Single All The Way Brings Gay Romance Front and Center This Christmas Season

By Tom Soares

Hard to deny that one of the most exciting things about the holiday season is the chance we get to enjoy our favorite Christmas movies, preferably while spending some time with loved ones, and a huge mug of hot cocoa on the side.

Regrettably, however, it has become increasingly frustrating that over the years members of the LGBTQ+ community have not received the same treatment as their heterosexuals’ counterparts, when it comes to watching their stories reflected on screen, especially in the form of a family holiday movie.

 The good news is that Single All the Way, a brand-new romantic comedy freshly released on Netflix, is a charming way into making sure the representation gap is not so wide this holiday season.

 Directed by Broadway playwright and Tony Awards-winner Michael Mayer, Single All the Way follows a young Los Angeles based photographer named Peter, played by Ugly Betty alumni Michael Urie, who must face another Christmas time as a single man, when a bombastic revelation about his cardiologist boyfriend forces him to end their relationship.

 To avoid spending Christmas by himself with his very peculiar family in New Hampshire, Peter convinces his reluctant best friend and roommate Nick, portrayed by newcomer actor Philemon Chambers, to come along for the trip.

Once they arrive in the cold, snow covered little town where Peter’s family live, we’re introduced to his supportive father, Harold (Barry Botswick), sisters Lisa (Jennifer Robertson) and Ashleigh (Melanie Leishman), troublemaker nieces Sofia (Alexandra Beaton) and Daniela (Madison Brydges), crazy aunt Sandy (Jennifer Coolidge), and James (Luke McFarlane), a handsome gym teacher who gets set up on a blind date with Peter by one of his students, Carole (Kathy Najimy), who’s also Peter’s mother.

 Much like most holiday movies, Single All the Way is a heartwarming, feel good comedy that, if we’re being honest, would never work any other time of the year. Everything from humor to the characters and their personalities is overly exaggerated, and the script is highly dependent on clichés to move the story forward.

 Peter, for example, has a highly successful career photographing marketing campaigns, but is tired of dealing with a demanding boss and not having any luck with his love life, which causes him to find comfort in his apartment plants. Nick, on the other hand, is a Black author known for publishing a children’s book based on his rescue dog, and who’s secretly in love with Peter.

 Fortunately, however, what does work in Single All The Way really works.

 Michael Urie gives a solid, whilst not memorable, performance as Peter, while Kathy Najimy, famous for her roles on Sister’s Act and Hocus Pocus, and Jennifer Coolidge, who most recently played the filthy-rich, grief-ridden resort guest Tanya McQuoid, in the dark comedy show The White Lotus, are pure gold.

 Additionally, Single All The Way sets itself apart for not only being one of only gay friendly Christmas movie on a big streaming service - following last year’s triumphant Hulu release Happiest Season, starring Kristen Stewart - but also for centering its story on an interracial couple, bringing more visibility to members of the LGBTQ+ community who are also people of color. Philemon Chambers is a very needed breath of fresh air in a genre that often doesn’t step out of its comfort zone.

 Already available on Netflix, Single All The Way is a humorous and sweet gay Christmas celebration for the entire family, and a step in the right direction when it comes to challenging preconceived notions of what a holiday movie should or shouldn’t be. Although very predictable and abundant with clichés, Single All The Way is a sure punch through the wall of heteronormativity and racial discrimination, and a holiday tradition we’re wise to stick with.