Happiest Season (2020) | Film Review

Christmastime brings families together for joy, happiness, and love, but everyone’s family is a little dysfunctional. Despite Hallmark commercials, there’s always a hiccup or two as well, and in holiday movies, meeting your partner’s family usually leads to mayhem or borderline insanity. Happiest Season is no exception to this rule.

While in the festive moment, Harper (Mackenzie Davis) invites her serious girlfriend, Abby (Kristen Stewart), to come home and meet her family… but Harper has a secret. Abby has no idea that Harper isn’t “out” to her family, and when she learns of this secret, she begins to question the nature of their previously infallible relationship.

Let’s address the elephant in the room – Kristen Stewart is happy and smiling and, yes, she is great. If you’ve been hesitant to partake in her recent efforts because you aren’t a Twilight fan, please know that Happiest Season is worthwhile and a completely different side of acting for Stewart. She really commands the film’s attention in every scene she’s in and has a few great moments of varying emotions. Kristen is funny, charming, adorable, and relatable. Happiest Season makes me feel like Stewart has found her footing as an actress, and that’s quite refreshing.

Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) plays Abby’s best friend, John, who is also gay and supports her along the journey, in his own way. Levy functions as a supporting player, yet elevates this film with his humor and straightforward demeanor. It’s actually quite clever how they give him so much screen time despite John being so far away from the rest of the cast for the majority of the film, since he is filling in as a pet-sitter for Abby and checks in on her periodically.

Kristen Stewart’s counterpart, Mackenzie Davis, has her own moments to shine as an actress, even if that means driving the audience crazy. While on the surface you likely feel frustrated with how reticent Harper is, the story is an important reminder of what any lesbigay is going through when processing the notion of “coming out” to their family and friends. I remember my experience and let me tell you, it is dreadful. Harper isn’t new to being with women, she’s just terrified of the reaction from her parents. It doesn’t excuse her from being rude or selfish, but it does give the character a level of sympathy.

Not only is Harper struggling with harboring her secret, but she’s also trying to be the best daughter, competing with her sister. All this while serving as the star child for her father, Ted (Victor Garber), who needs to appear perfect in order to obtain a donor’s support for his campaign. The beauty of Happiest Season is that you get a pretty standard holiday movie with all the common plot points, it just so happens that the main couple is gay. So even if you can’t relate to their struggle, you can still relate to the film. Often, LGBTQ movies feel so far removed for people who can’t relate or the focus is so heavy on the gay aspect, that it doesn’t feel natural. Here, the concept is so well-balanced that it normalizes the couple – something that is so desperately needed in modern filmmaking. Writer and director Clea DuVall really hits this one home.

The big question still lingering is, will you feel swaddled in the yuletide spirit? The answer is a resounding yes! As soon as the opening credits began, I felt a warmth of festive cheer come over me and immediately wanted to pour a cup of hot cocoa into a Santa mug. Happiest Season takes a traditional Christmas movie formula, wraps it in romance, comedy, and heart, and secures it with a beautiful rainbow ribbon.

Follow our further discussion on Happiest Season via this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: