get in to the Christmas spirit, or something.Tony Danza stars as a crook who gets in to trouble after a heist attempt on the local mall. He manages to escape and ends up getting a job as Santa Clause in a Christmas tree yard. He plans to rob the city but is in a moral conflict.I don't think I will be watching this movie again anytime soon because it wasn't that interesting. The one thing that was good about this movie was Tony Danza.
Around this time of year, we watch Christmas movies, and this is a new Christmas classic to add to the mix. I love the plot. It reminds me of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Everybody was perfectly cast. Tony Danza stars as a thief named Jack Clayton. When Jack is about to be caught at the mall, he dresses up as Santa Claus and hops on the bus to Evergreen. He is mistaken for the new Santa at Sarah Gibson's tree store. He is very reluctant at first, but after becoming a part of the town, earning their trust, and falls in love with Sarah, he begins to have second thoughts on robbing Evergreen's bank. I highly recommend STEALING Christmas!!!
While "Stealing Christmas" might easily have been just another cliched warm and fuzzy holiday tale, exceptional performances by Lea Thompson and Tony Danza raise the dramatic level and clear the way for a revelation of the underlying moral conflict. Betrayal of trust is the one transgression that has no redeeming value; Lea Thompson is the angel who turns Tony Danza's cynical heart away from the brink of betrayal, and touches his heart in a way that makes it impossible to betray the trust that has been placed in him by the simple hearted town folk--and the trust of Lea herself.In an era of movies that myopically portray love exclusively in the form of passionate, nude bedroom scenes, "Stealing Christmas" provides a refreshing view of love between two people primarily as mutual respect, admiration, and most of all, acceptance of each others' faults.
Tony Danza, one of the most underrated actors in the business today, does a fine job portraying a bad guy who has the potential to be good, given the right circumstances. He finds that opportunity while on the lam from a failed department store breakin, ending up in a small town and meeting a widowed Lea Thompson and her cute daughter and taking a job as the village Santa Claus for 3 weeks. Solid supporting cast and plausible story line make for an excellent USA network film, seemingly shot in Canada with a mostly Canadian cast. Betty White is, well, a very good Betty White. Film isn't hokey, even if Danza does get off a line about the Lea Thompson character: "She's the boss." Come to think of it, there are times when she resembles Judith Light. All in all, good holiday fare.