’Tis the Festive season and what better way to start it than with the fantastic new Christmas romantic comedy Happiest Season. The sophomore directing effort from Clea DuVall (who you may know as stoic FBI agent Marjorie from Veep) is chock full of Christmas spirit and timely queer commentary; equally hilarious and emotionally impactful thanks to wonderful performances from an all-star cast led by Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis. While it may lean into some rom-com tropes a little too heavily, the abundance of charm and the genuine investment in the characters DuVall creates makes it easy to forgive these minor imperfections and appreciate this soon-to-be modern Christmas classic.
Abby (Stewart) and Harper (Davis) have been going strong for a while now, and are at the point where Harper thinks it is finally time to introduce her long-term girlfriend to her family. What begins as a well-intentioned, spur-of-the-moment invitation soon turns to anxiety for Harper – who has yet to come out to her otherwise oblivious family – prompting her to ask Abby to pretend to be her roommate until she plucks up the courage to reveal her secret. Once the couple arrive at the Caldwell residence, we are given a tour of this unusual family through the eyes of Abby (our audience surrogate) as she is introduced and begins to get a clearer picture of the quirky dynamics at play. Ruled by snobbish, overbearing parents Ted (Victor Garber) and Tipper (Mary Steenburgen) are the sisters of Harper: Jane (Mary Holland) and Sloane (Alison Brie), who in turn commands her husband (Burl Moseley) and two children with an iron fist.
DuVall’s excellent script (which she co-wrote with Mary Holland) instantly establishes each family member of the familial unit; identifying their own specific quirks and challenges to overcome. It goes a long way towards making everyone feel like real (if overly quirky), fully fleshed-out people and establishing their specific relationships with Harper. Sloane has been knocked down the social ranking of daughters by her parents for prioritising her children over a successful law career, vaulting Harper into the favourite position and causing some serious tension and resentment. Meanwhile the eternally positive Jane has clearly been in her position at the bottom of the pecking order for a while, abused by the entire family and meeting it all with sheer optimism (and some hilariously overbearing mannerisms). This entire dysfunctional family synergy is due to patriarch Ted’s pursuit of political power, a path which has led him to present an extremely conservative public image; one that Harper fears will never recover from her true sexuality being exposed. It is this fear that causes Abby to agree to the ruse, but as things become increasingly complex and confusing, the relationship begins to strain and Abby must decide whether to wait for the woman she loves to publicly accept her or leave it all behind and move on.
From a story perspective this is your typical “getting to know the folks” comedy. Meet the Parents wrapped up in copious amounts of tinsel and Christmas cheer. What differentiates it from other comedies of the sub-genre is the richness of the world around the Caldwell clan. Aside from the central family, DuVall fills the screen with one interesting or hilarious character after another, with all the pop-ins and interactions serving to either alienate Abby further from this change in her environment or give her some respite from the stress of the trip. One of DuVall’s Veep co-stars (I won’t spoil it) crops up for a scene as a mall security guard that will have you in stitches. Similarly Aubrey Plaza delivers great, albeit slightly less sarcastic work than usual (sorry Parks and Recreation fans) as Harper’s ex-girlfriend and an unusual ally for Abby. It’s a far more meaty role than the security guard but one that still feels a little underdeveloped and convenient. Riley’s character delivers a different angle to the queer experience that is important to point out, but the film never really chooses to focus on it too deeply; wrapping everything up in a neat little package without ever fully unwrapping it in the first place.
The performances are where Happiest Season excels the most. Kristen Stewart leans into the emotional side of her character, exposing a vulnerability that some viewers may not have thought her capable of. Her usual laid-back, grounded acting style goes a long way here to offset the zaniness of the Caldwells and makes her the perfect window for the audience to view these bizarre Christmas events. Mackenzie Davis’ Harper gets a little bit less to work with in regards to screen time but makes up for it with a richly layered performance. Her story will be familiar to so many within the queer community and the struggle she goes through is as emotionally devastating as you would expect.
The standouts here are without a doubt Mary Steenburgen and Dan Levy. Steenburgen steals every scene she is in as Tipper, constantly berating her daughters with scathing comments about their life or fashion choices as she struggle to document the Christmas season on her newly created Instagram. There is a charm that offsets all the nastiness and you feel that her criticisms come from a place of love; that she is unable to express herself in a positive way and Steenburgen is hilarious in the role. Similarly Dan Levy acts as Abby’s confidant and guide through the trip’s events, dishing out laughably terrible life advice and constant reminders that he is tracking her every movement. Levy doesn’t get a lot of screen time but makes a huge impact on the film; the best sidekick from afar since Lil Rel Howery in Get Out.
Happiest Season is the film equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate at Christmas time. A warm and comforting film that brilliantly captures the highs and lows of the queer experience of coming out whilst being absolutely hilarious and a top notch romantic comedy in its own right. The whole cast is utterly fantastic, with not a weak link in sight and the smatterings of genre tropes and undercooked storylines are more than made up for with the charm and heart of Clea DuVall’s fantastic script. If you were looking for a new Christmas classic to revisit every year, look no further as you’ve found not only that, but one of the best films of 2020.
Happiest Season stars Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, Dan Levy, Burl Moseley & Mary Steenburgen – Streaming on Hulu in the US and in cinemas everywhere else now.