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The Christmas romcom has been given a lick of rainbow paint in Happiest Season, the proudly LGBT festive flick from writer and director Clea DuVall. Led by Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, with a packed supporting ensemble including Allison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Daniel Levy and Mary Steenberg, is Happiest Season a Christmas cracker or a turkey?
When Harper (Davis) reveals that she hasn't come out to her conservative parents on the journey to their house for Christmas with her girlfriend, Abby's (Stewart) plan to propose is upended and a very different, closeted celebration is on the cards. Taking on the typically heteronormative genre, Happiest Season smartly embraces the conventions of the wider romantic-comedy genre and applies them to a same-sex couple in order to bring more LGBT stories to a mainstream audience.
A Christmas corker worth celebrating, Happiest Season gifts you a big-hearted and perfectly enjoyable film for the festive season; one that doesn't rock the boat in its structure or narrative but feels remarkably refreshing in the representation and diversity it brings to the sub-genre. Indulging in cliches and conventions to create a warmly familiar tone perfectly suited to the time of year, Happiest Season already stands proudly as one of the strongest contemporary Christmas films of recent years, made all the more by how representative it is of our times.
Co-writers Clea DuVall and Mary Holland have no intention of reinventing the merry wheel, landing on a coming-out story enriched by the usual themes of family, acceptance and - of course - Christmas. But while these subjects are beginning to seem exhausted, Happiest Season is without the cynicism that can often weigh down such cheesy holiday flicks, engaging audiences throughout the tightly-paced 102-minute runtime. They have created a crop of mostly likeable characters (although perhaps trip up in their depiction of Harper, who is sometimes skewed more negatively than she should be) and ensure the film's stakes are dramatic enough to compel but don't detract from the positive, lighthearted tone and energy it seeks to spread.
Most of the film's warmth and success can be attributed to the stellar ensemble, with Kristen Stewart turning in one of her most compelling lead performances to date. Bringing a depth to Abby, Stewart uses her signature acting style to great effect, offering a more subdued but no less invested turn. Mackenzie Davis is also a magnetic presence, able to connect with audiences who understand her personal challenges despite the screenplay's shakiness in its handling of her character. Others impress too, with Aubrey Plaza and Daniel Levy both making terrific use of their supporting roles, and Mary Steenberg becoming a frequent scene-stealer. It really is a strong ensemble effort and everyone is given their moment to shine.
Happiest Season has been made with nothing but heart and soul, with the entire filmmaking team setting out to make a beautifully-intentioned, rainbow-filled new Christmas classic. It isn't a perfect film - often overly familiar without ever seeking to push the boundaries - but its existence as one of very few LGBT Christmas movies means that such a familiarity becomes one of its strengths: simply seeing an overindulgent, obscenely cloy and cosy Christmas flick plays out with a lesbian couple at the centre is something of a revolution in itself. Clea DuVall and team should be filled with pride.
Summary: Particularly at the end of a year filled with so much negative energy, the warmth and happiness that emits from the lovingly-made Happiest Season is bound to inspire some joy as we prepare to bid farewell to 2020. It's not a perfect film but could very well become a new Christmas comfort watch.