When Abby and her girlfriend are forced back into the closet during the holidays, she’s reminded that everyone’s coming out story looks different.
I know I’m a bit late to this movie. I really did mean to watch this over the holidays, but the next thing I knew it was spring and I still hadn’t watched it. The reason I finally got around to watching it now is because I viewed it as a double feature with The Gay Deceivers (the movie that peonies/marigolds clip is from). If you told me there was a movie from the sixties and a movie from 2020, one about a gay couple pretending to be straight best friends and one about straight best friends pretending to be gay, I never would have guessed correctly. It’s interesting to see a movie even in these more accepting times for LGBT+ members about a gay couple having to pretend to be straight. Honestly, I think it made the situation even harder for Abby (Kristen Stewart) because she has spent so much time out of the closet that to go back into it now was a difficult thing for her to do. But even though it is more accepted these days, it still can be difficult for some people to come out. This movie does a fantastic job addressing these issues and exploring the stress that comes right before that moment where everything is about to change.
Cast and Crew
Happiest Season was co-written and directed by Clea DuVall. I love that a gay woman told this story, and it’s probably a big reason why it feels very personal. Also, I can’t imagine the inclusion of the Josh Hartnett poster was an accident, since Clea DuVall worked closely with him in The Faculty. The other co-writer is Mary Holland, who also plays Jane, the middle daughter of the family. The main couple is played by Kristen Stewart, who I’ve come around to, and Mackenzie Davis. I’ve been a big Mackenzie Davis fan for years, and I love that her career has been taking off lately. Right from the opening scene, these two make such a cute couple. Mackenzie Davis and Mary Holland play sisters with Alison Brie and daughters of Mary Steenburgen and Victor Garber. Altogether they make a believable family with a palpable history and a dynamic that is instantly clear. Other standouts in the cast are Dan Levy, who might as well be playing David Rose again here but I don’t mind one bit, and Aubrey Plaza.
(Spoilers below)
The Family
There was something about the writing and the acting that came together so well when meeting Harper’s (Davis) family. Within seconds, it’s obvious exactly who everyone is and who they are expected to be in this family setting, helped along by the little nuances in everyone’s expressions and intonations and the way they address each other. Ted (Garber) and Tipper (Steenburgen) are certainly friendly and hospitable, and they were happy to house Harper’s “roommate” on very little notice. But their judgmental remarks and clear favoritism among their children make it clear why Harper is so afraid of coming out to them. Their eldest, Sloane (Brie), once was their favorite—she won lots of awards, finished her law degree, and married someone as impressive as her—but she’s been supplanted by Harper ever since she and her husband Eric (Burl Moseley) gave up their promising careers to raise twins and sell high-end gift baskets. As the current favorite, there’s extra pressure on Harper not to disappoint her parents. Then there’s Jane (Holland). Poor Jane has never been their favorite, but she’s the one who still lives near them and constantly bends over backwards to please them. I think her energy level comes across as off putting, which is a real shame because she’s a sweetheart who jumps at the chance to help anyone who needs it.
This environment of favoritism, neglect, and pressure has always plagued the family, but now there’s this added layer of Ted’s run for mayor, which puts them all under a microscope. Of course, this is a movie—a romance family holiday movie at that—so of course everything was going to culminate no matter what, but early on I noticed that Slaone seems to be hiding something as well. That got me guessing that once Harper’s secret comes out, so will secrets about everyone else that they’ve been hiding all along because they, too, are afraid of the family’s judgement. Well, I was half right. Sloane and Eric are in the process of getting a divorce, but she already feels bad enough about being second place in the family that she hasn’t felt comfortable telling them. But the rest of the family don’t have major secrets. The only other somewhat big one was that the only reason Ted is even running for mayor is because he wants to earn their respect. Which of course is the opposite of what results from his campaign, since it really just alienates him from his daughters even more. In any case, I absolutely love the moment when Sloane and Harper’s secrets are out, and it seems like it’s Jane’s turn, and she marches to stand next to them and proudly declares that she doesn’t have a secret, but she’s an ally. Even though I expected everyone to have a dirty little secret, it’s a cute twist that Jane has always been perfectly, unabashedly herself, and that she supports her sisters even if she could have gloated over their “falls from grace.” Tipper even points out soon after this scene that the reason Jane doesn’t have anything she’s too afraid to share with the family is probably because they never put as much pressure on her as they did with the other two girls. It’s almost like it’s a bad thing to make your children feel like they need to earn your love. Who would have thought?
The Couple
Obviously Abby is put in a super unfair position throughout this movie. But considering the dynamic Harper knows she faces whenever she’s home, I understand why Harper does most of the things she does, and why she feels powerless to spend time with Abby like she wants to. On the other hand, I don’t blame Abby in the slightest for getting so stressed and frustrated. She changes all of her plans so that she can support the woman she loves, but ends up getting shoved into the corner and forced back into the closet. Both are suffering in a situation they have little control over. Really, Harper should never have accidentally included Abby in the holiday plans in the first place, but considering they are both there, they both did what they could to get through it in their own ways.
Coming Out
My heart broke for Harper in the scene where she tearfully explains how trapped she is, how she doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to lose Abby, and she can’t come up with a way to save them both. She knows they won’t accept her, at least not at first, because they’ve made it clear how they feel about Riley’s (Plaza) “lifestyle choice.” Plus they keep trying to push her ex-boyfriend at her. This feeling, having been judged her whole life and finding favor (for now) but knowing that this particular thing will alienate her from her family, is such a powerful feeling I’m sure many LGBT+ members can relate to. I’m not gay, but my husband and I both fall within the LGBT+ community. My mom was quite judgmental and homophobic when I was growing up so I still to this day haven’t felt comfortable coming out to her yet. When I moved out, and especially when I began dating my husband, I had to deliberately separate myself from my fear of her judgment. I chose forging a future with this new person over maintaining a close relationship with someone who has judged everything my whole life. Harper has not chosen to do that, and as such she is at the peak of dissonance between her life with Abby and her life with her family. I’m so glad that John (Levy) helps Abby to understand how hard it is for Harper to go through this. Abby’s coming out happened to go swimmingly. Awesome! But not everyone’s does.
I think the hardest moment in the whole movie was the moment where Harper’s coming out moment is stolen away from her. She isn’t ready yet. She says she’ll do it after the holidays, and maybe she will, or maybe she won’t. But getting forcibly outed in the middle of a big Christmas party is the last thing she needs. All of that stress she’s been carrying this whole time erupts in a sudden moment, and… she denies it. Again, I totally understand what brings her to this point. We even have the build up to it with the backstory with Riley. But damn, if that moment didn’t knock the wind out of me as it does for Abby. I’m proud that she does finally stand up for herself and confirm that it’s true, but it takes her a bit to get there.
The Ending
Let’s not forget this is still a romcom, and of course it ends with the girl getting the girl. But I want to discuss why I feel like this was an important ending, not just the default ending to a romance movie. I know some people think Abby should have left Harper, and maybe even wound up with Riley. Here’s how I see it. Harper can’t help who raised her or how. She can only choose who she’ll be moving forward. This time with her family is rough, and Abby starts to doubt who the “real” Harper is, but you know what? Harper has been choosing to live away from her parents and build a life with Abby. So she feels she needs to hide some things about herself when she’s around them. So what? I hide things around my parents, and I’m sure most people have at least something they hide from theirs. I’m sorry Abby is dragged into the middle of it, but it is abundantly clear what kind of pressure they put on Harper. Harper messes up sometimes, but it’s all directly as a result of feeling stress and being afraid of rejection by her family. I just don’t think it would be right to throw away an entire life with the person you love because they messed up a little while under an extreme amount of social pressure, especially now that this pressure has been largely lifted. Nobody’s perfect. Any relationship will require some amount of forgiveness. Harper has shown that she regrets hiding her true self due to panic and that she intends to set things right with Abby.
Conclusion
This movie gets so many things right. The writing is superb, the family is believable, and the way they handle coming out issues is so well done. Plus it’s apparently the first holiday same-sex romcom by a major Hollywood studio (really? It took until 2020 for that to exist?). Comedies tend to go way over the top with their situations, but this one felt generally realistic all around. Comedies also often rely on miscommunication or secrets, something that usually makes me want to strangle the characters, but in this circumstance it totally works, and I 100% understand why they must keep their secret at all times from everyone. I must say, while I‘ve always liked Clea DuVall as an actress, I was not expecting her to be such a talented writer and director as well. Now I want to check out The Intervention, and I look forward to whatever else she’ll come out with in the future.
Do you think Abby should have forgiven Harper? Tell us why or why not in the comments!
Score: 9/10
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