lallimj Disclaimer: I'm a Kevin Sorbo fan. He's a good actor. If you compare him to most of the "generic" actors in Hallmark movies, he's a clear standout. When he comes on the screen he's certainly seems every inch a movie star. I say that because I've watched (or should I say fast-forwarded through) many HM movies where it really wasn't clear who was (supposed to be) the "star." This guy has matinée idol good looks (even now, well into his 50's) and he really is a cut above the usual male lead. There's a scene in the movie where he's recounting something upsetting, and he does it just the right blend of privacy, melancholy, and embarrassment that is appropriate when telling something private. In general, this is a great little feel-good holiday movie. Two thumbs up !!!

grizzledgeezer I've been watching Hallmark Channel's tsimmes of uplifting Christmas movies as I work in the morning. They vary from the interesting ("Ms Scrooge") to the appalling ("The Night They Saved Christmas"). (The latter is so devoid of joy, wit, or humor -- all the adult actors, including Art Carney, are there strictly to pick up their paychecks -- that it's a must-see for misanthropes and noelphobes.)"The Santa Suit" is a modern version of "A Christmas Carol", with big chunks of "Miracle on 34th Street" blended in. It consistently /sidesteps/ (most) opportunities to be cute, cheaply sentimental, or superficially humorous. It even addresses issues films such as these rarely, if ever, consider. * Perhaps I'm getting old, but it drew a few tears, which seemed to have been honestly earned.Though "The Santa Suit" is an exercise in subdued acting, writing, and direction, Kevin Sorbo's performance nevertheless stands out. I never thought much of this hairy-chest-with-a-dimple -- he did little more than read his lines in "Andromeda" -- but here he actually /acts/ and delivers a convincing characterization. If there's an Emmy for "Best Actor in a Made-for-Cable Movie", he should be nominated.No, it's not a great film, but it's "good enough", one of those rare "Christmas movies" most viewers won't think was a waste of time.* When Drake considers getting an expensive doll for a farbisseneh little girl, the woman who hired him to play Santa suggests that perhaps she would be better off /not/ believing in Santa, and not expecting to receive everything she wants. (The film might have been even better had it taken this path to its predictable resolution. What, you were expecting maybe a sorrowful ending?)

lastliberal Every year we are exposed to different takes on traditional stories. There are rarely new concepts, just different ways of interpretation.Kevin Sorbo has a dozen screen appearances this year, and it is a welcome break to see him in something other than Hercules or Syfy.He is perfect as an unloved CEO - no wife, no girlfriend, no friends of any kind. He pushed cheap toys and is only interested in sales, not people.Of course, he runs into the real Santa, who decides to teach him a lesson. He is now broke and in a Santa suit. What else is going to do but work as Santa for Christmas? Of course, there is a sad, cute little girl (Brianna Daguanno), and a perky social worker (Jennifer Gibson).This one will tug at your heartstrings even if you know how it will end.

boblipton This is a fine little Santa movie as Drake Hunter, the scrooge-like owner of a toy company, finds himself mysteriously transformed into a Santa lookalike for the Christmas season -- he looks and feels like himself in his own mind, but everyone sees him as the jolly old elf in the red suit, even himself in mirrors -- and comes to recognize how empty his life is. Although this sort of body-switching device has been used many times before, this variation on it is well handled in the script department and well worth your time.I do have one issue: Kevin Sorbo plays the role for as understandably depressed and low affect for the first hour. As I have commented in many another review, this is appropriate but uninteresting but there are enough interesting performances around him to sustain the movie until he begins to slowly work his way out of that state and into a decent person in the second half. That pay off makes the movie.