The Merry Gentlemendelivers an undercooked Christmas movie that struggles to make sense of itself and the humor falls flat. While Netflix is known for producing new movies and shows at a break-neck speed, it’s fair to say that a lot of them feel well-thought-out and executed. The same can’t be said forThe Merry Gentlemen, which follows in the footsteps of hollow Hallmark Christmas movies that fail to tell a cohesive or engaging story.
The Merry Gentlemen
Cast
The Merry Gentlemen follows a Broadway dancer as she endeavors to rescue her parents' ailing small-town nightclub. By organizing a Christmas-themed revue, she encounters a captivating dancer, leading to unexpected connections amidst the holiday festivities.
When Ashley (Britt Robertson) gets cut from a big Broadway performance just before Christmas, she returns to her hometown where she learns her family has been struggling to keep their local performing venue afloat. To help raise the funds needed to save the family business, Ashley recruits some handsome local boys to participate in a steamy shirtless show. However, Ashley also finds a deeper connection with one of these men, played by theformer TV teenage heartthrob Chad Michael Murray.
The Merry Gentlemen Is Barely A Christmas Movie
Christmas movies typically tell a hopeful and heartfelt story that revolves around the holiday. Santa, presents, the Christmas spirit, and hope all serve as central themes, but with just a few minor tweaks,The Merry Gentlemendoesn’t have anything that makes it a Christmas movie. Ashley is intended to be the hero who returns home and helps save her family from financial misfortune, but the character is deeply unlikable.
The Merry Gentlemendoesn’t have anything that makes it a Christmas movie.
Her career on Broadway kept her busy, but despite endless love and support from her family, Ashley never thought about these people until she came home and saw the struggles they faced. And even then, she is more interested in fulfilling her personal goals to be involved with performing rather than actually helping to save her family’s business. The movie could have been set at any time of year and could have gotten away with being a low-budgetsmall-townMagic Mikeshow.
As it stands,The Merry Gentlemendoes not feel like a holiday movie, and it doesn’t have enough meat on the bone of the story to be all that interesting. Even the comedy elements fall flat, with forced moments that are more corny than comical. From the lack of any interesting developments to the predictable plot, the Netflix movie struggles at every point. It’s a Christmas movie that is not worthy of its title.
The Minor Bright Spots Of The Merry Gentlemen
The story lacks depth or creativity, and the comedy is undercooked, but if you want a mindless Christmas movie with a vague Christmas-adjacent plot and some shirtless gyrating guys, then this movie is not the worst choice. For all the flaws and everything the movie lacks, it’s a cheesy and goofy Christmas movie, and for whatever reason, that feels like it fits into some kind of brief.
The Merry Gentlemencertainly won’t be winning any awards, but it’s inoffensive and light.
Just as the season lends itself to corny jokes and pushing through the rough patches,Christmas movies have a lower bar in general. The predictable plots provide some sense of comfort and it’s fun to watch films that have everyone critiquing and groaning together.The Merry Gentlemencertainly won’t be winning any awards, but it’s inoffensive and light.
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Big name stars collide for a festive adventure that’s big on effects and spectacle but curiously lacks any of the charm of the holidays.
It’s a movie that fits into the season of binge-watching and filling up on holiday food. For fans of Murray’s career,The Merry Gentlemengives the actor another chance to shine in an otherwise unremarkable movie. His accent and role as a country boy who breaks out of his comfort zone to support a staple of the community evokes a spirit of unity and charity that is indicative of the holiday spirit and is the only real bright spot in the film.
The Merry Gentlemenwill be available to stream on Netflix from November 20.
