HAPPIEST SEASON was ... less rom-com and more stress adventure

[@anacecilia1387]

The fact that the director of Happiest Season saw herself as Harper, and yet the story makes us feel more sympathy for Abby, and that even the ex-girlfriend is written to be liked... My sister jokingly said this story is one huge open letter apologizing for all the director's ex-girlfriends for having to deal with her troubles coming out, and I can totally see why.

[@yurikoshinigami]

Agree

[@natnirv]

Haha Oh my god! I can totally see that. I haven't thought about it that way. She's right.

[@Sammy.H.Redwood]

I think the writer written Abby too likeable in my opinion. Which I dislike about Abby, they make her too sympathetic. As a character.

[@tinymxnticore]

"Being gay, despite how it may seem some times, is not a personality trait" *I feel so attacked* --

[@im_learning_bicth]

As you should 😌✨

[@one_smol_duck]

Coming Out stories are important and all but I just want a good lesbian romcom that focuses on _literally anything else_ lmao.

[@vyentro29]

Same. I mean can’t we just have random lesbians meeting at a party and their sexualities are lowkey unimportant? Like genuine beauty and love about something ELSEEEEE.

[@shay-istheway]

Here are a few: D.E.B.S., Margarita, Molly’s Girl, and Girltrash: All Night Long. Boy Meets Girl is also a wonderful romantic comedy that has both bisexual representation and a trans woman as the main character.

[@vyentro29]

@@shay-istheway Thanks. I’m def keeping busy for this week.

[@jimerodriguez8332]

@@shay-istheway D.E.B.S is self-conscious and kinda dumb...one of my favorite movies 💛🤭

[@taiems]

Yeah!! That's why i love Codependent lesbian space alien seeks same

[@LaurasBookBlog]

The weirdest thing to me about Happiest Season is that even though it lets Harper off for a lot of her bad behaviour, it also flattens her out? Like, there are hints that Harper's upbringing made her into a person who lies to avoid having upsetting conversations (hence why she lied about having already come out) but she never actually deals with that! The movie treats her coming out as a resolution of every problem with her and Abby's relationship when the actual issue is Harper's inability to be honest, and that's not something you can hug out. If they'd just had a scene where she tells Abby "I lied to you and to my parents because I was scared I wasn't enough by myself" and Abby assuring her that she wants her as she is. It would have improved the movie so much, and I think the audience would have been a lot more sympathetic towards her.

[@deathtoallgerbils]

Growth room for Happiest Season 2: A Tall Winter's Tale?

[@bef9612]

This is nice. I think Harper lying to Abby about coming out is WAAAY more problematic than her hiding her relationship.

[@Kai-fb1ol]

To be fair, the only times she was shown to lie were ALL related to her closetedness with her family. I feel like we should give her the benefit of the doubt and treat it as a big blind spot she had about one particular thing, rather than an overarching character flaw. Once she finally came out and stood up for her relationship with Abby at the end, the instigating factor was removed. Since she was aware of how much she had messed up and had promised to never let it happen again, and there was little reason for it to happen again, I don't think it would continue. Though, I think you're right that an additional scene of Abby and Harper talking through their issues at the end would have improved the movie's resolution.

[@Visplight]

@@Kai-fb1ol Eeeh... I get that the movie was trying to play it that way, but she treated both Abby and Riley very badly, to the point that I wouldn't trust her to ever truly have a partner's back when the going gets tough. She was too willing to deceive, manipulate, and hurt them, in order to get what she wanted.

[@littlelizzyann]

*Harper's upbringing made her into a person who lies to avoid having upsetting conversations* I feel so seen by this. /tangent

[@burnoutnojutsu]

I enjoyed happiest season in the fact that I like watching white people drama. It has a certain flavor and craziness that cannot be replicated

[@wallacyryan8211]

I think their problemas are fun because if It were within my family it would be solved SO fast? It's like watching a baby trying to open a jar.

[@beeaggro2593]

That's exactly my thought. It's straight up hallmark white people drama and in that sense we've made it

[@JaylukKhan]

I enjoyed seeing Alison Brie totally killing it as a passive-aggressive WASP mom despite being Jewish.

[@zoebailey]

@@JaylukKhan read WASP as WAP and was confused

[@staredwards268]

Harper’s Mom: “This door doesn’t have a lock, but you’ll have complete privacy during your stay.”*Spends the entire movie opening the door without knocking*

[@kelsynicole9135]

Why is this every mom ever tho 😅😅

[@bef9612]

You are literally the first person who said this, and it bothered me each time i watched this movie

[@rebeccahicks2392]

I haven't seen the movie, but that's both messed up and too too common in real life.

[@bef9612]

@@rebeccahicks2392 She refused to let two grown women share a room, depriving her twin niece and nephew or their old room, and then refuses to treat them like adults and give them their privacy?

[@stellasdoesstuff]

I mean she *does* knock, she just doesn't wait for a reply before opening the door, which isn't really any better at all

[@victoriamagee5577]

Did anyone else take issue with the way the older sis outed Harper in front of everyone and then just simply apologized and was glossed over?? I was legit upset about that

[@Gottabecute]

There was so much triggering stuff going on I forgot about that, yeah wth. Like they should've "stopped talking" or something and then in the flash forward we get an apology. Sloan was way out of line....ALSO they are like in their 30's. Am I really supposed to believe they are hair pulling about being the favorite???

[@thasthar]

Me too!!! I wasn't watching to get stressed, but I was stressed the whole movie 😅

[@iara58]

I think it really showed how it's like for cishet people who have both no knowledge or tact when it comes to queerness. They didn't think, or at least showed, that it was a bad thing to do. Unless you are queer or at least educated and socially aware of queer matters and history, I see why you'll most likely be ignorant about why and how this can affect a queer person in all aspects of their life (physically, mentally and socially). So I think it was very fitting of them, still made me pretty upset as a lesbian myself tho, but fitting nonetheless

[@chaoticbisaster5512]

It has now come to my attention that crushes on Gillian Anderson and Aubrey Plaza are an integral part of the universal bisexual experience.

[@alexthompson2466]

I feel called out

[@hashtagwoke8506]

I hope not... Gillian Anderson is a Terf

[@MaryamMaqdisi]

Pan me def crushed on Aubrey Plaza growing up lol

[@heckporter]

The way that cartoons keep saving us!

[@Princess_Weekes]

seriously.

[@ariannawright7586]

+

[@MayorOfEarth79]

Adventure Time got 100 hours of content (where Marcy and Bubblegum could be given way more time to develop as characters) and could only get super gay at the finale and by doing a post-series mini-adventure. Happiest Season is just a 2-hour movie. Those have way different expectations and demands and even studio interference. It's kind of an unfair comparison.

[@JediMB]

So sad that Penumbra probably won't have time to get a girlfriend on DuckTales.

[@teamo8474]

fr tho now let's talk about the owl house

[@Visplight]

Yeah, this should have gone the standard RomCom way of "your bf/gf is actually a jerk, now dump them and get together with that new person that treated you right."

[@yippedoodah]

The typical Lifetime/Hallmark thing of "Girl leaves jerkass partner for small town sweetheart"

[@ethansloan]

That's where I thought it was going because Harper was so over-the-top bad.

[@louisachalarca6494]

I wanted her and Riley to just show up and just fashion week the event be the beautiful humans they are and bouncing

[@russianspy1234]

I think 1 or 2 more scenes of Harper and Abby being cute together would have made the movie way better.

[@marysc1308]

And not a montage at the beginning - I wanted a full like 15-20 minutes of their life together so we could see why they were such a good couple for each other! Instead we had a fun montage and they climbed a Christmas roof together, but that was it. When Harper was just so mean to Abby the whole time, I didn’t understand why Abby would want to stay with her, and that’s not how we should feel about the main couple of a romcom.

[@russianspy1234]

@@marysc1308 Exactly. And some of what we do see is problematic, like pressuring her into the walkabout to look at Christmas lights and pressuring her to celebrate Christmas with her family (and lying to get her to agree). Then once they get there it's more bad stuff. Like it's excusable in a loving relationship, these things will come up, and from knowing that Abby was planning to propose we can infer that it was a loving relationship but like, it would have been nice to see a bit more of it

[@sethm3856]

@@marysc1308 the thing is for us watching the movie it is Harper being mean to Abby the whole time. but the time span in real life was less than 48 hours.

[@marysc1308]

@@sethm3856 and that’s a good point that it’s a small amount of time (it is a few days, though, not 48 hours). But even if it’s just a few days in their life, in that time we watched Harper treat Abby poorly outside the whole closeted aspect. She was just a bad friend to her: not telling her about the white elephant, not spending time with her to get a gift for the white elephant, going to a Christmas dinner without her, not standing up for her with the whole shoplifting storyline, abandoning her at multiple events and ditching her to hang out with her high school friends and ex-boyfriend. I was thinking how Abby should be upset with Harper even if they weren’t an actual couple - you don’t invite a friend home for the holidays and then not include them in your activities. I just think we needed some more time to see them as a happy couple before going home for Christmas so we could see why Abby loved Harper so much.

[@yippedoodah]

​@@marysc1308 She also makes Abby trespass onto that house and doesn't even help her when she falls off. She was also really condescending about "little orphan Abby" whenever the parents were around like she was doing charity work. With all the lying she's done, who knows how much she fabricated to her parents about Abby's situation. Exploiting your partner's trauma to make you look good is totally acceptable *eyeroll*

[@madhatt3r93]

I straight up dont understand this movies premise: why did Harper even bring her gf to her family? Couldnt she said "hey babe, im sorry, but my family would look down on me being gay and my dad is trying to get voted mayor and i dont want him to lose his chance, i know it sucks, but i think ill go to their party alone this year, would you be very upset?". It just kinda seems like shes drawing MORE attention to herself. If my gf told me about her being closeted and attending a family event alone id understand.

[@yippedoodah]

"I'm not hiding you, I'm hiding me!" sums up her character: it's always gonna be about her. She hid herself by throwing Riley under the bus years ago and she was willing to do it again at the party when Sloane chimed in.

[@greeneyesgirl467]

I think she loved her enough to maybe think she had the courage to come out. But when she got there she chickened out

[@tariqthomas9090]

On the one hand, I’m glad this movie isn’t part of the new wave of “gay content packaged for straight people” like Love, Simon/Victor. On the other hand, those products are technically more compelling than this film. Honestly Dan Levy, Aubrey Plaza, and surprisingly Kristen Stewart make this movie very charming. That’s the most I can really say about it. It’s charming.

[@slonmish]

nothing surprising about Stewart, she’s a great actress when in a normal, not-blockbuster movie

[@leopie_777]

Low key loved love victor, just a good trashy teen drama lol

[@luiza.limaneves]

I mean it's a Christmas romcom, if the straights can have a thousand of the same Christmas movies to watch that have less attributes than this one why not allow a lgbtq movie that's only charming?

[@Shalalacls]

I'm bi and love Love, Simon! It's sweet, cheesy, and queer cinema needs these kind of stories, it needed them even more when it came out. I put it on the moment after I said fuck you to Call Me By Your Name.

[@cecilie...]

Haha, "gay content for straights", that sums up how I feel about Love, Simon, all in all pretty meh. He's such a "straight gay teen"! (Not to take away from anyone who felt empowered by that fim though. We certainly need all the representation we can get!)

[@maggiemcfly5267]

"wearing outfits like this" 🤣🤣

[@miaelk]

I want a wlw women movie where the characters could be swapped out for straight ones hypothetically, just a cheesy movie with two women in love

[@NaramSinofAkkad790]

It's so weird that people call adventure time queer baiting considering the sheer number of straight romance stories that end with a big kiss where the two leads finally get together.

[@cristenkray5192]

I genuinely had a good experience with Happiest Season, it’s not a perfect movie at all but I think it’s something I can watch during the holidays every year.

[@morethoughts7862]

This is exactly how I feel about this movie! It's enjoyable and I laughed throughout the movie. I noticed all the aspects of the movie that don't make it perfect, but I still enjoyed it.

[@thaliaoliveira5867]

My considerations about the film 1. The plot about coming out gay (with serious anxiety about the reaction of the family) would work better if it were about university girlfriends up to 23 years old. I say this in a spectrum of financial dependency that basically a large part of young people experience in relation to their parents. But having a life made, in another city, with financial independence and more than 30 years does not seem to me a plot that we should continue to explore. 2. The film, which was supposed to be light, was a bit unpalatable, due to the number of cruel characters: parents, sister, woman who had an affair with the sister's husband, even the twins were cruel to Abby. 3. The film focused so much on the perspective of a conservative family that we cannot understand why Abby likes Harper. we saw Harper almost all of the film with deplorable behavior and because of that they ending up together didn't make much sense to me . This Harper that Abby loves so much, and the affection of the relationship we didn't get to see. And that is why many ended up rooting for Riley. 4. In the end, it looked like that kind of movie that says love conquers all. but at what cost, right ... It could have been a real Christmas comedy film, but it felt more like a Christmas horror film to me. 5. Anyway, maybe a comedy will be released about ONLY being in a lesbian relationship and not the violence that you suffer when you are a lesbian.

[@oyinkansolaadebajo9716]

Lowkey tho, watching it gave me Get Out vibes... is that just me?

[@slonmish]

wholeheartedly agree with #3, 5

[@pinkmapviolin]

@@oyinkansolaadebajo9716 YES I DEFINITELY THOUGHT THAT. Glad I'm not the only one

[@milksweet6038]

yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.

[@MelanieErnestina]

This is a perfect critique

[@livevikarisly]

The biggest red flags for me were the lies Harper told outside of the movie's timeline. Like, yeah, she treated her partner like shit in a situation where she was really stressed and probably regressing into childhood in some ways, but also she didn't tell the truth to her partner about how her relationship with Riley ended and left her ex boyfriend out of a story in which they spent an entire weekend alone in a cabin together because "it didn't seem important". I would have needed a LOT of them being good together to feel like Kristen Stewart shouldn't run screaming from that mess, even if she didn't end up with Riley (although she should have).

[@SchulzEricT]

The biggest thing to me that drove me nuts about the Abby/Harper relationship was the morning after Harper came home late, her being a complete bitch to Abby. That, I think, was understandable... but never addressed. She was, I think, planning on apologizing, but then she saw Abby walking with Aubrey Plaza, and so she never apologized for being so horrible to Abby that morning. Like... get over it. You don't have time for Abby - and that's at least somewhat understandable; you should make time, but I'm not going to completely roast you for it... but you have to not fly completely off the handle when you see that Abby actually found somebody to talk to. (Unless you're worried about what Riley will tell Abby? Which.. we know why you're worried about that; you're not worried that Riley will lie...) Just approach Abby, tell her how you don't know how to be yourself around your parents, it's stressing you out, you took it out on her, it was wrong of you, you understand it has to be just as stressful for her... fucking apologize. But we just moved on like it was nothing. That, to me, is maybe the best example of a moment that Harper absolutely needed to address. Everything else came about as a result of the plot contrivance - that she lied to Abby about coming out to her family. Which I'll forgive because it's a movie, and we just have to accept that for the movie to happen. (Also, I *hated* Harper's mom. "You'll have your privacy." Barging into her room every 3 minutes, being so dense she didn't even realize why Abby put something in front of the door? Like... what? "There's something in front of the door blocking me so I can't get in, can you move it?" Take the goddamn hint, Harper's mom. Horrible character.)

[@catbroady]

Because of the mixed reactions, I was waiting for this video to decide if I would watch Happiest Season and yeah, I think I will! The nuance presented here makes me want to watch it (and a couple other things). Another great video! ...also, I died at the "wearing outfits like this" moment!

[@Princess_Weekes]

hahaha I'm glad you liked that bit!

[@ozlekosusturu]

I think knowing what you're going into helps the enjoyment of the movie a lot!

[@PunkExMachina]

I personally found Happiest Season a terrible experience(as a closeted wlw myself). I thought I’d get a dumb rom com I didn’t even need it to be gooD cinematic masterpiece. Just a dumb rom com. But I got mostly angst with 12 min at the end of the main couple finally getting along. wlw live action content is too often more about the pain and angst™️ than the actual relationships. (from what ive seen i might be missing some wlw films) The film wanted to milk the angst so much we barely got moments of levity between Abby and Harper. It was far too tense and anxiety full to consider it fun. I realized at the end I wasn’t rooting for them to be together I just wanted it all to end. I did...I did love Jane tho. I was definitely rooting for her 😭

[@katherinemorelle7115]

There were characters I really liked and was rooting for... it’s just that none of them were Harper. I loved Jane and John and Abby and Riley. That’s it. Jane is a sweetheart. Riley and Abby belong together, and John is a wonderful friend. Even if he does kill fish. But I agree with the anxiety! The stealing stuff really pushed my buttons. Why were the kids so cruel to Abby anyway?

[@V.elociraptor]

I absolutely understand your anxiety, but bizarrely that's the reason why I enjoyed the movie so much. I think it did a great job of creating genuine tension and a sense of unpredictability. I kept on saying "this is like the gay, Christmas version of Get Out" haha. It's certainly not a wholesome experience, but I almost enjoyed it more as a thriller or light horror comedy.

[@Oyama_]

Same here...

[@karennotAkaren1]

Neartmhor yes! The whole time I was like “dump Harper and leave!!” Even if Harper and abby were just friends and that’s it Harper was a bad friend. You don’t abandon the person you bring home for Xmas. No matter who they are. And Riley was just so likable I could not bring myself to like Harper 🤷🏻‍♀️. Oh and of course John and Jane rock

[@Gottabecute]

omg same I was like I'm just gonna chill with a light rom com and it was actually quite triggering to see how Abby was treated SO poorly by everyone. Great cast though, glad I watched it but prob won't be a rewatch

[@91Vault]

I found this movie more stressful than uncut gems

[@isabelcadavid3618]

when they kissed on the parking lot, and kristen stewart was on her tiptoes... my jaw dropped, i was left speechless

[@Princess_Weekes]

A mood.

[@hapikohw]

What you said about your father is so relatable to me. I came out to my dad this September when everyone else knew of my asexuality because me and my dad's tightness was different and so special. I honestly only did it because my dad on his birthday was drunk, crying about how much he loved me and is so proud of me, but feels like I am keeping things from him and becoming more distant. He also slid in how he isn't getting any younger and wanted some grandchildren (I'm 24). I felt I had too, I know asexuals is a subject that is tricky and when we tell people isn't considered coming out to some people but it really meant a lot to me. Thank you for sharing that ❤

[@swiftfated]

Aww I hope it went well for you!

[@hapikohw]

@@swiftfated thank you! It went very well, it was also very anti climatic for me too!

[@kelsynicole9135]

I really enjoyed Kristen trying to play straight while serving us all the looks. Aubrey Plaza was also dazzling, as always.

[@anthonywheeler2082]

Kipo is so good but no one talks about it! It's one of the best Netflix shows in general too.

[@rociohernandez3077]

The issue for me with Happiest Season was the tone. If the director wanted this to be a coming out story then much more focus should have been on Harper and her struggle to please her parents while trying to not hurt Abby. But since it was presented as a lighthearted christmas romcom, the fact that Harper was being such a bad friend to Abby, her family was honestly just awful and Riley appeared as the jerk with a heart of gold, it doesn't surprise me that so many people wanted them to be together. For this to work as a christmas romcom, the couple has to be on the same page. Abby should have known that Harper wasn't out to her parents. The surprise then is that the family event has become a political one and both protagonists have shenanigans trying to maintain appearances while doing very obvious heart eyes to each other. That way we can root for them to stay together and when Harper has to come out to her family, we don't have to worry about her losing everything she has (family and Abby) because we know her girlfriend will have her back if her parents don't support her. It honestly reminded me of the Harley Quinn season 2 finale, where Harley and Ivy get together after Kiteman rejects Ivy. It felt so much like Ivy only turned to Harley as a last resource rather than because she chose her out of love. But oh well, at least there was genuine effort in both and I for one appreciate that.

[@lstarsabb]

I agree I don't like how they try to gloss over a women struggling to come out with a " funny Christmas feel" i know most rom coms are based off a white lie that turns into a big cover up, but Harper put her girlfriend is a awkward situation where she really didn't have choice to walk away.

[@TexTheBest]

nah, its the opposite with ivy, the reason she was marrying kiteman was because her feelings for harley were stronger and she was afraid to get hurt if her/harley didnt work out. ivy is a control freak, so its easier to be with kiteman than harley

[@ReinaElizondo]

Yes for the groveling! I agreed with what you said about needing to see more about why the relationship was worth saving. I also wanted to see the family's growth too because it was a little too abrupt. They were so terribly blind to the offensive things they were saying at the beginning, so I think they still should have been that way even as they were trying. An example would be in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where they're shocked the partner doesn't eat meat: 'Ah that's okay. I'll make lamb.' So that they were trying but didn't stop being the same people. Also they were vicious to each other, and that's not a habit that just gets turned off in a night. More groveling all around.

[@Scweese]

I liked the movie because it had some realistic portrayals of the coming out experience, and honestly the willful ignorance of family members in these situations was on point. I don't think Abby should have been with either of them, at least not right away. A break at least was probably a good idea based on what Harper put her through.

[@LicoriceLain]

Maybe save it for the sequel it seems like they wanna do.

[@PirateQueen1720]

20:00 - Yes! Conflict makes for an interesting story but if the conflict is internal to the relationship (as opposed to an external conflict), and the audience is supposed to be happy that the pair ends up together, it needs to be clear why they liked each other to begin with, and that they have actually resolved the conflict at the end. I don't know why so many "romances" just make one or both of the main characters a dick.

[@beeaggro2593]

I think for me what's kinda great in a weird way is in a way, this movie is very much the same as every other boilerplate hallmark 'my family is abusive af but its christmas' holiday movie, tension and all. And the fact we are getting this content like the rest of the straights means we made it

[@beeaggro2593]

Also speaking of Drag, my favorite part was the like duality of man scene with the shitty sports bar vs the one gay bar in town and it kinda highkey being like Harper this is what you're missing out on

[@guerillahag]

the lovebirds -- while also being mediocre mostly -- had some moments where i was physically actually WHEEZING

[@letranger4461]

"Michelle Buteau and Hasan Minhaj should be in a romcom" I need this now!

[@flowerheit4512]

Oh God I had completely forgotten about the trash that is Jenny's Wedding

[@FreyaEinde]

I’m just like...who is this deep in a relationship with somebody in the closet...who’s like a working adult. If you’re in college that’s something else...but c’mon!

[@abbearley2904]

@@FreyaEinde as a working adult deep in the closet, it's people w/ homophobic family they still love

[@maggiemcfly5267]

I tried to watch when it came out but the utter lack of chemistry between Catherine and Alexis just made it impossible for me to keep watching

[@FreyaEinde]

@@abbearley2904 I really sympathize with that and understand. But I'm thinking on Abby's side you can't be dating somebody long term or trying to marry somebody who isn't out, it's a huge red flag like it's detrimental to go back to living on the down low once you've been out.

[@V.elociraptor]

@@FreyaEinde True, but Abby didn't know. She thought she was about to propose to a woman who had come out comfortably and was happily accepted by her family.

[@laurenhills239]

Harper did Riley so dirty with outting her like she did in HS

[@bomohm]

After being disappointed by Happiest Season with my gf, we went on to find this lovely movie called Season of Love. It's a WLW Christmas movie focusing on 3 different couples who all have really nice chemistry, plot lines and goals! I'd definitely recommend it if you want an actual holiday dramedy!

[@MaryamMaqdisi]

I didn’t like Season of Love much, but I believe it’s the best we have so far

[@threshingsong]

OH I'M SO GLAD YOU TALKED ABOUT OBSIDIAN it was so good it was so good it watered my crops and gave me some soul-deep catharsis I was aching for

[@milksweet6038]

At the end of Happiest Season I was expecting Abby to leave Harper because they had not done the work to me to make them into a couple and have them run into each other years later like in (terribly problematic movie I know) Chasing Amy. It seemed like they were setting that kind of ending up and I think that it would have made it into a great film to have them not together at the end. Kristen Stewart and Aubrey Plaza had amazing chemistry together and while I didn't think they would actually end up together it seemed to be leading to Kristen Stewart realizing that maybe she was wrong about Harper and she was jumping into marrying this person who wasn't even sure of who they really were yet. I nitpicked the hell out this movie after watching it and for the ending that they went with, Harper needed to tell someone she was gay before the climax, like if she had come out to high school boyfriend when he asked why they really broke up I think it would have signaled to the audience that she was serious about telling her parents and being with Abby and instead of that terrible scene where she gaslights Abby she could have actually apologized and told her she told her ex boyfriend. I don't much needed to change to make this movie be better, and that's why its so frustrating. I just I don't know I hated twilight and I root for Kristen Stewart and honestly her and all the other actresses involved deserved a better written movie. Also I love that Princess Tutu art on the wall!!!!!!!!!!

[@kato6196]

wasn't expecting this to become a stealth bubbline video, but I'm definitely not complaining!

[@otterzrkuhl]

This is totally random, but I love the Sailor Moon pictures and shirt.

[@chrissysky01]

I continue to vibe with your fanart collection.

[@Psychoclaw]

Why I love cartoons so much suddenly makes so much more sense.

[@phil6748]

I really wanted her to end up with Aubrey plaza’s character because Kristen Stewart‘s girlfriend was the worst and I don’t care what the ending said, who does this to their partner?

[@jaroneller1525]

I'm a new subscriber and wow, you are the breath of fresh air I've been looking for on KZbin for so long. listening to someone who's actually a voice of reason yet still critical? impeccable

[@sapphic.flower]

I'm happy that we're getting more lgbtq+ content and I think focusing on coming out and all that is important but lgbtq+ people exist outside their struggle. Like I don't want to relive the experience of trying to come out or how hard it is being gay every movie about a same sex couple. I want the campy romance stories that straight people get!

[@lstarsabb]

I get that as a straight black women. I never understand how showing racism and sexism on screen is supposed to make me happy just because it's showing what people already know happens but chose to ignore because it doesn't affect them. To me struggle movies are just a big gas lighting act. The point of representing is to show COMMON GOUND. That's the only way to get Hollywood to make better stories for minorities.

[@MaryamMaqdisi]

Honestly yes, can’t wait for there to be many good, lighthearted lgbtiq+ movies, as a trans person I just never watch trans stuff because it’s always too depressing for me, I just want stories about people like me existing beyond their transness

[@mila.inthewoods]

can we talk about how fucked up it was that harper was outed in the first place by her sister???? i mean it's 2020, everyone should know NEVER to out someone who's not ready!! i really think that part was so unnessary and so immature of harper's sister. if this movie was supposed to be a coming out movie, then harper should've been able to do it on her own. the act that it was a rom com christmas movie and marketed as light hearted, i was disappointed that coming out was the main theme of the movie. i'd rather have seen it be a rom com that doesn't have to do with coming out. like Melina said, conflict is needed in story telling, but couldn't the conflict have been something else? i hate it when gay movies make being gay a problem in the movie (unlike in call me by your name, where luckily no one is shamed/bullied/punished for being gay). i wish there was more romance in the movie. i hope we get sequels where we see how they met/why their relationship is important. AND I WANNA SEE THE PROPOSAL AND MARRIAGE LIKE HELLOOO HOW R YALL GONNA SKIP OVER THAT

[@dxsmachina]

Thank you so much for bringing up Jenny's wedding. I watched that movie with my mom and had a lot of the same issues you did so it's nice to see someone talk about it.

[@ggbtvstb]

You continue to produce the most wonderful blend of fun/passionate nerd content and thoughtful, honest, even academic analyses. I love it! So happy I found this channel a few months ago!

[@beeaggro2593]

Also my God, Drunk Lesbians Watch's takedown of Jenny's Wedding is perfect

[@natnirv]

Yes! They're faces at the end 😂 I think it was the first Drunk Lesbians Watch and one of my favourites. I wish they would do that again with Happiest Season

[@JubeiKibagamiFez]

And I had no idea that Adventure Time had a new miniseries with HBO, and of course I don't have HBOMAX to watch it. I was so sad when the original series ended.

[@coddledbythewolves]

Jane deserves all love. Thanks for video!

[@troyareyes]

I hate the whole "abby should have been with riley" bs. Yea the its more fun and less drama with this new person you've had 3 good interactions with than the person you're in a long committed relationship with. Youve cracked the code. That's how cheating happens.

[@yurikoshinigami]

Yeah it would have been the typical stereotype of gay people changing couples like clothes... I mean get in to the first difficult moment of your serious relationship and end ud with the ex of your girlfriend, come on!

[@Gottabecute]

I think that the Riley x Abby ship comes more from that we don't get a proper resolution that Harper actually made things right with Abby. So it makes the audience feel unsatisfied, especially since Riley seems to have come to terms with her past/present. It's awkward cause they want it to be a relationship/rom com movie while also a heavy emphasis on Harper's coming out journey AND Christmas tropes. It was a tall order

[@troyareyes]

@@Gottabecute If that were the case, those people would be rooting for Abby to just leave Harper, not jump right on top of the nearest lesbian who talks to her.

[@yippedoodah]

It would've been nice to see a fast forward to the next Christmas where Abby is now with Riley (not married but in a seemingly more stable relationship that does not lack communication) and a single Harper reconnecting with her family without the burden of a perfect image.

[@StephenYuan]

Well, if your current partner has a history of abusive behavior...

[@bilong92]

engaygement

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

Wasn't "my parents don't know" the very first conflict in Get Out?

[@tariqthomas9090]

Honestly, if this movie had taken inspiration from Get Out it actually might have been really, really good😂😂

[@caridadchang7895]

Closest I have seen a queer movie treath coming out like horror is Love Simon

[@TanyaItkin]

Exactly my thought the first time I saw that clip of them in the car

[@V.elociraptor]

@@tariqthomas9090 There's no way this movie didn't take inspiration from Get Out. There are way too many similarities. The way subtle homophobia is knitted into conversations, the protagonist being chewed out by their friend on the phone for putting themselves in a risky situation, and later that friend coming to save the protagonist. Harper even looks like the woman from Get Out, and I think that might also be intentional in order to create an immediate sense of unease.

[@lstarsabb]

Big Spoiler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But that was just act to make the girl just look like an naive girlfriend. They actually knew because of the family business of taking over black peoples body's and it was her job to bring black people to the family.

[@SmallTownSpells]

Along with cartoons, the gays are also out here with the middle grade graphic novels, with ones like The Prince and the Dressmaker which plays with gender; Dungeon Critters is a D&D style comedy that is all types of gay; Snapdragon has POC LGBT representation AND magic; Beetle and the Hollowbones is the cutest story about baby lesbians and it's set in a halloween town. I'm living for all of it.

[@Bnazf]

this is the best happiest season review I’ve watched, you perfectly encapsulate how I (and I believe many others) felt about the movie in an amazingly articulate and respectful way. thank you!

[@alexeifiore8573]

the thing about this movie for me was that I think we were supposed to really sympathize with harper at the end when abby says she's done and is about to leave, because she's just so scared of losing her family and their love- but situationally, harper has yet to do anything that truly sucks as much as abby has had to suffer through the whole movie before that point. It really doesn't help that the movie is told from mainly Abby's perspective. I also really feel like we don't get to see them enough as a couple to truly root for them to stay together during this trying time. Yeah the scene in the beginning was cute, and they have great chemistry in the scenes they're trying to sneak together. But honestly, the movie feels less like a rom-com and more of a sucky experience for Abby, more so than Harper.

[@liteflightify]

The movie is strictly “meh” for me. Almost every “gay romance” ends up disappointing in the romance department. It’s like they can’t trust the audience investing mostly in the romantic entanglements of a same-sex dynamic. Other things must be at the forefront. And those “other things” are usually someone being closeted or “self-discovery”. That would be fine if it wasn’t so damn tired at this point. While Harper is just a really poor character. In order to really sympathize with and root for that type of character you really gotta flesh them out and tell more of the story from their perspective. Overall, a passable effort of a movie I guess.

[@ranniazorya]

You're such a great talker. I've been binging your videos because of how incredibly intelligent and eloquent you and I'm so floooored

[@marinashutup]

I was so excited to see this video in my feed. And I’m so glad you talked about Obsidian!

[@stanford0711]

Yes...the one thing about the movie is that it concentrates so much on the stress of the situation without showing us why it was worth it to stay in the relationship

[@SWINDISATHEORIES]

So happy to hear about your dad! Great review :). Love the little clips peppered throughout. Completely agree with @7:44

[@hobihope2981]

Ahhh that Princess Tutu art you have on your wall is absolutely GORGEOUS!! 😍😍

[@musical-chick-134]

DISTANT LANDS. WAS SO GOOD. I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE WE GOT THAT.

[@zebibabr]

Really great video and so on point! Still enjoyable and relatable while also being flawed and not giving us enough joy between these two...I’m fascinated by clea Duvall and what she wanted to do with this film

[@uluvjordan]

I must point out what seems like a remarkable increase in your confidence sis! Of course you were always bomb, but really love every single one of your new videos. Love to watch you flourish in your element. Insightful. Gorgeous. Confident. We love to see it 🖤

[@grrfilter]

I'm hearing AmandatheJedi going "MY ANXIETY!" 😂

[@scary.stegosaurus]

21:33 OMG, HARRIYANNA!!! I love her youtube channel, I think it's so cool she's one of your patrons

[@darkservantofheaven]

I love that Akasha pic on your wall.

[@Micromort]

So the first time I saw this movie the audience cheered when Abby and Harper broke up... myself included. Also I would watch the shit out of a Jane movie! She's hands down the best character and a tale of her finding nerdy love would be so damn cute.

[@SebastianSeanCrow]

2:41 I completely understand. It took me a lot of courage to come out as trans to my father and if I wasn’t forcibly outed when I ID’d as bi, I’d probably wouldn’t have told him for YEARS. I think the only reason I’m open with my entire family now is because I DONT love with my father lol

[@christinefarrell6438]

I haven't seen Happiest Season but Obsidian had me floating on a high for days afterwards so I'm glad it got a nod!

[@frostbjorn]

Watched this movie with my fiancé this past weekend and we both thought it was cute and overall entertaining. However, we did feel uncomfortable with the same issues you brought up, mostly with Harper's treatment of Abby. Overall though, we thought would watch it again and I hope that Happiest Season's success gives other streaming services and studios the push to make more LGBTQ+ Holiday movies. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts! Great analysis as always.

[@Aaron-MackHartford]

I think that Abby is weak of a person in my opinion, because she keep on accepted and agreed to everything. I don’t think Harper was even try that hard, convincing Abby to do anything. I mean, Harper didn’t have or need to manipulated Abby. (It not she a abuser of a person or anything.) but Abby just quickly accepted it without, a second thought for she made a decision. Like when she finally decided to leave, after the crap she gone through and everything. Then she quickly to accept to stay after Harper ask her too, without any real effort to convince her. Abby only decided to leave for good, after she finally see the real Harper. And she again accepted Harper apology and forgave her, without Harper even have try hard to convince Abby. She also forgiven the twin kids for what, they to her and accepted their apology. Honestly, I couldn’t feels that sorry for Abby, if she was that easy to convince. By not a good person that didn’t, need to try that hard to convince her. I don’t think Harper a manipulator, because she never force Abby into anything. Abby just easily accept and agreed to it. Sure Harper maybe a terrible person, but she isn’t that of bad person. She just made a bad decision in her life, even though she it doesn’t excuse. What she had done to Riley in the past, but she isn’t perfect and she isn’t evil.

[@amanda-uw3un]

haven't watched everything yest but oh my god yes I got SO STRESSED watching this

[@Jason-ue7gi]

a fellow bisexual aries on lexapro who needed antidepressants to officially come out to the parent they have a close relationship with. wild.

[@saffodils]

Thanks for sharing your perspective! I have a Hulu free trial rn, and I've been waffling about whether to give this movie a higher view count and support LGBT+ creators, or sit it out and save my sanity. Still haven't decided-bi stereotype-but at least I feel more informed!

[@alexthompson2466]

I too was reminded of Jenny's Wedding, once was enough for me! I laughed out loud at negative chemistry. Also I agree that white wlw romance movies peaked with Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Glad things went well with your dad! I'm sorry you had to live in suspense though.

[@Alchemist1330]

Jane the Ally is the greatest character of all time.

[@taiems]

YES

[@deuteragonist1078]

i HATED Jenny's Wedding. It feels like it was a school project written by a straight person forced to write abt lesbians.

[@neivilde.1242]

ofc harriyanna hook is one of your patrons

[@inurooshi]

To me this is one of the first mainstream lesbian christmas movie. The best bits were how the cast really carried the film. Dan Levy's speech is one of the most nuanced take of coming out while also validating Abbey's feelings. Is it perfect no? Is it entertaining is it a step forward for "Mainstream" America yes. Will it be light years better than the first Hallmark gay movie YES. I'm glad this exists and that there is discourse going on around the film and recognizing some of the toxic traits. I know its definitely more nuance then we've had in a Mainstream christmas movie.

[@nhp2514]

I like her analysis videos (like when she analyses a topic on movies rather than a single movie), but sometimes you just wanna watch a review on a movie you keep seeing pop up every now and then, good video!

[@AngelWithNoWings1996]

For me there were so many reasons to dislike Harper beyond what she put Abby through that is 100% to blame on the writing. First of all Abby is a saint in the film, and that wouldn't be a problem if Harper was more balanced. The whole story line of having Abby justify to John the situation of Harper putting them both in the closet and him going there to bail her out of the whole mess only to have him be the "give her a second chance" felt a little narratively confused. And the fact that we have in the opening scene a distillation of the movies events in Harper making Abby go Christmas lights watching with her, gets her into a dangerous situation on the roof, and gaslights her the morning after when Abby decides she does want to spend Christmas with her girlfriend after being kind of emotionally manipulated the night before (I don't think it's emotional manipulation but it felt akin to it and I can't think of a better word for it). I don't think the intention was for it to come across that way, but it definitely read like that to me.

[@V.elociraptor]

I think your latter point about the first couple scenes being a distillation of the entire movie is great, and I also think it's absolutely intentional. It's way too direct a reflection of Harper's behaviour later to not be intentional. The movie is kinda built like a Horror movie, not just in the tonality haha, but in the way that seeds are consistently planted for reveals or thematic relevance later in the movie.

[@mai_m92]

@@V.elociraptor Totally! This movie felt like Get Out! (but for white lesbians lol) Seriously though, I was tense or unconfortable pretty much the entire movie, waiting for the inevitable crash and burn. The scene with Abby getting interrogated by the security was one of the few moments of comic relief imo

[@SchulzEricT]

I think the whole "Harper hasn't come out to her family yet but lied to Abby and told her she did" is the premise of the movie, and we just have to accept that for the movie to happen, so I largely don't have a problem with it. You're absolutely right about the scene the next day at breakfast though; that was fucking terrible. I assume they did it that way so as to have the "funny" scene in the car later (it wasn't funny; it wasn't worth it). They should've instead had Harper come clean, and then Abby agrees to go along with it *before packing everything and driving for hours to Harper's house.* Having Abby going into the situation fully aware and fully prepared would've helped us a lot in seeing their relationship in a much more positive light. But instead I think we all assume that Harper kind of "forced" Abby into that situation; I don't think Abby would've agreed had they not already been halfway (or more?) to Harper's house already.

[@georgezakhia125]

There were issues with "The Happiest Season", but as a bi teen girl who genuinely feels like her parents will never accept her, I felt really seen by Harper. I haven't watched a lot of traditional wlw content (most of the wlw media I consume are animated and coming out isn't as big of a deal in those), so seeing someone be so afraid of coming out made feel really seen. Of course Harper fucked up, but seeing Abby leave her really forced me to sit with myself and ask myself if I really am okay with just staying in the closet forever until I want to marry a woman. At the end of the day, it's a Christmas movie, and it will always have its issues because of the genre, but I think it gets more right than it does wrong.

[@baru0chan]

i had a lot of fun watching this, and i'd love for clea duvall to keep directing this type of stories, but i am also extremely glad and grateful that we are all pretty vocal about things that Weren't exactly satisfactory about the movie. hopefully it will steer film-making in the right direction.

[@katastrophic3907]

Lmao you're not wrong about poly groups. I really like that they tip the scales away from the narrative "you're allowed to feel jealous of your partner liking the Instagram posts of someone hot" but they do sometimes swing right the other way to "noo it might feel weird that they're spending all their time with someone else and never hang out with you anymore but you just need to sort out your own feelings and not control them". Balance between the extremes is good

[@lucasgray1492]

This movie was very stressful for me. It just made me feel so much anxiety

[@sappho114]

Great commentary. A lot of people often forget that LGBT+ media is gonna have sloppy messes as much as straight media does, it's just gonna take us longer to statistically get as many "good" ones as sloppy ones. Definitely gonna give this a watch now!

[@brigittetilley6961]

This is the first of your videos I've seen and it was an immediate subscribe for me. You nailed this!

[@emilyholidaybeauty]

You have slayed me yet again with your content. Fabulous. Chefs kiss*

[@ripmyfictionalfriends]

I've also heard about A New York Christmas Wedding, which has a biracial f/f couple but from the trailer I was told that the f/f was just a "what if" scenario that the main character had the option to choose instead of her black male partner. The twist is that the f/f scenario is where her loved ones who have died are suddenly alive again. So if she chooses that scenario she will probably die? That's what I got from the trailer at least. I was into the movie when I saw the poster but when I saw the trailer it really seemed to be about a bisexual woman having to choose between a man and a woman and live and death. And that just didn't seem like something I wanted to watch. If anyone here has seen it and says it's better than i'm describing, that's great, i'd love to hear your experiences with it.

[@danielkozlowski1485]

Great talk through of the movie! As a straight person I enjoyed this movie, but parts of it felt off to me, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I couldn’t relate 100% to this coming-out story, if the writing just wasn’t great, or some mix of both. Especially Abby taking Harper back felt off to me, I accepted it cause it’s a Christmas movie and needed a happy ending, but I was curious what people in the LGBTQ thought of the movie. Glad to hear that the movie is getting mixed reactions, and you made a lot of points that helped organize my own thoughts on the movie. Thanks for the video!

[@dragoniraflameblade]

I JUST finished watching it and I feel like I jumped flat face into a shallow pool. Whew. I wish I had seen more of thier relationship before they went to the parents house instead of TENSION 90% OF THE TIME, GOD. I love John tho, he was the hugest highlight.

[@imanicartwright4463]

I love the the best case scenario of coming out is literally the most anticlimactic. Like yeah, I love you regardless of sexual preference.

[@rjr81]

Great review that is able to acknowledge the flaws without needing exaggerate them in order to cancel the movie.

[@krissyf1316]

I first planned to watch this thinking it was going to be a cute rom com, but after reading reviews, Now won’t because I had a hard coming out experience. This video was very informal! I do wish the trailers were more accurate to what the movie is about

[@deuxcentvingt-deux]

Glad you're back and appreciate your content.

[@Iamjustherek]

Legit saw this video, went to watch it and came back so I could have an informed opinion lol but yes agree with you. I was actually really proud of Abby when she said that Harper was too late. I felt so bad for Abby throughout the movie, Harper wasn’t even treating her like a friend much less a romantic partner. At the same time I sympathized with Harper and how suffocating her family was. I think the conflict within her family was portrayed very well at least.

[@SchulzEricT]

I think that guy's speech at the end, to Abby, about how Harper not coming out to her family was about Harper, not about Abby, really did a lot to frame Harper as a much more sympathetic character. That being said, I'd say two tweaks would've *really* helped: 1 - Harper should've come clean at breakfast the morning after asking Abby to come with her for Christmas. Instead she kept lying, and only came clean when they were, what, halfway to Harper's house? More? Feels shitty, because I think we all believe that Abby only agreed because they were nearly there already, she was already committed. They could've just had Harper come clean at breakfast, and have Abby agree to come anyway, fully aware of what she was getting into. If they had discussed things as a couple, we'd see them in a much more positive light. 2 - The morning after drinking, Harper was a complete bitch to Abby. I think it was understandable, but it wasn't okay. She should've opened up to Abby, talked about how hard it is to be herself in front of her parents, how she doesn't know how to act, she's scared, etc... then say it wasn't right or fair for her to take it out on Abby, who is having just as hard a time of it as she is, and apologize. I think she was actually going to apologize... but then she saw that Abby was walking with Riley, and she completely forgot about her shitty behavior.

[@kraziiXIII]

Okay this is gonna be kinda random but since you brought up cartoons, it got me thinking. Since I recently watched the video by the RoundTable about Steven Universe and why it ended when it ended, it makes me curious to see more details on SPN's treatment of DeanCas on a network level from the CW. Like Steven Universe was fraught with a lot of network issues and constraints on the SU team (Rebecca Sugar basically told an interviewer that the show had to be ended early due to the Garnet wedding, but then got the diamond days arc and the movie approved, and the epilogue series), and due to Covid, SPN had it's entire ending rewritten, to the point where the lead actor was basically like " they(writers+network officials) didn't give us a choice after the rewrite". It makes me wonder how much of what happened on SPN happened because the network was more concerned with the demographics and keeping viewers rather than telling a compelling story or even telling the story the writers and crew wanted to tell. Serialized TV is difficult to get made (especially in animation) and that is why streaming has more "binge culture"/"easy to marathon" serialized shows in comparison to network TV because it is made to be viewed in "one" sitting rather than the course of a year. SPN has taught me a lot about how television is made just by osmosis over the years when I was active in the fandom (pre-season 10). Oh wait here is another connection, Cleo Duvall I believe was in a movie with Jensen Ackles called Ten Inch Hero and also she was in an HBO show, Carnival, that got cancelled. So maybe this comment is less random than I thought. If i am remembering correctly.