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Mistletoe Over Manhattan

6.1/10 · 1,158 ratings20111h 28mChristmasWeirdness 8/10Bingo card
Mistletoe Over Manhattan poster
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The premise

After sensing her husband is losing his Christmas spirit, Mrs. Claus travels to a place where she knows the spirit of Christmas still exists: New York City.

Themes:Restoration of faithImportance of family over careerThe power of beliefSecond chances in marriage

How unusual is it?

Very. Santa is real, magic, Santa himself and an actual miracle all turn up in one movie — the strangest 7% of everything we've logged.

Who’s in it

Tedde Moore headshot

Our Girl

Tedde Moore

as Rebecca Claus

Greg Bryk headshot

Our Guy

Greg Bryk

as Joe Martel

Alongside them

Show all 10 cast

Behind the camera

Show

Directed by

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • Santa's workshop producing dancing mice that shout profanities due to a programming glitch
  • Santa Claus having a mid-life crisis and complaining about competing with polar bears for soda advertisements
  • Mrs. Claus using the alias 'Becca Clausberger' and claiming it might be German
  • The existence of 'Magic Mistletoe' that acts as a supernatural relationship litmus test
  • Santa and an elf hiding in bushes in suburban New York to spy on a nanny

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 33 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Setting2

🌆Big City⬜None Specific

Time & season3

❄️Winter🎄Christmas🗓️Contemporary

Premise3

🎅Santa is Real🪄Magic/Wishes✨Supernatural

Characters6

💼Lead: Executive/Corporate👮Love interest: Police Officer🐱Cat👶Cute kid👨‍👧Single parent🐕Pet

Conflict4

⚖️Career vs Home/Family👨‍👩‍👧Family stakes💔Love triangle💔An ex returns

Romance6

💕Start as former exes💕First kiss: late (final third)♻️Second chance🔥Slow burn💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

Tone & quirks5

🎬Light/Heartwarming🎵Musical element👨‍🍳Cooking scenes🧶Crafting scenes🎄Tree decorating

How it ends4

🎅Santa appears⭐A miracle💋Ends with a kiss🤝Family reconciliation

Why we’d put this one on

Mrs. Claus comes to New York because Santa is having a full mid-life crisis, sulking about losing Christmas spirit and competing with polar bears for soda ads. So she packs a bag, picks the alias Becca Clausberger, claims it might be German, and takes a nanny job with a couple on the brink of divorce. Tricia Helfer plays the wife. Weirdness 8, and the workshop subplot involves dancing mice that swear because of a glitch. It is a 2011 oddity built on Magic Mistletoe and pure North Pole logic, the kind only Hallmark commits to with a straight face.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)
The film begins at the North Pole, where Santa Claus (Nick) is suffering from a severe existential crisis. He is exhausted by the 'age of entitlement,' noting that for the first time ever, the Naughty List is longer than the Nice List. His stress is compounded by technical glitches in the workshop, including a group of dancing mice programmed to speak who are inexplicably shouting profanities. Fearing Nick is serious about retirement, Mrs. Claus (Becca) decides to take matters into her own hands. Following a suggestion from the elf Sparky, she travels to New York City to find 'Christmas Spirit.' Upon arrival, she is nearly robbed, but the thief is caught by Joe Martel, an NYPD officer. Joe is struggling with a failing marriage to Lucy, who is currently dating a wealthy but cold businessman named Parker Matisse. Seeing an opportunity to help, Becca accepts a job as a nanny for Joe and Lucy’s two children, Travis and Bailey. While Becca works to mend the family's bond through home-cooked meals and holiday decorating, Sparky and Nick eventually follow her to the city. Nick is initially skeptical, hiding in bushes and watching from afar, but he is moved by the Martel children's genuine belief in him. The conflict peaks when Parker Matisse offers Lucy a job in Florida and reveals he has already made plans to send her children to boarding school to keep them out of the way. Realizing Parker doesn't care for her family, Lucy breaks up with him. On Christmas Eve, Joe arrives with divorce papers, but Becca uses 'Magic Mistletoe' from the North Pole to encourage a final moment of connection. Joe and Lucy confess their enduring love and decide to call off the divorce. Witnessing this act of true love and the children's joy, Nick regains his Christmas spirit and returns to the North Pole to complete his rounds, while Becca promises to return home after Christmas dinner.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Santa Claus expresses deep depression over the state of the world and considers retirement after seeing the Naughty List exceed the Nice List.

  2. Inciting incident

    Mrs. Claus (Becca) travels to New York City and meets Joe Martel, an NYPD cop whose family is falling apart.

  3. Midpoint

    Becca becomes the Martel family nanny, successfully getting the rebellious daughter Bailey to engage with the family and the young son Travis to decorate a massive tree for Santa.

  4. Complication

    Parker Matisse, Lucy's boyfriend, attempts to fast-track the divorce and move the family to Florida, planning to send the kids to boarding school.

  5. Climax

    Lucy discovers Parker's boarding school scheme and breaks up with him; Joe arrives with divorce papers but is confronted by his feelings for Lucy.

  6. Resolution

    Joe and Lucy reconcile under the magic mistletoe, and Santa, watching from the roof, regains his faith in humanity.

Did you know?

A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.

  • At a weirdness score of 8, it lands among the strangest 7% of Hallmark movies we've scored.

Top 7% weirdest

Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 7%.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 6.1 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.1567

Higher-rated than 22% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Mistletoe Over Manhattan belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Hallmark Bingo

Your Mistletoe Over Manhattan card is dealt.

Twenty-four squares pulled from this movie’s own quirks — the cosy classics, a few only-in-this-one curveballs, and a couple of decoys. Mark them as you watch.

Open your card

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “The dancing mice... seem to be speaking... profanity.”
    — Donner (Elf)Reporting a glitch in the toy workshop to Santa.
  • “I'm scared even Santa's losing his Christmas spirit.”
    — SparkyDiscussing Santa's depression with Mrs. Claus.
  • “Christmas magic is not something you give. It's something you find.”
    — Nick (Santa Claus)Explaining the nature of holiday spirit to the Martel children.
  • “You could turn the world upside down... and no matter which way you shook it... You always got beautiful.”
    — Lucy MartelDescribing her childhood snowglobe and her desire for a better life.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Becca Claus

    Lead

    Mrs. Claus / Nanny

    optimisticwisemeddlingexcellent cook

  • Joe Martel

    Love interest

    NYPD Officer

    Employer and friend

    dedicatedregretfulprotective

  • Parker Matisse

    Antagonist

    Department Store Owner

    Rival to Joe

    arrogantcontrollingdislikes children

  • Nick (Santa Claus)

    Supporting

    Master Toy Maker

    Husband

    depressedoverworkedcynicalkind-hearted

  • Lucy Martel

    Supporting

    Marketing Executive

    Employer

    ambitiousstressedfamily-oriented

  • Sparky

    Supporting

    Chief Elf

    Assistant

    loyalanxioushelpful

Questions people ask about Mistletoe Over Manhattan

How long is Mistletoe Over Manhattan?

Mistletoe Over Manhattan runs about 1 hour and 28 minutes, and was released in 2011.

Is Mistletoe Over Manhattan a Christmas movie?

Yes. Mistletoe Over Manhattan is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDB