Matchmaker Santa (2012) starring Lacey Chabert, Florence Henderson, John Ratzenberger, Lin Shaye, Donovan Scott, Adam Mayfield, Thad Luckinbill directed by David S. Cass Sr. Movie Review

Matchmaker Santa (2012)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Lacey Chabert in Matchmaker Santa (2012)

More Sweet Stuff for Christmas

So having just written a review of another made for TV Christmas movie I find myself writing another and feeling like a broken record. You see made for TV Christmas movies are often several things; they are often pretty with pretty backdrops and pretty actors, they are also often simple fun and just as often obvious. That brings me to "Matchmaker Santa" which ticks all those boxes because it is simple fun it is also very pretty with nice locations and with Lacey Chabert an attractive cast but it is also entirely predictable. Is that a bad thing? Not really as "Matchmaker Santa" serves its purpose which is to put you in the Christmas mood.

As a child Melanie Hogan (Lacey Chabert - Imaginary Friend) sent Santa a letter wishing for her own Prince Charming as she saw how much her parents were in love. Many years later Melanie, who makes cupcakes for a small cafe, is dating CEO Justin (Thad Luckinbill) and hopes that he is preparing to propose when he invites her to his families lake house for Christmas. But the only thing on Justin's mind is business as he is planning on holding a business Christmas party and with work coming first often relies on his friend and assistant Dean (Adam Mayfield) to pick Melanie up which is the case when he is meant to pick her up from the airport. On the plane she meets Chris (Donovan Scott) who seems to have a bit of magic about him and when they offer to take him to the nearby town of Burford Falls find them selves stuck there when their car just happens to break down.

Adam Mayfield in Matchmaker Santa (2012)

So technically I should say spoiler alert but I often feel that when a movie is as predictable as this that saying spoiler alert is a bit wasted. So let's break "Matchmaker Santa" down; we had a letter to Santa wishing for a Prince Charming and then many years later we have Chris who looks like he has walked out of another version of "Miracle on 34th Street". But more important we have Melanie dating Justin but obviously Dean is her Prince Charming and the mysterious Chris is going to work some Christmas magic to bring them together. Oh don't feel sorry for Justin as the trip to the lake house brings him back in touch with a childhood sweetheart so there are no bad guys in this movie.

Unsurprisingly "Matchmaker Santa" plays out in a pretty predictable manner as Chris uses some magic, touching his nose, to match up Melanie with her true Prince Charming. Now what often goes hand in hand with predictable is cliche and so along with Chris looking like he has walked out of another movie we also have Burford Falls, a possible homage to Bedford Falls in "It's a Wonderful Life". And Burford Falls is one of the most picturesque Christmas towns you will come across with that old fashion look and snow covering the streets. I could keep going because there isn't really any originality going on in "Matchmaker Santa" but it isn't a huge issue because the cutesy romantic comedy it serves up works. It is nothing more than what you expect almost delivering that slice of romantic fairytale which makes you secretly wish life was really like that.

Now I have already said that "Matchmaker Santa" is cutesy and there is no denying that when you place Lacey Chabert in a romantic comedy let alone a Christmas romantic comedy she is the embodiment of cute. Chabert is not the only cute actor in this movie and the entire cast be it Thad Luckinbill, Adam Mayfield or Elizabeth Ann Bennett are all attractive. But "Matchmaker Santa" is buoyed by some older cast be it Robert Pine in a small cameo, John Ratzenberger as a laid back garage owner or Donovan Scott who sort of channels Richard Attenborough with his version of Chris.

What this all boils down to is that "Matchmaker Santa" is just another typical and predictable made for TV Christmas movie. It is no better or worse than the hundreds of other made for TV Christmas movies and is a bit of Christmas fluff to pass the time.

Tags: TV Christmas Movies, Christmas Movies


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