Happiest Season is the Feel-Good Queer Romance We Need This Holiday Season

It’s no secret that Hollywood is lacking in queer stories, queer actors playing queer characters, or a queer romance where neither partner dies. Happiest Season is a queer holiday movie that can easily become a classic of the season. 

Abby decides to go home to her girlfriend Harper’s house for Christmas, only to find out that Harper has not told her parents about their relationship, or her sexuality. Abby plays along with Harper’s deception until the lie becomes too much and all comes to a head on Christmas Eve.

Abby, portrayed by Kristen Stewart, is confident, smart, and easily impresses Harper’s intense family. Kristen Stewart’s performance as this character is very different from other characters she is known for. Kristen Stewart is light and fun, emotionally mature, and has a relatable personality set to make an instant connection with viewers. 

Kristen Stewart’s performance is entirely contrasted by that of Mackenzie Davis, who plays her partner Harper. Davis portrays Harper’s intense family dynamic with grace despite her character being the most unlikable. Harper is at times selfish, lashing out and pushing away the people she loves. 

What Davis does best in her portrayal of Harper is the regression of being at home, around high school friends and familiar places. It’s something most everyone goes through when they are returning to their childhood home for the holidays. Being in that environment can creep up onto you, making you unconsciously regress to a teenage attitude that at times can be uncomfortable for a third party to witness.

The dynamic between Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis is what can only be described as utterly normal. Which, when it comes to Queer romance stories is refreshing compared to the usual drama and turmoil. They play off each other with a subtle chemistry that brings the audience in on the character’s charade.

One of the stand out performances of Happiest Season is Aubrey Plaza as Riley. Plaza has a distinct character type she tends to play best seen through April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation, dark humor, dripping in sarcasm with a rough around the edges exterior. However, Riley is professional, witty, and sweetly supportive of Abby finding her way through the holiday.

Plaza’s portrayal is similar to Stewart’s in its light and airy presence. In scenes together, they have the kind of chemistry that makes LGBTQ+ viewers have a shared feeling: I want to be friends with them.

Dan Levy, from Schitt’s Creek, who has proven his talents a hundred times over, plays John. John is the best friend everyone needs.

He is outspoken, at times truthful to the point of harshness, but overall outpours love and support for his friend. When Abby is desperate to leave Harper’s house, John makes the drive to the small suburb to rescue her. 

Levy’s most tear-jerking scene is his speech about coming out. Similar to his character’s speech about the same issue in Schitt’s Creek, Levy makes it clear through love and empathy, someone’s coming out has nothing to do with anyone, but themselves.

With a cast of queer actors playing queer characters, it is already a breath of fresh air compared to most of the LGBTQ+ content made by Hollywood previously. Writers Dan Levy, Emmy Award winner for Schitt’s Creek, and Clea DuVall of The Handmaid’s Tale, are both active in the community and outspoken about queer representation in Hollywood.

Kristen Stewart, who plays Abby, recently shared with Variety her thoughts on queer actors exclusively playing queer characters saying, “I would never tell a story that really should be told by somebody who’s lived the experience,” although recognized it as a gray area instead of a hard and fast rule.

Happiest Season is not perfect, however. Harper’s family is full of cliches, from the overachieving Type A older sister, to the disapproving and overbearing mother. A very typical and at times tired trope of family dynamic an overarching theme of the movie is family, either made or born into.

Of the entire family, the most original character is that of Jane, played by Mary Holland. Jane is the quirky youngest sister, who marches to the beat of her own drum, much to her family’s detriment. She clashes with her sisters, who are hyper-competitive, and is altogether ignored by her parents despite her eagerness to help and belong.

Mary Holland portrays this character with a love and gentleness that would make any younger sibling’s heart warm. Jane is creative, loving, and confident, even going so far as to stand up to her family and putting them in their place for undermining her.

Ultimately, Happiest Season is about family, identity, and fitting with holiday movie themes, love. The story is universal but it’s execution opens up the typical genre and gives the audience a seat at the table for the good, the bad, and the ugly.

One of the most refreshing parts comes when Harper’s parents deal with the aftermath of their daughters’ secrets being revealed. In typical holiday movies after the climactic argument, the audience only gets to see the parents after they’ve come to terms with what they’ve learned.

Happiest Season takes the audience into that uncomfortable conversation, where Harper’s parents admit to each other and themselves, that they have to claim responsibility for the brokenness in their home. It is deeply satisfying as a viewer to see not just the aftermath of that conversation, a peek behind the curtain of holiday stress.

While LGTBQ+ stories still have a lot more growing to do, and viewers will never stop hoping for a regular romantic comedy that doesn’t revolve around the character’s sexuality Happiest Season is a huge step in the right direction and will hopefully pave the way for more and more LGBTQ+ stories to be told.

What did you think of Happiest Season? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Happiest Season is currently streaming on Hulu.

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