2022, d. Amy Force
The Draw: Toasty mentioned Toronto's "Fashion Santa" in his Lights, Camera, Christmas post, which, honestly, might have been the first I'd heard of him (or if I had heard, I had forgotten). So for today's post, I was planning on maybe finally getting around to watching Little Women as my Advent Calendar entry when I stumbled on Santa's Got Style, which piqued my interest for two reasons: 1) the movie info said Kids In The Hall's Scott Thompson is in it, and 2) Toasty's "Fashion Santa" mention.
I joined the film about 35 minutes in which is such the old fashioned way of watching Hallmarkies, just stumbling into them a quarter or halfway or 3/4 of the way through and knowing the rhythms of these overly-simplified productions so innately that it doesn't matter at all.
HERstory: Our lead, Madison (Kathryn Davis), is a department store executive at "Chester and Wade" who lands on the idea of having a fashionable Santa for the department store instead of a stereotypical one, but can't find the right guy until her best friend Ethan recommends his cousin, who is a model, who has been living in Europe without a cel phone for years.
If I'm also inferring, Maddie was in a relationship with a dirtbag for the longest time, while Ethan has been pining for her, and she's finally either broken up with him or she's been dumped, either way Ethan finally sees his opening.
Now, why Ethan decided to pose as his own cousin, Rafe, in a big ol bushy grey beard and a really bad gray wig, I don't know (I could assume that it's because he runs his own talent agency and that he's sort of retired as a model, that maybe it looks bad if he signs himself up for a job...or maybe there was nobody available...I dunno).
When I joined the film, Fashion Santa has just become a big success, and "Rafe" has gotten very flirty with Maddie. As Ethan tells his mom, it's like he's more confident when he's "Rafe" than as himself, and clearly that's what Maddie is responding to. But Ethan also worries that Maddie is starting to like Rafe and he's being "friend zoned" again.
Ethan's mom tries to reassure him that the reason she likes Rafe is because he is Rafe, but he's still not able to get past his jealousy of ...himself. Also she tells him to use his new found success as Stylin' Santa to do more charitable work and raise funds for the needy.
The dual identity romance is a tried and true superhero romance staple, and it's employed just as effectively here, in that it's super cheezy, and really unbelievable... the beard and wig are about as effective as Clark Kent's glasses at disguising him. Ethan does employ a different voice as Rafe, which makes for some phone call fun (yes, Ethan got Rafe his own cel phone).
One night Ethan is helping Maddie out with some party preparations, and she asks Ethan if he thinks Rafe would come if she invited him. Ethan is immediately trying to figure out how to get himself or Rafe out of the party, since he can't be two places at once (classic superhero dilemma), and quickly gets all sheepish when trying to tell Maddie his true feelings (super handsome dudes like Franco Lo Presti don't pull off sheepish and awkward very believably), and she tells him how much their friendship means to her. FRIEND ZONE!
At some point (where it fits I don't recall) Maddie is looking up Rafe on the internet and can't find him anywhere. When she looks him up in association she only finds pictures of Ethan from back in his modeling days (if he were a Judy Bloom book he'd be "Superpudge") and she cocks an eyebrow.
The next day, at a meeting with Maddie, as Rafe, in more confident Santa mode, he tries to reveal himself, but the comic relief security guard (Brian Sills, who I think I've mentioned at least twice already in this year's Advent Calendar) comes rushing in with some urgent news, Ma'am. "He ma'am-ed me." He suspects that Rafe is not who he says he is. Oh no. There really should be no consequences to Ethan being exposed so this is just for goofballs.
At Maddie's Christmas party, things are going fine for Ethan, until he overhears his mom telling people stories about her "nephew" (like, he used to wear a cape and think he was a superhero. Hah!) Ethan's having a hard enough time keeping up with his own web of lies, thanks Mom! Then people start asking where Stylin' Santa is, so Ethan ducks out and comes back in perhaps the least stylin' outfit and dances with Maddie, almost getting in there for a kiss, but interrupted by the Secret Santa gift exchange (this is a work party for a supposedly massive department store, but only about a dozen, two dozen max are there).
After the party, Ethan opens his gift from Maddie (passed along by "Rafe") which is some DVD of a "classic" space movie (which isn't maybe not the same league as the super gorgeous piece of hardware Ethan gave her as Secret Santa gift). Then the texting happens, as Ethan thanks her for the gift, and she says something nice. Then she texts Rafe asking if he got home OK ("Why didn't she ask me if I got home safely?" he sulks). Then she asks Rafe out to dinner after the Holidays. Ethan doesn't respond and instead texts her as Ethan and asks her out, and she doesn't respond.
At the fashion show Ethan is double timing it between a charity shoot in one part of the building and the fashion show in another and having a hard time balancing. It's common dual-identity hi-jinks. But his tardiness is getting Maddie anxious, and in the end she has a plan for her, her boss, Ethan and Rafe to come out on stage together (gulp) and down at the charity section, the charity head wants a picture with Ethan and Rafe (double gulp). Meanwhile the comic relief security guard is keeping tabs on Ethan/Rafe's in's and outs of the bathroom.
On the runway, Rafe and Maddie come out as Mr. and Mrs. Stylin' Santa and they pose and then get close and the audience starts chanting "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!", you know, as they do at fashion shows. And then comic relief security guard runs out on stage and rips the beard off of Stylin' Santa, exposing him (screaming "VICTORY" holding the beard up in the air). Maddie is embarassed. Ethan explains that everything she should feel for Rafe, why can't she feel that for him, but she's so betrayed right now she can't even.
Fashion designer Paul Grant (Scott Thompson) comes back to the store (why wasn't he there at the show?!?) and tells Maddie that she gets his brand and that her promotion broke the internet, and that he's doubling their investment next year. She'll probably need a new Santa though. Her workplace BFF clears up Maddie's confusion for her, with, you know Ethan's point of view of stepping in and helping her out when she needed it. Maddie's mom tells her that Ethan was actually being his most honest with her, in his lies, he was showing her a side of himself she's just never been able to see.
Maddie thinks on what she's been told (in montage! with sexy XMas R&B music backing it up), and then text's Ethan a deceitful "Paul needs the suit back, tonight, can you bring it over?" When he arrives, Maddie comes down in a smashing silver dress (and wearing his , and they talk way too much rather than inhale each other's faces, but they do eventually kiss and confess their love for each other.
The Formulae: It's not a Hallmark so they're not leaning heavily into the stereotypical holiday tropes with this one. I mean, it's an atypical Santa, so it's an atypical Hallmarkie.
Unformulae: Big city girl...finds love in the big city!? She has no risk of ever losing her job. The emotional focus is actually much more on Ethan than on Maddie. Red "wine" rather than hot chocolate.
True Calling? I guess, but it's not really about Santa all that much.
The Rewind: There's one photo that Maddie took with Rafe as posted on the fake social media that is, like, a pic that shouldn't have been posted. Good gravy.
The Regulars: Kathryn Davis is in no less than 3 Hallmarkies (but not Hallmarks) this year and three more from the past 2 years. Franco Lo Presti (who I know as Shep from Season 3 of Letterkenny) stars in the thematically titled Well Dressed for Christmas this year and 2018's A Christmas Catch (still on Netflix, but I only could get through about 10 minutes of it last year). Brian Sills was in Reindeer Games Homecoming this year.
How does it Hallmark? Since it's not a Hallmark it's actually kind of a refreshing watch. It's an utterly predictable story, but I really enjoyed seeing the stereotypical superhero dual-identity trope applied to a holiday romance (as absurd as it is here). The production values, for a non-Hallmark, non-Lifetime movie are surprisingly up to par with the more prestige productions of those networks. The outfits, especially the ones that are supposed to wow, do *kinda* wow a bit.
How does it movie? It's simple and predictable, but kind of enjoyable. The leads are good looking enough that they don't need to be super duper charming, but they are watchable. And I might go back and watch the start, just to see Scott Thompson, because in the 70 minutes of this that I did watch, he only turned up for about 90 seconds.
How Does It Snow? No need for snow at all in this one.
whoo whee, i haven't seen the movie and that BEARD.
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