It stars Rachel Skarsten, who I last (and first) saw in “Christmas Island.” Skarsten is often used for Hallmark Christmas movies and has carved a niche in the craft as a compelling lead.
This one is outside the box.
Whitney (Skarsten) is a beautiful single woman. She’s a librarian, so also a nerd. Whitney hangs out with her parents, who are constantly trying to fix her up on dates, but she remains hard to get.
At the same time, we meet a goofy FBI Agent named Josh (Corey Sevier). Josh is setting up a sting to catch a pair of suspected thieves. Through shenanigans, Whitney ends up in the role of Josh’s girlfriend, and undercover agent as his partner.
As mentioned, Rachel Skarsten is great in a movie like this. Its not meant to be taken seriously, not for a single second. Skarsten is humorous and effective when dealing with parents, a pushy friend (Cynthia Dale) and in the face of danger. On a covert mission Whitney is humming Jingle Bells in the car. “Please don’t let us get caught I’d like to live another day and I like Christmas alot hey!”
Hallmark Veterans
Corey Sevier looked familiar, and a quick search made me laugh out loud. Sevier co-stared in “Grounded for Christmas” which I reviewed in 2021 and have watched every December since. Like Skarsten, Sevier knows how to play a character in an un-Oscar worthy movie.
It’s funny that I’ve seen him twice. Both times in a Christmas film. Both times pretending to be the love interest of the main character. I did a ctrl F on his Wikipedia page – the word Christmas appears 17 times. The word Hallmark 22. LOL.
Whitney and Josh fall for each other while setting up the sting. The object of the thieves is a necklace called The Heart of Christmas. Again, there’s nothing serious about this story. It was also nice to see a cameo by Jayne Eastwood who has been in many Christmas movies (The Santa Claus, 12 Dates of Christmas) over the years.
“The Christmas Charade” clocks in at 84 minutes – 350 if you include commercials. It’s something you’ll need to record in order to fast forward through the garbage (Geico sells car insurance, didn’t you know).
There’s familiarity with the budding relationship of the main characters. The undercover FBI operation caught me by surprise and offers a change of pace. It’s a good movie. Not an all-time favorite but something to watch on a chilly December night.
