"its impressive cast is sure to make you smile and laugh throughout"

Single All The Way is Netflix’s first-ever gay holiday rom-com in the best and most politically correct appreciative way; of course! Yes; it’s a lot of “happy” fun. 😀 The plot is however somewhat predictable (for example, fake friends “frenemies” and boyfriend relationships are very familiar tropes in the Christmas movie genre), but the film is easily still original, forward-thinking, fun, and entertaining.

What sets it apart so far this season (out of dozens of Christmas movies this year) is the warmth and joy that you will undoubtedly fall in love with through its story, dialogue, and ensemble cast. The main story revolves around Peter (played by Michael Urie), who wants to avoid the stereotypical judgment by his family this Christmas for his perpetually “single status” and bad decisions with men. So, Peter convinces his best friend Nick (played by Philemon Chambers) to join him for the holidays as his best friend becomes a friend. And so, this Christmas, the two head to the small New Hampshire town where our romance story begins as we watch these two, with the help of Peter’s family, find their true love for each other bit by bit, in cute but unseemly fun ways.

This love story naturally unfolds to fruition over time, but Single All The Way is about having fun with it and is mostly very funny. The conversation is warm and sincere on the one hand and cute and funny on the other. In fact, the author does a good job of mixing these two elements in a creative and engaging way.

What makes everything work magically on screen is, of course, the enthralling acting. Urie and Chamber do exceptionally well. They captivated me, that is to say, their performance kept me glued to the screen. Chamber in particular had a sweet, sweet performance that I found appealing. The two also had great on-screen chemistry with some touching and heartfelt scenes. It was really hard not to root for these two love birds. It was a supporting role that provided a lot of comedy throughout the film. Simply put, they were fun to watch. For example, Jennifer Coolidge (as Aunt Carol) is comedic in her usual way. Schitt’s Creek’s Jennifer Robertson plays the crazy sister, which is a fun trope.

Oh, and we simply can’t forget Luke MacFarlane (a regular Christmas filmmaker), whose performance (as James, Peter’s blind date) was witty and charming. The film gets its share of festive banter and festive cheers from its hilarious Christmas contest and Britney’s enthusiastically choreographed dance with Santa, and its flamboyantly fun and creative Christmas carols.

Overall, Single All the Way is a classic feel-good Christmas movie that gets you into the festive spirit but feels so much more in its nuance and its impressive cast is sure to make you smile and laugh throughout. It’s also more modern and inclusive in its take on free love for any gender. I hope to see many more awoken films like this. It’s a new addition to Netflix’s Christmas movie lineup this season. I wholeheartedly and strongly recommended this.