Christmas Fluff

Given that I am a bit down-in-the-dumps I haven't really been in the mood to binge the annual flood of holiday films.  That being said there were a good number this year with gay themes, multicultural casts and one with with a differently-abled couple.  So I watched a few.  I won't bother going over the plots in detail.  They are all the same.  City person arrives in a small snow-covered town complete with hugely friendly people (insert adorable child or dog here) and discovers true love in the holiday festivities, often during some sort of financial downfall or destruction of a beloved local historical landmark which our lead character miraculously fixes.  I'm not sure why holiday cheer can't be found in the big city, but whatever.  Usually there is some crafting involved -- woodworking is frequently featured (a subtle nod to Jesus???)  Amazing hot chocolate is often talked about.  A mini-issue crops up but by Christmas it all works out.

Interestingly enough my two favorite picks were both from the Lifetime network.  First was "The Christmas Setup" which featured two actors who are actually married so the steam and crackle was nicely palpable.  Plus, Fran Drescher.  I'm sorry, but who doesn't love her?  Next up was "A Sugar & Spice Holiday" which had the most diverse cast I've ever seen.  Focusing on an Asian American family there was a really nice balance between traditional Chinese culture and simply being a first generation American.  A fun feature was the lead character describing personalities as desserts, kind of as allegory.  The cherry on top (yes, I'm continuing the metaphor ...) was a very decent sizzle between the two leads.  As a bonus there is a subtle feminist twist at the end which I greatly enjoyed.

On the "decent but not thrilling" part of the list is "The Chrismas House", Hallmark's apology for last year's Zola debacle.  The gay couple is secondary but the family vibe was nice and felt real.  The "issues" surrounding Mom and Dad seemed forced and resolved, well, without anything much but it was still pretty watchable.  Followed by this was Lifetime's "Christmas Ever After".  It sticks the landing but wobbles a lot along the way.  Also, while it is laudable to cast a woman in a wheelchair it seemed kind of glaring to ignore the challenges wheelchair-bound people face in everyday life.  Claps, however, for casting TONY AWARD WINNER Ali Stroker in the lead.  Things took a turn for the worse with Paramount's "Dashing in December".  This moody Andie McDowell project featured a lead character who was thoroughly unlikeable.  It was as if they took the Scrooge to heart in creating him.  Gratuitous walking around without shirts happened, as well as horse-back rides in the snow, but this was seriously not "Brokeback Mountain".  At least one supporting character couldn't act his way out of paper bag which created a distracting secondary storyline.  

In these films there was a passing reference to societal racism and occasional references to struggles with gay acceptance in the past but in these idyllic settings family and townsfolk were all super-friendly and the whole thing very normalized.  Not sure if I buy this (not that a holiday film is anywhere near the world of reality) but I know Hulu got grief for going to the other end of the spectrum and focusing an entire storyline on a closeted gay woman trying to hide her girlfriend from her family, so I'm thinking there is a happy medium?  In any case it's a good trend to see actual diversity gathered around the perfect Christmas trees and I hope, in the coming years, there are so many films like this that they don't stand out.