Holiday movie season is in full swing and this year it's bringing audiences the first mainstream queer romantic comedy ever. Despite some backlash about the fact that the movie hinges on family acceptance of a closeted main character (most critics to this point deeply wish society was already beyond this; a very valid point, indeed!) there are still some solid laughs, heartwarming moments, and rapidly spawning fan-fiction for worlds where Abby and Riley get together (yes, please). That said, hopefully the eyeballs on this movie will mean many, many more queer holiday love stories in the future because the whole world deserves many more than just this one.
In the meantime, here are 5 Screenwriting Takeaways for Happiest Season.
1. The Scene-Stealer: Dan Levy’s “John”
First of all, John is hysterical. It’s hard to even look at Dan Levy without laughing because you know what he's capable of bestowing on us as an audience, but with the character of John, the writers get the most subversive. While the film feels formulaic and seldom makes a political statement (or even much of one on sexuality) John’s witty barbs offer a brief reprieve in an otherwise vanilla feeling world. John is refreshingly the most feminist character in the film. When Abby (Kristen Stewart) confesses she is going to propose to Harper (Mackenzie Davis) and ask her Dad’s permission, John replies: “Way to stick it to the patriarchy. Really well done.”
2. The Relationship Everyone Wanted
Maybe it’s just Aubrey Plaza’s irresistibility as Riley, but it’s mainly the fact that unfortunately, Mackenzie Davis’s Harper gas lights the woman she loves throughout the movie, but fans have grabbed onto the spark between Riley and Abby — and they are not letting go. This is truly a writer’s dream come true, creating two characters powerful enough they are spawning their own world. This is an impressive feat unto itself, given Riley is only in about four scenes in the film. If you need Riley and Abby fan-fiction in your life, search the #HappiestSeason Twitter hashtag or visit the Archive Of Our Own link.
3. Beware Plot Pratfalls
It has to be a joy to be a victim of your own success, but overall, the Internet’s biggest question about the film was: did the two main characters get a happy ending in this rom-com, after all? As previously mentioned, this is likely due to Harper and story conceits involving getting two gay women trapped in a house under false pretences. Harper starts the first act essentially lying to her partner (who is taking their relationship seriously enough that she wants to propose). She also only springs the news on Abby that she’s not out to her family when they are more than halfway to their parents’ house. When Abby protests that perhaps it’s best she doesn't go, Harper insists “you promised.” This is some gaslight-y behavior to be sure, and it’s already hard to forgive Harper in in Act One. While often tempting to lean on tropes and contrivances when writing a heavy genre movie, writers have to be cautious about where this puts their character motivations and how audiences will then judge that character.
4. The Grounded Comedy Relief: Jane
In Happiest Season the world is introduced to Mary Holland (if they didn’t know about her already) as the actress behind Jane, who had so many running jokes, it was genius. She was the family’s Geek Squad employee. She spent 100 hours on a painting for the white elephant gift exchange. She was an aspiring author and no one thought twice about it until John helped her publish "The Shadowdreamers" that went on to become a New York Times bestseller, giving geeky Jane wonderful comeuppance.
5. Harper’s Coming Out Story
While this might be the most criticized part of the film, it’s also the heart and theme of it. Near the end of the movie John reminds Abby, “Everybody’s story is different. There’s your version, and there’s my version, and there’s everything in between.” While some critics have mentioned centering the first gay holiday rom-com on coming out is reductive to begin with, it does not feel like anything about Happiest Season set out to reinvent the wheel. While Harper’s denial of her own identity is, at times, grating to watch, perhaps that is the point. No two stories are the same, and no story doesn’t have bumps in the road along the way. It's that journey why we tune in, in the first place.
Final Takeaway: While incremental change in life, politics and art can be frustrating, Happiest Season still feels like a win. A queer mainstream movie was made that likely many families sat down and watched together over the holiday weekend. Is this enough? Absolutely not. Are more inclusive holiday rom-coms needed as soon as possible? Absolutely. Hopefully this is just the beginning.