Title: Stealing Christmas
Stars: Tony Danza, Lea Thompson, Angela
Goethals, Betty White, David Parker, Malcolm Stewart, Alfred E. Humphreys,
Gwynyth Walsh, Damon Gregory, Dean Redman, Brad Sihvon, Terry Howson, Beverly
Elliott, Michael Scholar Jr., Richard Hendery, and Ryan Steele
Writer: Lucky Gold
Director: Gregg Champion
Executive Producer: Raffaella de
Laurentiis
Running Time: 89 minutes without
commercials
Media: USA Original Television Motion
Picture (NTSC DVD Screener)
World Premiere Sunday, November 30,
2003, at 8pm (ET/PT)
Network: USA Network (Check your local
cable/satellite listings for channel)
TV Rating: Not Available At The Time Of
Review
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
Tony Danza stars as an ex-con who escapes the city dressed in a “borrowed” Santa Claus outfit after a botched robbery attempt at a department store. After a quick bus trip to the countryside, he finds himself mistaken for a Santa Claus for hire by the owner (Lea Thompson) of a Christmas tree lot. With no place else to go, he settles into the rural town bringing his city wisdom as well as some unwanted notice by a townsperson who thinks there is something just not quite right with this old Saint Nick. Soon after his partner in crime arrives in town looking to get him into a heist of the local bank on Christmas Eve. Now he has settled himself into a life at Evergreen, which creates a conflict of interest between his responsibility to the woman who hired him and eventually formed a bond of trust and possible affection for him and the bank job his friend wants him in on.
“Stealing
Christmas” is cute with Danza appearing somewhat subdued and the story
presenting a modern holiday fable that never gets too corny. Unfortunately there
are no and probably never have been any towns like Evergreen except for in the
movies and television, but some might argue wherever your heart is during the
season is what counts. So for a melodramatic piece of Holiday entertainment this
Thanksgiving weekend, “Stealing Christmas” is worth checking out when it
premiers on the USA Network on Sunday, November 30, 2003, at 8pm (ET/PT).
© Copyright 2003 By
Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.