The Merry Gentlemen – A Cute Holiday Romcom (Early Review)

When Ashley (Brit Robertson) loses her dream job as a dancer in New York City to a younger woman, she packs up, leaves her big city life behind her, and heads home for Christmas for the first time in years. Once she arrives, she learns that her parents’ locally owned bar is down in business and on the verge of closing. After a chance meeting with Luke (Murray), the bar handyman, she partners with him as part of her plan to stage an all male, Christmas-themed revue to save her parents’ bar. While at the same time, Ashley quickly develops feelings for Luke. The Merry Gentlemen is the textbook definition of a pleasant and charming little Christmas-themed romcom that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything more than that.

Ultimately, the biggest reason the film works as well as it does is Robertson and what she adds to the film. Showing off some of her range, she has a great sense of humour but also nails the more dramatic side of her character and anything else in between. Meanwhile, Murray is another highlight and although his role does not require nearly as much as Roberston’s, he remains as charming as ever and fits perfectly withing a romcom like this one. Together, Robertson and Murray have such great chemistry that one can’t help but buy their budding romance and rooting for them to survive as a couple by the end.

That being said, the film still has a streaming quality to it but unlike the usual slate, it is a lot more colorful and shot better than the standard Netflix Christmas fare, rather than something that looks and feels like a sitcom. While its Christmas setting is well-utilized, the film is decently paced and has all the heart one could want out of a Christmas feel good film. A cute albeit simple watch, it isn’t overly special and is one that will unlikely move the needle for anyone outside of the Christmas romcom crowd.

Better than the typical Netflix Christmas releases, The Merry Gentleman has more commercial appeal to mainstream audiences than most, but at the same time, suffers from much of the same issues most have faced. The film is about as predictable as one can be, follows the exact same formula as those aforementioned releases, there are hardly any palpable stakes to be had, the acting outside of both leads leaves a lot to be desired, and the script isn’t the best either, containing the kind of dialogue that comes off as unnatural or odd. Clearly going for more of a comedic tone, and while there are definitely some laughs in it, the film is not nearly as funny as it wants to be, and can get a bit too sentimental at times for its own good.

In the end, despite some flaws, The Merry Gentlemen is definitely a fun one to throw on this holiday season, especially for those who happen to be into Christmas romcoms. While nothing special, the spectacular charm of Brit Robertson and Chad Michael Murray help make it into something a lot more watchable than it arguably had any right to be. Between this and last week’s release, Hot Frosty, 2024’s Netflix Christmas film slate is off to a surprisingly decent start and once this season is set and done, might very well be among one of their best years yet.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/