Happiest Season

Name: Happiest Season
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: November 25, 2020
Duration: 102 min
Rating: 69
Cast: Alison Brie, Ana Gasteyer, Aubrey Plaza, Burl Moseley, Clea DuVall

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 119 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 119 Ratings

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Happiest Season

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Movie Details & Credits

Hulu | Release Date (Streaming): November 25, 2020 | PG-13

Starring: Alison Brie, Ana Gasteyer, Aubrey Plaza, Burl Moseley, Clea DuVall, Dan Levy, Jake McDorman, Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Mary Holland, Mary Steenburgen, Michelle Buteau, Sarayu Rao, Victor Garber

Summary: Meeting your girlfriend's family for the first time can be tough. Planning to propose at her family's annual Christmas dinner - until you realize that they don't even know she's gay - is even harder. When Abby (Kristen Stewart) learns that Harper (Mackenzie Davis) has kept their relationship a secret from her family, she begins to questionMeeting your girlfriend's family for the first time can be tough. Planning to propose at her family's annual Christmas dinner - until you realize that they don't even know she's gay - is even harder. When Abby (Kristen Stewart) learns that Harper (Mackenzie Davis) has kept their relationship a secret from her family, she begins to question the girlfriend she thought she knew.… Expand

Director: Clea DuVall

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 102 min

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Critic Reviews

Teo Bugbee

Nov 25, 2020

The movie practically vibrates with its own meta tension. Read full review

Richard Lawson

Nov 19, 2020

There are enough surprising one-liners and asides to make this romantic comedy actually funny, rather than something to mildly chuckle at on the way to the kissing. Read full review

Kyle Bain

Dec 17, 2020

Every moment of the film is emotionally enthralling, perfectly bittersweet, and calculatedly daring, leading viewers down a beautiful path of hope and love that should award Happiest Season the success that it deserves. Read full review

Pat Brown

Nov 19, 2020

The film translates the often difficult realities of a specific kind of marginalized love into a story with broad appeal. Read full review

Sara Stewart

Nov 24, 2020

Tonally, Happiest Season is a bit uneven; it can move from broad hijinks to high emotion a little too quickly. But it also delivers wonderfully heartfelt moments. Read full review

Justin Chang

Nov 24, 2020

The conventionality of Happiest Season might be the most radical thing about it. The movie boasts the usual surface delights and yuletide setpieces: It has competitive ice skating and a white-elephant-gift party, shticky running gags and acres of throw-pillow-heavy production design. It also has two lead performances of remarkable grown-up complexity and moment-to-moment coherence. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Tomris Laffly

Nov 27, 2020

It’s never a good sign when characters in a film promptly declare: we are aware you are watching and we’re here to teach you a thing or two. Read full review

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User Reviews

Rejane

Nov 27, 2020

Beautiful Christmas movie, fun and exciting at the same time, Kristen Stewart at her best, I really liked this movie.

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

MaggieG

Nov 25, 2020

I loved this movie it was funny and heartwarming. The characters were well written and they depicted coming out really well.

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

Itsmaya

Dec 6, 2020

Just an enjoyable movie with an amazing cast!
Funny,touching and the pace of the movie is very good as well.
This movie is a treat for christmas and while its cheesy sometimes you can expect it from a christmas movie.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Kotenok

Nov 25, 2020

Amazing fot the holidays! Super fun and touching movie. Great characters, is good to have no stereotypes.

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

VAS93

Nov 26, 2020

The rom-com I've been waiting for my entire life, a feel-good Christmas movie with KStew, Mackenzie Davis, and Aubrey Plaza...what else would you ever need?

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Stream2BigScree

Dec 5, 2020

If you're not exhausted by all of those romantic Hallmark Christmas movies that have populated almost every basic cable channel, then you should venture over to Hulu to check out its latest original movie, Happiest Season. Unlike your run-of-the-mill Hallmark fare, Happiest Season has actualIf you're not exhausted by all of those romantic Hallmark Christmas movies that have populated almost every basic cable channel, then you should venture over to Hulu to check out its latest original movie, Happiest Season. Unlike your run-of-the-mill Hallmark fare, Happiest Season has actual movie stars and some semblance of a budget. The film attempts to infuse that romantic comedy vibe into what happens when your girlfriend invites you home for Christmas and along the way she tells you that her parents don't know she's a lesbian and you'll have to pretend to be just her platonic, orphan roommate for 5 days. We've all been there in some shape or form; nevertheless, hijinks ensue.

Directed by Clea Duvall and co-written by Duvall and Mary Holland, Happiest Season tells the fish-out-of-water story crossed with the poignant theme of the struggle to hide your identity added in there. It is all wrapped in the cozy Christmas blanket of one of those ensemble family holiday tropes. Kristen Stewart stars as little orphan Abby, who doesn't like Christmas, but she's happy to be a part of the holiday family traditions with her girlfriend, Harper, played by Mackenzie Davis, until things are complicated by Harper still being in the closet to her conservative and hyper-competitive family. Abby is forced to endure both a holiday she doesn't enjoy and being set aside so her partner can pretend to be something she's not.

The unfortunate part of Happiest Season is that Harper and her family come off as completely unlikeable, except for youngest sister Jane, played by co-writer, Mary Holland. Jane has some of the funniest moments as the most authentic person in the family. While the actors do a good job of playing their parts, the writing of the characters doesn't make a case for why Abby would want to be a part of the family. If this is a romantic comedy, then there is a failure to provide the romance, especially in the central characters. It never really makes sense why Abby and Mackenzie would be together and this trip would otherwise solidify that.

The comedy bit is more successful. Daniel Levy pops up throughout as Abby's best friend, John. He has some good lines and is a welcome presence. Alison Brie also does her best as Harper's uptight sister. As I mentioned before, Jane cracked me up each time she was around. As these Christmas movies go, it ticks the boxes on being inoffensive, relatively fun and pleasant. The message about family at this time of year, in this year in particular, hits home.

Although the central mission of Happiest Season doesn't quite work, overall the film is pleasant and a good addition to the Christmas film queue. There are some laughs and, if you like Christmas, you'll get Christmas. Because of Daniel Levy and Mary Holland, you can just turn on this movie with a bowl of popcorn and have some chuckles throughout the holiday season.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Jaxxyn

Dec 10, 2020

Me and my partner regret having wasted time watching this trash. I made an account solely to call it the garbage it is.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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