The year is winding down and we're going back into quarantine, which means taking a chance on a new holiday movie that might really suck. Except you don't have to take that chance with Hulu's new Christmas original, Happiest Season, 'cause I'm gonna break it down for you.
Happiest Season is kind of like Get Out, but for white lesbians with a Hallmark twist. Kristen Stewart plays our leading lesbian, Abby, who's about to go meet her girlfriend's family for the first time at Christmas! Except her girlfriend isn't out to her family yet, so Abby must play the part of her girlfriend's totally hetero, orphan roommate. And I'm sure you can imagine the kind of hi-jinx that ensue next!
Aided by the effortless performances of Alison Brie, Dan Levy, and Aubrey Plaza, (seriously, this is a fucking star-studded film) the relatively flimsy script floats nicely along from one familiar face to the next. Maybe you'll just watch the movie because you love Dan Levy, and in that case, you will not be disappointed.
Happiest Season was written and directed by Clea Duvall, the gay character from Veep, Broad City, and The Handmaid's Tale. Seriously, she must have been at the top of some gay casting list. And while I love to see women flourishing and making their own movies, I do think there was a real missed opportunity in not titling the film Gay Tidings. But that's just me.
At first glance, Happiest Season seems like a relatively low-budget, cookie cutter Christmas movie. It's no How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey. But it does have a certain wholesome quality that didn't make me want to turn it off at any point. It's just a sweet movie about a family dropping pretenses and loving each other for who they are. My personal hero in this film was the awkward middle child, Jane, who went from being the overlooked wifi trouble shooter to publishing her own fantasy novel. She brought the genuine, wholesome energy to the table right from the start and the rest of the family just had to catch up.
While it could have been more emotionally dense and certainly much much gayer, if you are desperately bored or in need of wholesome Christmas cheer, Happiest Season could do the trick. I give it 6 out of 10 gay Santa's.
