Film Review: 'Most Wanted Santa'

This December, FBI agent Harper Winslow (Denyce Lawton) has bigger things on her mind than wrapping presents. An elusive art thief she's been chasing since last year has struck again, and Harper is determined to bring him to justice. To help her out, she's been tasked to work with detective Carly Lopez (Teresa Castillo) to investigate and track down the crook--who has been dubbed "Santa" for dressing up as jolly old Saint Nick to pull off his robberies. While their partnership gets off to a bumpy start, Carly and Harper find common ground as they work together to catch their holiday art stealer.

What Harper doesn't realize, though, is that she's already met the culprit. His name is Chris North (Donnell Turner), a man Harper briefly ran into while Chris was fleeing from the heist that put his crime spree back on Harper's radar. As sparks begin to fly between the pair, Harper's investigation takes her closer to uncovering Chris's secret. What will happen to this blossoming romance once the truth comes out?

Two Christmases ago, I reviewed Christmas Catch, a holiday rom-com about a lawwoman falling for a suspect in a theft case she's investigating. Now, Tubi has come out with an original movie following a similar premise, albeit taken in a different direction. Between the uber-festive music and quirky camerawork, Most Wanted Santa wears its comedic intentions on its red fleeced sleeve. But for the most part, when the movie focuses on Harper and Chris's unlikely romance, things get a bit more serious and play out like a straight-faced Hallmark romance. The film cultivates a "best of both worlds" quality, being just as entertaining when it's making you laugh as when it's making your heart flutter as Harper and Chris bond and grow closer despite themselves. And unlike Christmas Catch, the humor is consistently solid and is delivered well by the cast. Carly is responsible for a lot of the movie's comedy bits, and Teresa Castillo goes a great job bringing the goofy, awkward, but competent-at-her-job detective to life.

She's joined by the equally capable Denyce Lawton, with the two actresses making for an excellent comical cop duo. While the above poster makes it look like Harper and Chris are the focus of Most Wanted Santa, the film spends a lot more time on Harper and Carly becoming friends over the course of their investigation. They start out as your average bickering odd couple, with Harper coming across as an uppity know-it-all and Carly as a shrewd "I'm Not Like Other Girls" basher. But not long into their partnership, Harper and Carly find out they're more alike than they thought and become fast friends. While both women share good chemistry with their respective love interests, the platonic bond between Harper and Carly is even better thanks to Lawton and Castillo. The former is just as good on her own, selling Harper Winslow as a no-nonsense FBI agent with a sentimental center that comes out when she's around Chris.

Speaking of, the male love interests of Most Wanted Santa aren't completely overshadowed by the crime-solving gal pal duo discussed above. Donnell Turner gives a dashing performance as art thief Chris North, with Turner's lovely chemistry with Lawton and the revelations made about Chris's crimes making him a rather endearing character. Then there's Mark Lawson as Captain Matthew McDowell. Lawson will have you grinning as Matthew gushes over the sweet treats Harper brings him, and while his romantic subplot with Carly is limited on development, Lawson and Castillo still make it work. Though when it comes to Chris, the way his and Harper's story ends is a bit jarring.

WARNING: Spoilers Below

Even with him being revealed as a Robin Hood thief, the fact that Chris ends the movie not in prison is a hard pill to swallow, even considering the film's idealistic tone. Regardless of his good intentions, he still stole art and sold it on the black market, even if he later (somehow) helped the sold pieces get returned to their rightful owners. It would've made for a more authentic ending if Chris finished his arc by turning himself in once he settled all his affairs. It would've aligned with Chris saying that meeting Harper changed him for the better and led to a heartfelt scene of Harper and Chris affirming their love before Chris heads for the police station, showing that their bond is strong enough to endure the time spent apart. It's also pretty unbelievable how there's so little conflict when Harper finds out Chris is the Santa thief. While the conflict of interest is alluded to, the whole "cop dating an active criminal" angle is mostly treated like a wacky love obstacle rather than a serious matter that puts a strain on Harper and Chris's relationship.

There's a similar lack of dramatic sparks when ruthless art dealer Quinn Carlyle finds out that Harper and Carly are cops and that Chris is romantically involved with the former. You'd expect some sort of action-packed confrontation to occur once Quinn lures all three to a warehouse, but nothing really happens. In fact, it's not even clear why Quinn lures them all to the warehouse. To turn Harper and Chris against each other? To gloat about having managed to outsmart them and get away with the goods? Her reasoning is never established, and for a supposed career criminal, Quinn sure makes a rookie mistake staying in town after learning that the cops were nipping at her heels.

Spoilers Over

Kate Watson plays the last major player of the story: illegal art dealer Quinn Carlyle. While the snooty accent Watson puts on as Quinn was too ridiculous for my taste, she otherwise does a fine job playing an over-the-top haughty middlewoman who couldn't care less who gets hurt by her crimes. For an example of a less vocally labored villain, look no further than Brian Ames' humorously smarmy CEO Alex Sykes. In terms of aesthetics, Most Wanted Santa's Christmassy soundtrack (while befitting the mood) sometimes becomes distracting and comes close to overpowering the dialogue. There's also a scene where ADR is used, and believe me, you'll notice because of how awful it is. Other than that, the movie's direction is competent and fits the lighthearted atmosphere like a mitten.

In a nutshell, Most Wanted Santa is what you would get if you put a Hallmark movie and an episode of any crime drama into a blender. The pacing and tones mesh better than they did for Christmas Catch, thanks in large part due to the compelling characters and the talented actors playing them. If police procedurals aren't your thing, the lovable main characters and the fun interactions between them are sure to keep you tuned in. The love story will make you smile, the comedic detective squad will make you laugh, and the finale will touch you in more ways than one thanks to a heartwarming (albeit far-fetched) third-act twist. If you're looking for some Christmas rom-coms to watch while you snack on some Christmas treats, I suggest a back-to-back viewing of Christmas Catch and Most Wanted Santa. The former has its strong points while the latter takes what the preceding film did and makes it better by strengthening its weak spots.

Score: 7.5 out of 10 Crowne Cruffins.