The Santa Stakeout (2021)

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I know the holiday is over, but I usually watch Christmas movies through the first week of January. There are so many Christmas movies I like to watch that I get an early start and end later than some people do. The Hallmark Channel is well-known for their Christmas movies, and occasionally they treat us to a Christmas-themed mystery. Such is the case for The Santa Stakeout.

Two police detectives, Tanya (played by Tamera Mowry-Housley) and Ryan (played by Paul Campbell) rent a house and pose as newlyweds to investigate the prime suspect in a series of heists that have been occurring at Christmas parties. It's a light mystery and a simple premise, but there is so much to love about this movie.

I recorded this movie last year, but didn't watch it until this year. The commercial and poster for it looked silly to me, but being a mystery, I had it on my radar. I can't believe I waited this long to watch it. I was missing out on a delightful movie!

Let's start with the title. Sometimes Hallmark has cheesy titles for what end up being great movies. In the case of The Santa Stakeout, this was a very appropriately-named movie. It fit the premise perfectly and I think it's catchy.

The mystery in this movie isn't deep. It's meant to be fun, and it really is. I did have a good idea who the culprit was since that character was introduced, but I still enjoyed the journey the detectives took to figure it out. Even if you know who the culprit is and you know where the romance is going, there is still a piece of the puzzle to figure out that isn't revealed until close to the end. There are some hilarious laugh-out-loud moments and I also really enjoyed the banter between the two lead characters. They didn't exactly seem like a match made in heaven from the beginning, but it was meant to come across that way. 

While there is some, but not a lot, of romance, the movie is full of heart, the spirit of forgiveness, and the idea that people can change no matter how dark their past may be. So while it was a fun ride, there is also a deeply sentimental side to it as well. It is the right combination of everything.

I've already seen this movie twice this month and I would watch it again in the future. It may be too late for you to watch it now if you haven't already, but if you like Christmas movies with a bit of mystery in them, I recommend looking out for this one when it's on again. I recorded it during Hallmark's Christmas in July theme this year and I watched it in December.

Have you seen The Santa Stakeout? If so, what are your thoughts on it? If you haven't seen it, does it sound like a movie you might enjoy?