Feliz Novedad

The far too often shallow facade and deceit of meeting traditional and expired conservative expectations played out in a cinematic seasonal pantomime (oh no it isn't; watch it and find out!). Primarily preaching to the converted, it reminds us why individualism is the foundation of us all. Could have been the best Christmas film ever if the father had come out as a cross dresser and the mother as a habitual piercer but you should always leave room for improvement and any improvement in the views of some is always well and truly welcome.

Happiest Season deserves a lot of credit for the grace with which it handles coming out, especially from within a family full of such insufferable jerks. Still, I can't help but feel like the Mackenzie Davis character gets away with a bit too much truly terrible behavior to make the ending satisfying. #TeamAubreyPlaza all day...not since Ducky in "Pretty in Pink"...

Watched this with my girlfriend, we were both expecting a feel-good Christmas movie... instead found this to be quite dramatic and more intense than the trailers/advertising suggested. We're both cis gay women and watching Abby being forced to sneak around at Christmas while Harper hides in the closet (for reasons the movie never really explains apart from "general fear of parental response"?) was not really "fun" or "festive" for us. I was actually pretty bummed out and disappointed after the movie ended.

The film seems to be at least partly autobiographical from Clea DuVall (who I enjoyed in But I'm a cheerleader), and as a drama it works well, I just wish the advertising had reflected that. If I knew what I was getting into, I'd give it a solid 7.5/10 - the acting is decent and the story is pretty relatable. Dan Levy is great, I wish he'd had a bit more time on screen (he was the only comedic element!), and Kristen Stewart handles the dramatic elements with ease. I really felt for Abby.

On a happier note, as part of a broader representation of LBGTQ+ community, I'm glad this movie did well - looking forward to more queer stories.

I watched this movie for Dan Levy, and he did not disappoint. He is a national treasure and deserved more screen time. Kristen Stewart wasn't as bad as I thought she would be. Aubrey Plaza was a delight. I love the rest of the cast, but their characters were annoying. Harper was an absolutely horrible girlfriend, and I was actually rooting for Abby and Riley to end up together instead. Overall, not that bad of a movie because I'm just happy to finally see an LGBTQ Christmas rom-com, but this could have been done so much better.

This is a very good movie with a lot of feel good moments. Dan Levy is the man and Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis shine. As a straight man who has never had to hide who I am, I really learned something in this movie and I hope others do too.