There are many aspects of Hulu's new holiday rom-com Happiest Season that I absolutely adored, and one particular misstep that is so glaring that it threatened to completely topple the entire film. But let's start with the positives.
Primarily, the performances were pretty sterling across the board. The crackerjack ensemble is a collection of considerable comedic character actors, including Mary Holland (who brings the right balance of crazy and pathos to what could've been a disastrous role) and Dan Levy (fresh off his Emmy coronation ceremony to play a very now-Dan-Levy-esque character). Lead Kristen Stewart gives an understated performance that was just right for the role. And Allison Brie and Aubrey Plaza both turn in pretty solid supporting roles, Plaza especially. It almost seems like the two switched roles at the last minute, and are thus playing against their typical type; seeing Aubrey Plaza play a completely normal and likeable character was both jarring and refreshing.
The hook for this movie is that it's a rom-com, but its two leads are lesbians. While I'm limited in terms of what I can confidently say about both rom-coms and LGBTQ entertainment, I'd say that the movie handled this slight twist convincingly. It avoided patting itself on the back by treating this as a normal romantic comedy, regardless of gender, but it also effectively generated a unique rom-com plot because of the fact that the leads are lesbians. In other words, ideas like coming out of the closet and considerations on the patriarchy are novel in their place in this rom-com, but Happiest Season never winks at the audience to say "this is different, isn't it?" They thread the needle.
Finally, I enjoyed the choice to have this story take place over the Christmas holidays. Theoretically, Abby (Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) could've had their falling out at any time of year, e.g. maybe Abby is attending the Caldwells' annual summer vacation to the Hamptons or some shit. But Christmas was the perfect backdrop for such a story, because it is this holiday that tends to both amplify the need for honesty and underline the anxiety that comes with the act of being yourself. Both are important in Harper's coming out story, and the stakes are higher because of the perceived "importance" of the holiday season. If that makes sense.
So yeah, I enjoyed this movie for the most part. There were enough pieces stitched together that it kept me involved throughout its sprightly runtime. However, Happiest Season did fall into a trap that I believe many romantic comedies of its kind also fall into, and that is that its central conflict stretched into the unbelievable, at least in terms of how I perceive romance (so take that as you will).
To put it bluntly—Harper was a HUGE asshole to Abby, and I found it hard to believe that any sane person would allow themselves to go through all that and still want to be together, grand romantic gesture be damned. I don't doubt that there are going to be mishaps and misunderstandings during a long holiday weekend with the future in-laws. I'm just saying that the misdeeds started to pile so high that it didn't make sense at all that Abby would stick around for another second (or, ya know, at least ditch Harper for Plaza's infinitely cooler Riley).
I haven't seen enough romantic comedies to make any broad generalizations, but I can say that, as often as I've seen films in this genre, I tend to put myself in the protagonists' shoes. That's the point—romantic comedies are supposed to be relatable. We've all dealt with love and heartbreak at some point in our lives. When I put myself in Abby's shoes, I do so knowing full well that I can never experience the specific anxieties that come with the particulars of same-sex romance. But I do so anyway in a general sense—it may have been with the opposite gender, but I've definitely dealt with my fair share of romantic foibles, both before and during marriage.
And I'm saying that, when I'm in Abby's shoes, I see no logical reason not to bail. That Abby does not bail seems like an illogical leap made by the script, and it takes me out of my film-watching experience. There are only so many indignities one person can reasonably be expected to take, and Abby goes far past that point in the suffering she receives at the hands of the "love of her life." If I'm walking around with a goddamn engagement ring in my pocket and my potential fiancée is lying to her family about me, allowing her parents to treat me like an unwanted turd, hanging out with her ex until two in the morning, ditching me for 55 minutes of every hour of our holiday vacation, turning on me and asking for "space" at even the slightest hiccup, etc., etc., then you better believe I'm trashing the ring. Jesus fucking christ.
I'm not saying there wasn't enough to enjoy the hell out of this film. I'm just saying that the central romance threatened to ruin this movie for me. The fact that it's a romantic comedy and that the romance is half the point means that Happiest Season came within a hair's width away from not working at all. Ultimately, it did, but man did I just not fucking understand the protagonist's motivations whatsoever.
GRADE: 3 pukes out of 5
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