Petit papa voleur

While "Stealing Christmas" might easily have been just another cliched warm and fuzzy holiday tale, exceptional performances by Lea Thompson and Tony Danza raise the dramatic level and clear the way for a revelation of the underlying moral conflict. Betrayal of trust is the one transgression that has no redeeming value; Lea Thompson is the angel who turns Tony Danza's cynical heart away from the brink of betrayal, and touches his heart in a way that makes it impossible to betray the trust that has been placed in him by the simple hearted town folk--and the trust of Lea herself.

In an era of movies that myopically portray love exclusively in the form of passionate, nude bedroom scenes, "Stealing Christmas" provides a refreshing view of love between two people primarily as mutual respect, admiration, and most of all, acceptance of each others' faults.

I had watch 2 weeks for found him and still asking at myself is it him or not

I am watching this movie as I write, and am so impressed with Tony Danza's performance. What an underused, underrated actor! Someone of influence should take note, and give Mr. Danza the opportunity to act in a major film. The movie itself is not bad. Good as Christmas movies go.

This is a definite 9 in it's genre. I expected not much at all, but it turns out Danza and Thompson are great, and the supporting cast is as well. I'd rate it a great Christmas movie. I'm sad I didn't catch this when it first came out. I will watch it again next year, I'm sure. (And for me it more than passes my very minimal Christmas movie test. It loses at least a star if it doesn't make some reference to the real meaning of the holiday, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Usually it's just a religious carol thrown in or a nativity scene in the background that saves a movie. This has a church scene and deals with morality. It's not a Christian movie, so don't worry about that, haha, but it acknowledges the holiday beyond the crass materialism.)

Stop me if you've heard this one before. A wisecracking thug, Tony Danza, finds himself running from the law after a botched mall heist. He's able to escape using a Santa suit, and boards the first bus out of the city. 50 miles away in the tiny town of Evergreen, a case of mistaken identity lands him a job playing Santa at Lea Thompson's Christmas Tree yard.

Enter a wealth of typical small-town personalities: The independent Christmas Tree yard owner who doesn't take any crap. A rebellious daughter named Noel. The flirtatious waitress. The dutiful cop. The jealous boyfriend-wannabe who suspects Danza is more than he appears. And Betty White in the same role she's played in every film post-Golden Girls.

As you might expect, Danza soon realizes that he can take advantage of the town's goodwill and naivety. He recruits a demolitions expert, and plans to rob the town blind when the bank vault is full on Christmas Eve. That target date gives him enough time to grow closer to the townsfolk. And the sincerity of his new friends, and perhaps a little bit of Christmas spirit, begins to melt that cold exterior.

Will Tony Danza go through with the heist? Will Tony Danza fall in love? Will Tony Danza ever shake his Who's the Boss character? There's only one way to find out. Catch this formula effort the next time it's on USA. If you aren't expecting much more than your typical Yule Tide Movie of the Week, you should be satisfied.