Merry & Gay (2022 TV Movie) User Reviews

A Millennial Christmas

[anicho01-944-812539 · 6/10 · 12 December 2023]

The script surrounds two protagonists, Sam and Becca, in their twenties. Unlike Hallmark's standard roles of generic business people, bakers, nannies or home shoppers, the protagonists in this flick belong to today's gig economy. Becca stars in an off-Broadway Friends parody while Sam is a weekly Quizzo master who hangs with D&D friends. In a way, this script feels more realistic and in touch with the jobs held by early 20 somethings. It also serves as a love letter to the city with quiet raw footage.

When two childhood best friends unite, everyone in their rural Tennessee community, including their significant others, neighborhood cheerleaders, their parents, a scene stealing juggler, the local minister, and a Dolly Parton wannabe are convinced the friends belong together. But ... the friends themselves remain clueless.

The script is great but the film suffers from a restricted budget: The sound is echoey, scenes rely too frequently on natural light and the houses are very generic suburban with minimal set decorating.

My biggest frustration is the film's limited budget contrasted with other Hallmark flicks with bigger budgets but cardboard acting, one-dimensional scripts and static directing. Early Hallmark typically forced the cisgender female to choose between love and her career. Unfortunately, despite breaking other templates, it adheres to this pretty closely.

There are a lot of great moments including a hilarious setup by their parents, a breakout musical number and numerous relationship focused scenes. If you're accustomed to the polished Hallmark look, this might not be for you. But, it is nicely inclusive including a deaf character and various representations of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Charming Christmas movie about love between childhood friends

[darya_ts · 8/10 · 7 February 2023]

Slow, sweet and lighthearted movie. Plot is predictable, which is usual for holiday romantic comedies. Story describes how actress Becca returned home for vacation, while her school sweetheart Sam still lives there. Both characters try to figure out their feelings with the help of family and friends.

Sometimes characters show exaggerated or too intense reactions. Some lines and dialogs seem artificial and inauthentic. However, the chemistry and tension between main characters are fantastic. Their emotions and feelings are very believable. Even if it is quiet and the bar seems empty, you still can be sure in this love and see the spark.

I also want to point out that both lead characters are adorable, they are very likable and beautiful. I enjoyed their voices and charisma very much.

Positive features of the movie "Merry & Gay" also include original music, warm and tender atmosphere, strong emotions of characters, conflicted feelings, appealing dynamic between lead characters.

If you like movies about love between childhood friends or happy lgbtq+ holiday films you will probably enjoy this movie.

Sometimes "Merry & Gay" can seem a bit clumsy. But it also reveals something vulnerable, fluttering and really special.

I am sincerely happy that I saw this movie. I want to thank everyone who worked on that project and Christin Baker personally for making it happen.

Unremittingly cheesy, but ultimately fun, charming, & heartwarming

[I_Ailurophile · 8/10 · 8 December 2023]

On the one hand, filmmaker Christin Baker had previously made 2021's 'Christmas at the ranch,' which was a pleasant sapphic holiday romance but so soft and gentle that it barely had any substance (or romance). On the other hand, this 2022 TV movie opens with a delightful over the top song, in the style of a Broadway musical, making fun of people obsessed with coffee. On the other other hand, not only does this flick show itself to be full of tropes from the very beginning, but the writing immediately feels forced as every supporting character indicates their intention to reunite the high school sweethearts, and every opportunity is taken to shoehorn kitsch into the proceedings. True, none of this is particularly out of character for the genre; TV movie holiday romances are so formulaic that only a scant few details ever need to be modified or rearranged to fashion a "new" iteration. Be that as it may, at the outset Baker and co-writers Maggie Cummings and Megan Ullrich really seem to be reaching for the cheesy, ham-handed supremacy, and before even one-third of the runtime has elapsed it seems that Baker and his cast are having difficulty summoning sincerity. Thankfully 'Christmas with love,' also known as 'Merry & gay,' does improve, and it's increasingly enjoyable as the length progresses. Early scenes especially are a rather mild variety of entertainment, and I can't really begrudge anyone who views it more harshly, but for those who are open to the style, I think this is a small step up from some kindred fare.

While the concatenation can be a little taxing at points, the least that can be said is that the actors are charming, and infuse slivers of personality into their roles to the extent that they can. Moreover, there's gratifying diversity in the casting, and while the characters are predominantly wonderfully queer, some other swell considerations went into their writing. Leads Dia Frampton and Andi René Christensen stand out most as Becca and Sam, certainly, and they're lovely, but even those in supporting parts - Mary Marguerite Hall, Shawna Mclaughlin, Cheyenne Puga, Sterling Victorian, Janet Ivey, Hayat Nesheiwat, Jon Lee, Andrew Brennen, and so on - inject some welcome spirit into the proceedings. In fact, I don't think it's unfair to say that the ensemble might represent the most substantial strength of the feature, providing an anchor no matter how much Baker's direction has to work to unify the production, or how strained the screenplay at large may sometimes be. In fairness, once 'Christmas with love' gets past the somewhat clunky first act, the narrative, scene writing, and dialogue do improve; the foundation was laid, and the film can move on to its prime material. Underneath and woven among the abject silliness and tackiness are more honest (if also extra light) notes of warm, funny joyfulness, and ultimately one does get swept up a bit in the cute, glad tidings. Just as much to the point, it's readily apparent how much fun the cast is having as the story advances, and that energy is definitely a boost. Happily, I really am of the mind that this gels over time, and its value is more firmly cemented.

All along the way this is well made in other capacities: swell original music courtesy of Andrew Michael Tarr and Everett Young, nice cinematography from David Y. Chung, excellent hair and makeup, fine costume design, and so on. It seems that Baker learned from her past mistakes, because the romantic element is distinctly stronger in this picture than it has been elsewhere, and for that matter the storytelling is more robust and meaningful. We still get the tried and true pattern of the genre (conflicts, constant push and pull between the romantic leads), and the clichés, but there's just enough earnestness and slightly different flavoring to help the end result to stand a tad taller than its brethren, and stand out in some measure from the crowd. 'Christmas with love' remains troubled, not just for the gawkiness of the first act, but also for the heavy-handed drama that arises in the third act; would that we could get the lesbian holiday romance we want and deserve without discrete weaknesses or shortcomings. Still, I can really say that this turned out to be better than I expected. There may not be anything here to change the minds of those who already have a hard time engaging with the genre, but if you're sitting to watch you must already be open to the overcooked gaudiness - which is good, because this truly may be the utmost example thereof. It's ridiculous, predictable, overdone in some ways and underwhelming in others, and less than perfect, but when all is said and done it's just as blithely enchanting, pleasing, and lighthearted as it wants to be, and no one can say that it has tried to be anything it's not. Maybe I'm being overly generous, but despite myself I actually quite like 'Christmas with love,' and for those who are receptive to the holiday romance genre I think it earns a reasonably solid recommendation.