Christmas Catch (Spoilers)

Many Holiday movies seem to rehash the same plots over and over with a few tweaks here and there.  Christmas Catch shows us there is still some creative twists left out there to be explored in a holiday romance.  This movie presents an interesting premise that seems like a great concept . . . at least on paper.  The movie stars Emily Alatalo as Mackenzie Bennet, a local police detective.  We first meet Mackenzie undercover as a Santa's Helper staking out a counterfeiter while her partner Reid (Andrew Bushell) backs her up from a police van.  This scene sets up a few details about Mackenzie such as; she loves Christmas, has a great working relationship and friendship with her partner and is completely inept when it comes to flirting or dealing with the opposite sex.  Mackenzie later tackles the bad guy in an alley after a long chase, breaking his arm.

Because of Mackenzie's disastrous personal life, her friends set her up at a social mingle.  She attends but has to leave after just a short time due to a work call.  Leaving the gathering she notices a Christmas tree display with its star tilting to one side.  While attempting to fix the star, she slips and falls into the arms of Carson, played by Franco Lo Presti, who also happens to be on his way to the singles social.  The two hit it off and engage in casual conversation before Mackenzie is again pulled away by calls from work.  The biggest problem with this scene for me is that Carson looks like your stereotypical Syrian or Libyan terrorist and the entire time I was expecting him to tip his hand (drop his AK-47 or bomb detonator) and be arrested by Mackenzie.  An important plot point here is that Carson mentions the word serendipity in their conversation (although I would have expected him to say 'Death to America') which is an idea Mackenzie has associated with finding true love.

The next day, she spends the morning talking to herself about her dreamy first encounter with the love child of Grace Jones and Dolph Lundgren, Carson.  At work, Mackenzie and Reid are called into Mackenzie's mom's . . . . errrr . . . I mean their Captain's office to meet with FBI agent Robinson (Genelle Williams) who needs the local police to stakeout a suspected diamond thief.  The FBI needs to determine if their suspect is going to sell the stolen merchandise or if he and his crew are planning another heist.  Mackenzie soon realizes that Carson is the suspect they will be keeping under observation (which makes sense because he already looks like a mob enforcer).  While setting up their surveillance Mackenzie receives a call from 'Eastern European Henchmen #4' . . . I mean . . . Carson, who obtained her cell phone number from people at the coffee shop during the singles event (because that's not creepy at all).  Carson then asks her out on a date and she hangs up in a panic.

The surveillance team meets with Agent Robinson and Captain Mom where Mackenzie finally admits she knows the suspect from their encounter outside the coffee shop.  Agent Robinson believes this to be the perfect opportunity for them to get more information and orders Mackenzie on a date with the suspect.  Mackenzie arranges the date and then her and Reid set up wiretaps and cameras in Carson's residence.  The abundance of Christmas decorations in Carson's home make both Detective Mackenzie and Captain mom (also a huge fan of Christmas) just giddy with delight.  At the dinner date, Mackenzie attempts to glean information from him about his wife (a suspected associate for the robbery) while the meeting is recorded from the police van.  Despite Carson's charm and sweet demeanor during dinner I still half expected him to lose control and pistol whip the waiter for bringing him a plate of cold spaghetti.  I mean, seriously, the guy looks like every Italian organized crime member ever shown on Law and Order.  It's hard to be drawn into a growing romantic connection when you are compelled to scream at the female protagonist to "Run . . . JUST RUN!!!".

The team goes over what they have learned but Agent Robinson doesn't feel it to be enough, so she orders Mackenzie on another date.  They arrange to meet again at the coffee shop.  During this meeting an old associate of Carson, David (played by Eric Hicks), arrives and is quickly identified as a notorious safe-cracker.  Things get tense between the two men but David eventually leaves, after which Carson dips out to return to work.  However, since Carson is under surveillance, they know he went home instead and called into work as being sick.  More importantly this chance meeting proves that every single bad guy in this movie has a beard and since Carson also has a beard, he must be guilty right?  Mackenzie, Reid and Captain Mom meet at the stakeout location and teleconference with FBI Agent Robinson because nothing is more clandestine during a stakeout then people in police uniforms walking into a rented house right across the street from the suspect who has already been established as being home at the time.  Sounds like some top notch policework there.

That night Carson calls Mackenzie and they set up another date, this time at his house for dinner.  While at dinner they do some Christmas tree decorating (Of course, check off that box for a Christmas romance.) where Carson shows Mackenzie his prized ornament that he and his mom made when he was a child.  While eating, Carson receives a call that can't be picked up by the surveillance . . . (why not?).  Carson returns and tells Mackenzie that he knows she's a cop.  She initially denies it but then comes clean.  Okay, is this it?  This will explain his nefarious appearance as he pulls out a pistol and tries to put two bullets into Mackenzie's forehead right???   Nope!  Instead he simply tells her to leave because he doesn't want to see her anymore (and she's blown her opportunity for that private tour of the Holiday themed jihadi bomb-making room in his basement).

The stakeout is now exposed, Mackenzie and Reid pack up.  The police also pack up their surveillance equipment from Carson's house (For which he signs paperwork for in a scene?  What the hell?).  Mackenzie is put on administrative leave but after talking to her friends decides to go back to the stakeout location and watch Carson's house (If you are already suspended, this would seem like a good way to get completely fired).  Looking out the window she spots safe-cracking David going into Carson's house and decides to investigate.  Upon entering, she finds Carson prone on the floor.  David walks in and tells her that Carson really likes her (I think we can agree that's what every criminal would say at that particular moment.).  Special Agent Robinson walks in and we find out that she is actually Bethany, Carson's diamond thieving ex-wife.  She remarks that David is an excellent forger and Captain Mom is the worst police captain ever when it comes to verifying FBI task force authorizations.

It turns out that the missing diamond reindeer has been hidden in Carson's beloved handmade ornament the whole time (But wait, wouldn't Carson have noticed that there was a large diamond pendant loose rattling around inside the ornament when they placed it on the tree?).  Despite having ample opportunity to draw her weapon (which she started to draw before Bethany walked in) and arrest the two of them Mackenzie is too enthralled in the story to remember the task at hand (arrest the criminals).  Then Bethany draws her weapon (See Mackenzie?  See how it's done?) and explains her plan to kill all three of them (Why kill David again?  And why tell him when he is behind you?) but all this is thwarted when Captain Mom shows up with several other officers and at least 3 snipers with laser sights targeting Bethany through the window . . . so let’s just say she shows up with the entire police force.

While lying injured on the floor, Carson insists on giving Mackenzie a present (saving himself a frustrating trip to the post office) which turns out to be a Christmas ornament.  Mackenzie rushes out to the ambulance where Carson had been taken where they are both invited to Captain Mom's annual Christmas dinner and finally kiss.  I'm assuming that Captain Mom will have plenty of time to prepare dinner since she has to be sacked for operating a police stakeout on behalf of a known criminal, right?  Luckily, all the embarrassing romantic banter recorded between Mackenzie and Carson will not be public since it was obtained illegally.  I mean there can't be a valid FBI warrant if there are no real FBI agents, correct?  And what in God's name was Bethany's plan?  Why bring the police in to watch your ex-husband, identify your partner (David) and make them aware of the entire situation when you knew where the diamond was the whole time?  Wouldn't it have made more sense to break in around Christmas and steal the ornament or force Carson to turn it over to you?  Seriously, what was the freakin’ point Bethany???

I'm going to slam the casting in this movie.  The look the production staff gave to Franco Lo Presti was awful.  Did I mention he looked like your stereotypical thug, serial killer or monster villain for the entire movie?  His casting made as much sense as choosing Kermit the Frog to play President Obama in both appearance AND performance. Emily Alatalo was serviceable as Mackenzie and at time cute and engaging but I actually think if you had switched out the roles of Genelle Williams and Emily Alatalo it would have been a better fit.  And Andrew Bushell was excellent as the partner, Reid.  Cast Genelle as Mackenzie, Reid as Carson and let Emily and Franco play the FBI agent and police partner respectively and this is probably a 4 or 5 star film.  In its current form though, disappointing . . . I give it a 1.5 out of 5.