The Christmas Setup

Suddenly everyone is all for making the yuletide gay. Earlier this month it was The Christmas House, Hallmark's first attempt at including a gay couple in their kitsch Americana; now it's Lifetime's The Christmas Set-up, which mostly revolves around a will-they-won't-they gay romance. While Hallmark's gay story was rather tentative, extremely shaky and reeked of tokenism, Lifetime's effort is surprisingly sweet and engaging, and not at all apologetic. As is to be expected, it's also very vanilla; yet the story manages to make that a plus, rather than an obvious avoidance of male-on-male action (which it absolutely is!). The leads (real life couple Ben Lewis and Blake Lee) are appealing and the story around Hugo's career/life balance crisis is likely to resonate with many. And then there's Fran Drescher as Hugo's mother. If nothing else, The Christmas Set-up is an opportunity to marvel at that weirdly mesmerising voice - somewhere between a screech and whine, and now with added raspiness. It's as if he's been gargling with razor blades. The Christmas Set-up is worth a look for Fran alone.

In the newest sub-genre - the gay Christmas movie - this one is the best so far. Within the strict confines of the genre, the solid writing and directing and the strong performances manage to breathe some fresh life and vitality into the predictable plot and Christmas movie tropes.

It helps a lot that there's real romantic chemistry between the two leads - who are married in real life - and their acting is considerably stronger than the typically C-List actors who are plugged into these cookie-cutter holiday romcoms.

Fran Drescher does her familiar shtick as a loving and meddling mama. Whether or not you buy her ultra-Jewish persona as a Christmas obsessed woman is another story. As a matter of fact, all three of the leads seem kinda Jewish. Fine. They should live and be well.

While Lifetime in recent years have put many LGBTQ characters in their movies, The Christmas Setup is their first attempt to put a gay couple front and centre. Although the title of the movie is as forgettable as any Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies that get churned out faster than superhero reboots, the movie itself is anything but.

Meticulously written, directed, well acted with pleasing visuals and incredible chemistry between the two leads, The Christmas Setup allows its viewers to take a peek into the lives of two people who in most parts of world are still not legally allowed to marry. This movie manages to normalise their relationship so beautifully while at the same time show the world just how loving a relationship between any two people can be, regardless of their orientation or whichever gender they identify with.

Ben Lewis and Blake Lee lit up the screen with every interaction, and Fran Drescher is as adorable as ever. Every gay guy should be so lucky to have a mom like Fran/Kate, much like Sharon Gless as the supermom for Mikey in QAF. Ellen Wong provided the much needed best friend / confidant without being overbearing, and Chad Connell played the straight brother who every gay person out there could only dream of having.

Although this movie was never intended to redefine any particular genre, it didn't need to. The fact that it got greenlit and produced to such high standards indicates a slow but positive steady shift of the world's point-of-view of what love is. Hopefully, more of the same will be made in the future.

I really enjoyed The Christmas Setup. It is a fun and warm movie with some brilliant acting, one of Lifetime's better Christmas originals this season. It is also Lifetime's first LGBTQ+ Christmas movie, giving same-sex male relationships representation in this genre of film, which is a plus. The story revolves around Hugo Spencer (played by Ben Lewis), a talented New York lawyer who is keen to make partner at his firm. He and his BFF, Madelyn McKay (played by Ellen Wong), head home to Milwaukee to spend the Christmas break with his mother Kate (played by Fran Drescher), who oversees organizing the annual local Christmas celebrations. While home, Hugo runs into Patrick (played by Blake Lee), a former high school crush. As the two spend time together enjoying the festivities, their relationship and attraction begin to grow. However, Hugo soon faces a tough decision between romance and that promotion he's been working hard for. The plots used in the story are, of course, unoriginal. Those familiar with Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies will immediately recognize, e.g., the trip home for the holidays and finding love, reconnecting with past crushes/relationships, and the hard choice between love and career. That said, the writer does a good job with the dialogue in the script. From banter and playful exchanges to warm and heartfelt interactions, the dialogue between Hugo and Madelyn, and Hugo and Patrick feel genuine and real. The writer has also included a bit of mystery and investigation around the original owner of the train station, which is a sub-plot that I enjoyed. And, of course, we are treated to the usual Christmas spirit and holiday cheer, your standard Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas activities. What makes all this work on screen is the quality of acting. Overall, it was excellent. Ben Lewis's performance was great, quite endearing at times. I found it easy to connect with his portrayal of Hugo (e.g., to Hugo's awkward side around Patrick). Blake Lee too had a strong performance. He had this gentle and warm (and sincere) vibe to his portrayal of Patrick, which I felt worked well on screen. The two had great chemistry, which makes sense given they are married in real life. The scene of them on the roof putting up lights was cute and fun to watch, for example. The supporting cast was superb. Ellen Wong and Fran Drescher both had convincing performances (e.g., their interactions with Hugo were lovely to watch). The production quality was good. For example, the scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive. I also had a chuckle at the names of the cocktails at Rudolph's Hideaway Lounge. Finally, the music and music editing were pretty good (couple of nice songs in this one). All in all, it is warm, fun and engaging, a nice new edition to Lifetime's 2020 Christmas movie lineup. Highly recommend.

Acting is a little stiff but the story line is good. The main characters, Hugo and Patrick, are married in real life and their love for each other came through beautifully. I would recommend this movie to everyone. Good for Lifetime to show such an open minded movie with no bigotry.