Holiday Movie Roundup: Happiest Season, Jingle Jangle, Holidate

December is upon us, which means it's time to dig in to the holiday movies. My friend Peggy and I are spending our weekly Zoom movie nights watching the classics, but if you're in the mood for some brand new holiday cheer, there's plenty out there. Below are three selections that run the gamut from family-friendly to festive and filthy, so no matter what you're in the mood for, there should be something to make you merry.

Happiest Season: I watched this movie on Thanksgiving morning and subsequently told every friend I knew to watch it. This is the movie that comes closest to being a new traditional holiday romcom classic, even though the romance it depicts might not be considered "traditional" if your family is still stuck in the 19th century. 

Directed by Clea DuVall and written by her and Mary Holland, the movie tells the story of Harper (Mackenzie Davis) and Abby (Kristen Stewart) who have been dating for nearly a year. Harper loves Christmas and asks Abby to come home with her for the holiday, only to drop a bomb on the drive over there - she hasn't come out to her parents and they think Abby is just her orphaned roommate that she's bringing home for Christmas. Yes, this is terribly problematic, and for a lot of people, the rest of the movie fails because Harper seems like an AWFUL person. But there are still reasons to love this film.

First off, it features an epic cast of incredible actors, including Dan Levy as Abby's best friend, John. The speech he has to deliver towards the end of this film about every gay person's coming out process is epic and a reminder of the similar warmth and understanding he delivered on a weekly basis on Schitt's Creek. And second, this script is so incredibly zany and fun. While the central premise has its problems, all the side plots and dialogue are spot on. I mean, the moment when someone yelled "Stay out of this, Sappho!" is all I needed to give this movie an A+. So dive right in and enjoy a new holiday romcom for the 21st century. It'll keep you warm and fuzzy till December 25th. 

Jingle Jangle: I didn't know that what was missing in my holiday catalog was a steampunk Christmas, but now that I have watched Jingle Jangle, I'm all in for this to be a new tradition. Steampunk is defined as "a style of design and fashion that combines historical elements with anachronistic technological features inspired by science fiction." That is a mouthful that probably still left you none the wiser, so just watch this movie and within the first five minutes you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

This is a kid's movie about an inventor, Jeronicus Jangle, who was famed for making the most wondrous toys at his store, Jangles and Things. However, when his apprentice, Gustafson, steals his secrets and starts his own toy factory, Jeronicus loses all hope. The story picks up 30 years later when Jangles and Things is now a pawnbroker shop, and Jeronicus (Forrest Whitaker) is a broken old man who no longer has the will to come up with new creative ideas. However, this all changes when his estranged young granddaughter, Journey (Madalen Mills), arrives at the shop to spend some time with him till Christmas. Jeronicus is initially disinterested, but Journey has his genius for inventions, and as you can imagine, she turns his life around. 

I didn't mention this movie is also a musical. So you will get beautiful choreographed numbers, incredible set and production design, and the most eye-catching costumes that celebrate everything that the steampunk aesthetic has to offer. Honestly, I didn't even care what the story was because I was just riveted by all the novelty bursting forth on my screen. And of course, there's the additional novelty of a Christmas movie with a mostly all-Black cast (and Ricky Martin voicing a matador doll!). Written and directed by David E. Talbert, this is a wildly inventive and creative take on Christmas, and is well worth a watch no matter what age you are.

Holidate: From PG to a strict R-rating, let's veer into the wild world of Holidate. The story is simple: Sloane (Emma Roberts) is a single woman who is sick of the judgement she gets from her family when she shows up without a date to various holiday gatherings. On the other hand, there's Jackson (Luke Bracey), an Australian golfer who had a disastrous Christmas going home with a woman he has just had a few dates with and meeting her very intense family who think they are about to get married right away. When the two meet up, they are both trying to find a safe way to spend the holidays without raising anyone's expectations, and they decide to embrace the idea of a "holidate," i.e. someone who you only date on holidays. 

Is it splendidly tropey and dumb? Yes. Does it constantly reference how splendidly tropey and dumb it is, thereby making it a super fun watch? You bet. This also has the added joy of being a holiday romcom that is not worried about its rating and so there is plenty of filthy language and inane sexy shenanigans. The juxtaposition of feeling like you're in a Hallmark movie and then suddenly have someone vividly describe a sex act makes everything worthwhile.

I was hard pressed to remember a single detail about this movie after I watched it, but I do remember being perfectly entertained while I watched it. It's dumb but low stakes and because it's on Netflix, it has great production values, even though you wonder what on earth Kristin Chenoweth is doing in this movie as the sassy aunt who never sings a song. Go forth and have a filthy Christmas!