‘Happiest Season’ Film Offers Queer Holiday Rom-Com By Queer Creatives

The trailer for Happiest Season has dropped, and it shows a lot of promise despite the cliche holiday Rom-com trappings.

Just to be clear, I am not at all interested in holiday Rom-coms, but somehow the trailer for Happiest Season has sparked my interest. Perhaps it’s because it’s a movie about queer characters that’s written, directed, and acted by queer creatives, which has typically been a rarity in LGBTQ+ cinema.

Additionally, the plot is something all too familiar to many of us – one partner is closeted to their family, the other is out and proud, and awkwardness ensues. 

The film is directed by the legendary (at least to me) Clea DuVall, who may or may not have been largely responsible for me coming to terms with my own sexuality with her acting role in But I’m A Cheerleader (we had a watch-party to celebrate Pride Month). She also co-wrote the screenplay with Mary Holland. Both DuVall and Holland also have acting credits in the film.

The cast is also decked out with notable queer talent, with Kristen Stewart in the lead role, and Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) and Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Rec, Legion) in supporting roles. Mackenzie Davis will play opposite Stewart as the closeted partner of the pair. While Davis isn’t currently out as part of the LGBTQ+ community (that I can find, anyway), she’s known to us for her performance in the queer romance episode of Black Mirror ‘San Junipero.’

The film wrapped filming on February 28th, right before many productions got shut down due to the pandemic. It was also set to be released cinematically on November 20th, but will now be released on November 25th on Hulu. This is just in time for Thanksgiving weekend, which, for many of us, will now take place at home as many jurisdictions are still shut down due to the pandemic.

While this isn’t usually my cup of tea, I’ll definitely be tuning in. The ease of access on Hulu, the large number of queer creatives involved in the project, and the relatable plot have me intrigued.

Besides, maybe we deserve a cheesy holiday Rom-con, ya know? Let’s do it. I’m all in.

Author: Angel Wilson

Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They’ve also written for Friends of Comic Con and is a 2019 Hugo Award winner for contributing fanfic on AO3. They identify as queer.

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