The Christmas Setup and Dashing in December - Escape from 2020 to homo spirit...
After so many cheesy Christmas movies for straight people on television, finally Lifetime and Paramount has decided to make two movies with main roles are same-sex couple. Be ready to dip in Holiday spirit, because this year two smashing gay love stories will be featured on tv with all the cheesiness, festive and extremely adorable feeling that LGBTQ+ community can relate to.
The Christmas Setup (TCS) by Lifetime and Dashing in December (DID) by Paramount are first two movies ever feature same-sex couple as main role among all other traditional Christmas movies. In TCS, Hugo – a successful lawyer from NYC returns to his hometown and find himself reconnect to his childhood crush – Patrick. Under the pushing effort by his mother – Kate, they have great time together until Hugo has to decide if he will take the promotion or follow his heart… Sharing the same motif, DID shares story about Wyatt, also from NYC, returns home in Colorado for holiday. At family own ranch, he meets Heath and two guys share intimate feeling until Wyatt has to decide if he wants to sell his family ranch then move on, or fulfill his lonely heart with the guy he likes.
In very long time, our television in December, especially family network such as Hallmark or Lifetime, are full of cheesy, festive, bubbly Christmas movies. They share the same story, same plot, type of characters but zillion of people are still hungry for more years after years. All those movies are featured with heterosexual couples and they are usually extreme tone-deaf about diversity. For that reason, TCS and DID like a fresh wind which blows through us gently and remind LGBTQ+ community that finally, there is queer characters, there is homosexual love, there is same-sex couple will be featured in holiday movies. Finally, LGBTQ+ has been given the power, the voice to tell our own love story in holiday.
TCS and DID do not fell out of holiday movie genre. Both of them are all super cheesy, so predictable, very cliché, too naïve. However, more important than trying so hard to escape themselves from those characteristics, both movies offer us a darling view, sweet look and warm, fuzzy feeling about just two more couples – who are happen to be gay and that is it. Straight people have been lived in holiday fantasy and spirit for a long time with more than enough holiday movies. TCS and DID make sure the rest of the world – LGBTQ+ viewers, has one good reason to turn on tv this year to look for holiday movies that tell love stories that we can relate too.
Lifetime not only makes their first gay Christmas movie ever, but also they let real life couple Ben Lewis and Blake Lee plays Hugo and Patrick in TCS. Their chemistry is so real that they seems do not have to try so hard to fell in love on screen. Besides, the one and only Fran Drescher with her over the top voice in Hugo’s mom – Kate role is wonderful addition to the cast. TCS is all about love, reconnection, Christmas spirit, cute humor, adorable flirting and sweet kisses.
Meanwhile, DID by Paramount also do not want to fell behind the gay race. Both actors Peter Porte (Wyatt) and Juan Pablo Di Pace (Heath) are openly gay. DID production is little bit more expensive than TCS: the music, the outside location, etc. Besides, DID tries to offer more depth to story plot when two handsome characters Wyatt and Heath have to deal with their own personal drama before their hearts find the same beat. The only downside about DID is the chemistry between two characters. It is not sparkling or so believable. While Peter acting is too dense, Juan seems not try so hard and look tired most of the time. Rather than that, DID is still a sweet love story of two handsome cowboys that everybody will appreciate and enjoy.
Eventhough two movies only offer mainly white male characters (except Juan who is Latino) so far, but considering everything takes time to adjust and adapt, I believe in near future, we will have more LGBTQ+ diverse characters such as trans, bi, color etc as main role very soon. While waiting for those, TCS and DID are truly Christmas miracle has happened, especially in the end of such a year like 2020. They offers us an escape to fantasy world where we can feel the warm, comfort and romance ooze from two handsome, good looking couples. They are type of movies that you can watch while wrapping yourself in warm blanket in front of fireplace, drinking hot coco with your lover in cold December night and forget about the world.















