Happiest Season

This review may contain spoilers!

 

This is a very classic take on the family romantic-comedy genre but adds a very unique voice by centring the narrative around an LGBT romance. I would give Happiest Season a 7.5/10.

 

Happiest Season follows Abby and Harper, a young couple going back to meet Harper's parents for the first time at Christmas. The only problem is Harper hasn't come out to her family yet and isn't confident about doing so yet, forcing Abby to pretend to be her 'roommate/friend'. The inevitable complications of hiding from and sneaking around the family lead to dysfunctional comedy and heartbreakingly moving scenes in equal measure, it's a very light film but it carries a lot of weight. This film works so well because it carefully lays out traditional aspects of the Christmas rom-com that are very easy to connect with and laugh at; moments like sibling squabbles at the ice rink or heated discussions and advice from the best friend over the phone. But at the same time these light moments are what make this film so appealing and easy to watch. What makes this film so worth staying for is this well told narrative around identity, family and how coming out affects these things. Throughout the film we see what a beautiful relationship Abby and Harper have, the happiest these two ever seem is when they can be free to connect with one another. However, as the film goes along we see Abby grow more fearful and trapped, she feels like she's losing Harper and having to fight to keep in a situation that she never expected to be this tough. Meanwhile, Harper is in a scenario in which she is terrified what she might lose if she reveals her sexuality to her family; being around her family causes her to become more and more distant towards Abby. The film builds towards this really powerful conclusion that shows what happens when a family so torn apart by image can become when they learn to come together. It's areally beautiful movie with strong themes around the value of love and family, it's the sort of uplifting thing that really ties out this year well.

 

Kristen Stewart, who played Abby, is an excellent protagonist in this film and continues to find refreshing new roles that highlight her ability as a performer; Stewart really illustrates the conflict her character feels between the love and hurt caused by her onscreen partner. Mackenzie Davis, who played Harper, is such an explosion of genuine emotion every time she pours her heart out in a scene; when Davis is agonising over how scared she is or proclaiming with joy how much she cares you really cannot believe any differently. Victor Garber, who played Ted, feels like this stern busybody leader within his household; Garber has a very hard edge to him throughout the film but he peels that back to show how much he loves his family in a steady and natural way. Mary Holland, who played Jane, is this very high energy wild card who you really warm up to throughout; Holland is so full of joy and genuinely compassionate delivery that you cannot help but love this role. Aubrey Plaza, who played Riley, has this stoic and brittle exterior with a somewhat distant delivery when first she is introduced; watching Plaza connect with Stewart's role and reveal the painful history of coming out her role went through makes for an amazing performance. Jake McDorman, who played Connor, is a very charismatic if not sometimes unobservant old friend role; McDorman has this very likeable way of presenting himself and you really feel a sense of history between him and Davis.

 

However, the best performance came from Dan Levy, who played John. At first what makes Levy so great is that he's by far the strongest comedic talent in the cast. He has this very confident, quick-witted delivery that is quite funny and he goes into every scene with a strong amount of energy. The friendship between him and Stewart is enjoyable because while she's very grounded, he can go extremely high tempo. I like that Levy can enter a scene and almost sense how to present himself to give a nice balanced dynamic with the other performers he shares scenes with. Near the end of the film we really get to see John come into his own as a character, describing how hard it is for those in the LGBT community to come out, even emotionally imparting the difficulties his character faced when he came out. It was this heartbreaking moment that really upped the ante for the feature and told a story that was more than just your typical Christmas rom-com.

 

There were some elements of Happiest Season that meant this film struggled to get off to a strong start. Most notably was the quirky nature of the household, the patriarch of the family (Ted) was running for mayor of his district and so everyone had these highly elevated personalities or occupations, things that highlighted the family as being tied to a very successful politician. It was a quirk that made the situation or some of the characters rather hard to connect to or believe at times. The cinematography for the film really didn't do anything too new, often sticking to quite blocky or generic shots to map out a scene. The editing reflected this easy style by keeping to a very mild pace with simple cuts and transitions. The score for the film was quite uninspired, there was a very light melody throughout that could have belonged to any Christmas film and the soundtrack was packed with similar fare. 

Mary Steenburgen, who played Tipper, is such an overly high strung role that it feels comical at times; the moments between this character coming across as too uptight to be true and compassionate towards her family feels like a very harsh contrast. Alison Brie, who played Sloane, is such a deadpan stoic role as the jilted sister and GOOP salesperson that I couldn't help but wonder if Brie was a miscast; you never feel like Brie's dismissive and uptight tone suit her and it isn't until the last few minutes of the film that she even manages to find an emotion that fits her range. Burl Moseley, who played Eric, has no chemistry at all with Brie or really any other member of the family; Moseley feels like a role attached on for a visual purpose and is not really much of a character.