Saint Nick of Bethlehem review (2024)

Saint Nick of Bethlehem is not a perfect Christmas movie. It’s a little corny with a cast of varying degrees of acting talent, but its endlessly earnest charm should win over more critical viewers by its conclusion.

In general, Christmas movies are graded on a curve. Viewers aren’t as discerning with films in the genre compared to viable Oscar contenders. All they really need is some likable characters, a premise that doesn’t get too dark and leaves viewers feeling good after watching it.

Saint Nick of Bethlehem checks those boxes easily enough and gets bonus points as it’s based on a real person — Allen Smith of Central Pennsylvania.

Reliable character actor Daniel Roebuck (The Fugitive) plays Nick, a man dealing with a double dose of loss. His wife left him and their young son, Scotty, died at 16. Nick still wears his wedding ring but is in a greater sense of denial about Scotty as he goes into Scotty’s room — kept pristine from the time he died — to have regular chats with him.

This greatly concerns Nick’s mother, Betty (Cathy Moriarty), who hopes Nick’s best friend Jimbo (Timothy E. Goodwin) can help snap Nick out of his lengthy funk. Moriarty is a tremendous actress, but she’s only three years older than Roebuck so it probably would have made more sense for her to play Nick’s older sister instead of his mother.

Betty knows she can’t rely on her other son, Charlie (Duane Whittaker who’s actually a year older than Moriarty), a used car salesman who’s completely lacking Nick’s sweet, caring and thoughtful nature.

Nick does get some much-needed motivation to start loving his life again when he reconnects with his high school sweetheart Mary (Marsha Dietlein), who’s back in town to work temporarily at the local hospital. Yes, that sounds suspiciously like the premise of every Christmas Hallmark or Lifetime movie, but the formula works so there’s no reason to deviate from it now.

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Motivated to start working again instead of spending all his time caring for Betty, Nick swallows his pride and starts working at Charlie’s dealership. With his thick white beard and love of wearing red outfits, the customers like the idea of buying a car from Santa. With his jovial nature and honest demeanor, Nick quickly starts becoming a sales whiz. While Charlie still doesn’t appreciate Nick, his accountant Sue (Jennifer Porrata), certainly welcomes another voice of reason and compassion in the office.

During an impromptu lunch visit to see Mary, Nick gets stopped by a child in the hospital who calls him Santa. Happy to play along and boost the spirits of the other children in the wing, Nick doesn’t mind being Santa Claus at all.

Roebuck co-directed and co-wrote the script with Spencer Folmar taking a smart bet that his charm would keep viewers engaged with Nick and his interactions with other residents.
One of the best scenes of Saint Nick of Bethlehem centers on Nick comforting a resident who also lost someone special and in the process finally come to grips with Scotty’s death. It’s an emotional moment that is genuinely gripping and heartfelt without feeling like it’s manipulating viewers’ emotions.

Folmar and Roebuck pace Saint Nick of Bethlehem well as there’s no wasted scenes. Even if it feels like a subplot might have been forgotten it plays into the larger story in a largely organic manner.

While some actors sound like they’re reading their lines very carefully, Porrata, Dietlein, Moriarty, Goodwin and Whittaker offer solid supporting performances to help provide Saint Nick of Bethlehem with a sturdy foundation.

Not every bit of dialogue works specifically the feud with Nick and Charlie, but ultimately it comes together in a satisfying manner.
Saint Nick of Bethlehem may not become an annual Christmas viewing tradition, but it is a charming film with a genuinely inspiring message for the holiday season.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Hard Faith

For more regular guy becomes Santa Claus films, check out The Santa Clause trilogy on Blu-Ray at Amazon.

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