🎬 Happiest Season

Abby and Harper are a happy couple living together in Pittsburgh. When Harper invites Abby to spend the Christmas holidays with her family, she drops a major bombshell on the car ride over: she hasn't actually come out to her conservative, image-obsessed parents yet. Instead, Harper asks Abby to pretend to be her straight roommate and orphan friend for the duration of the family visit, where her father is running for mayor. Trapped in a tense suburban household during the holidays, Abby must navigate awkward social expectations, hidden truths, and the painful sting of being closeted all over again, while questioning whether their relationship can survive the deception.

⭐ Film Evaluation & Ratings 📈

🟡 IMDb Rating: 6.6 / 10

🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 82% (Critics)

🗣️ Critical Consensus: Directed by Clea DuVall, Happiest Season delivers a fresh, heartfelt, and hilarious spin on the traditional holiday romantic comedy. Anchored by standout chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, alongside brilliant supporting comedic turns by Dan Levy and Aubrey Plaza, the film successfully blends holiday cheer with the universal complexities of family acceptance and coming out.

💡 Did You Know?

Streaming Record: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film bypassed theatrical release in the United States and debuted on Hulu, where it broke platform records to become the most-watched film on Hulu in its first weekend.

Personal Inspiration: Co-writer and director Clea DuVall drew heavily from her own life experiences and holiday anxieties to craft a mainstream queer Christmas movie that had been largely missing from Hollywood cinema.

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