Happiest Season on Hulu

Has anyone watched yet?

I found it almost entirely off-putting and mean-spirited. Not a likable character to be found, with the exception of maybe Aubrey Plaza, who is given absolutely no room to flex the charms that make us love Aubrey Plaza.

That’s the main problem with this whole movie. A cast stacked with actors who have been so likable and funny elsewhere, absolutely wasted in an unfunny, oddly un-Christmasy dud. For a good 2/3 of the movie, I was convinced we were headed toward some kind of “Get Out”-style reversal that explained why everyone was behaving so horribly and saying such brazenly nasty things with not a punchline in sight.

It’s worth watching only to see how absolutely misguided it is. It should have been Hallmark sappy or Drop Dead Gorgeous levels of biting satire, but instead it settles for The Family Stone reheated in the microwave with a sprinkling of lesbians. (The less said about the self-loathing and utter mishandling of the few glimpses of queerness we see, the better.) It also features one of the most toxic family dynamics I’ve seen since August: Osage County and an even more repulsive central romance that I was against before the title card even appeared.

Hard pass. Clea DuVall: do better.

Updated On: 11/29/20 at 10:09 AM

Sutton Ross said: "Kristen Stewart is likeable and funny?

Who knew."

Well, considering the movie also features Aubrey Plaza, Mary Steenburgen, Alison Brie, Victor Garber, Ana Gasteyer, and Mary Holland, I was really referring to literally everyone but her. But no, Stewart did nothing to win me over with this outing.

Updated On: 11/29/20 at 03:45 PM

Well, let's not be delusional and think that an Oscar award is the barometer for great acting... But do you baby girl.

I didn’t think it was that bad. I think it would have worked better if the protagonist had been younger. Her insecurities would have been less annoying. It was also slow moving. But I give Netflix credit for green lighting a Lesbian holiday movie. The best line was Steenburgen to Stewart when she was hiding in the closet. There was something about it that did not feel very modern.

Updated On: 11/30/20 at 01:28 PM

But do you baby girl.

Always, bb.

Call_me_jorge said: "I think Stewart has been given more opportunities to be considered a serious actress than Pattinson has and I think she is being taken seriously."

I disagree. Stewart has not garnered the attention or praise that Pattinson has recently - I thought she was wonderful in Undewater and I enjoyed the Charlie's Angels reboot quite a lot, but she has not been recognized as the extremely actress that she is and I don't believe that the film industry is using her to her full potential. Pattinson has had some major recognition and success with The Lighthouse, The Devil All The Time, Tenet, and I expect that the upcoming Batman reboot will only push him further. They are both fabulous actors but I don't buy the argument that Stewart is taken more seriously than Pattinson.

Updated On: 11/30/20 at 03:09 PM

Interesting interview with Clea DuVall about the film, and viewers' reactions to it:

'Happiest Season' Director Clea DuVall on Aubrey Plaza, Sequel Hopes - Variety