The Merry Gentlemenavailable in streaming on Netflix, is part of those proposals dedicated to the Christmas holidays that every year keep us company between an afternoon at the cinema and post-lunch indigestion with relatives. Except that in this case it is precisely the film that could have deleterious effects on you, since it is the worst Christmas rom-com of recent timesdespite the vintage appearances and atmosphere I have I have I have.
Thanks to the diffusion of fast entertainment, suitable for those in a hurry, with contents made up of very quick shots, maximum comprehensibility of the synopsis and no feelings that are too complicated to have to explain, The Merry Gentlemen it is certainly designed for those who could put it in the background while preparing biscuits or organizing drawers. The problem is when you look at it carefully, from start to finish.
The show must go on
Ashley (Britt Robertson) is a professional dancer who has been performing for more than ten years in an apparently famous and enviable Christmas show on Broadway reminiscent of the performances in Mean Girls. But a complication arrives, the most classic or hateful for a woman who is over 25: Ashley is too old to still be on that stage and is torpedoed at the speed of light by her boss, another woman who just isn't interested in sisterhood or simply human empathy.
Perhaps the time has come for the protagonist, incredibly dull and without a shred of personality, to return to her parents in Sycamore Creek for the holidays; practically a place halfway between Stars Hollow di Lorelai and Rory and the Colorado Springs del The Lady of the Westwith the lights, the snow and the provincial conviviality, all accompanied by checked shirts and one-dimensional characters. Here Ashley discovered her love for dance and entertainment, practicing in her parents' club, the Rhythm Roomwhich is practically a second home. But the second drama is around the corner: the place is on the road to bankruptcy, and a way must be found so that the witch on duty (Denise, a landlady who wants to collect her debt) does not take possession of the bar .
There would be about twenty possibilities to save the situation, but if you are thinking about charity peaches and art exhibitions you are on the wrong path, because the bibs will be the real heroes of the holidays.
A provincial Ken and his bleached quiff
Why not put on a full style male striptease show Full Monty but without irony and just vulgar bad taste? The brilliant idea comes to Ashley after catching Luke (Chad Michael Murray), the town's handyman carpenter, literally half-naked fixing pipes, and being inspired by the past of his sister's husband who was secretly a stripper years earlier.
Let's take a moment to talk about Chad Michael Murray, a sulky and sexy face of the 2000s who has racked up quite questionable roles, due to his appearance as a bad boy mixed with Siamese cat uninterested in anything that doesn't concern him. Surely you remember it Gilmore Girlsto play Romeo in the school play with Rory and make a mess at school always protected by dad's money, but also in Dawson’s Creekwhere he acts like a womanizer and cheats on Jen, all with an unforgettable haircut.
In The Merry Gentlemen he is the spearhead, the actor on whom communication has focused to sell the film as a nostalgic revival full of good feelings and half-naked men. Affable small-town KenLuke is always kind, helpful – stripping to save the bar of two lovely old men? Why not. Doing it by taking off your pants, absolutely yes – and falls in love with the city girl, following the clichéd script.
The care put into the love story between the two is visibly less than that used to oxygenate Luke's tuft of hair and petrify it into a Dragon Ball hairstyle.
Object men with performance anxiety
The Merry Gentlemen it becomes a flagship show, with a large group of improvised strippers and a series of very bad choreographies. And these men, insecure, fragile and with great performance anxiety, try to do their best to exploit their abilities, and revive the cultural scene of the town (These are not my words but a statement made in the film).
Monoexpressive, submissive, crybabies: despite their muscles, one is worse than the other. It almost seems like the director Peter Sullivanwho knows a lot about questionable Christmas films, wanted to insist on the “nice” alternative of object men ready for everyone and without character, contrasting them with an overbearing masculinity, attempting an almost socialbut then asking poor Ashley for the bill at the end.
In fact, when she is contacted by her old boss to return to performing on Broadway, on Christmas evening, and thus abandon her pupils and her new love, someone has objections. Extremely offended by Ashley's desire to go back to doing the job that makes her happy, Luke makes her feel guilty, carries out moral blackmail like a double agent who, spoiler, convinces her to spend the holidays with him instead of imposing herself. But what do we care about one's own fulfillment when such a blond man tells you that you have to stay with him and never leave him again?
What we expect to see in 2024
Beyond the cheap production, the narrative structure for people who spend their afternoons on Tik Tok and the vintage star we preferred when he was unpleasant to Chilton, The Merry Gentlemen has a much bigger problem: it shows a woman who allows herself to be influenced by a man regarding the fundamental choices for her future.
And if the goal is to show how much love is more important than any job, dream, or motivation, something has gone off the rails of basic respectability to become the apotheosis of the offended man, who always wins, even when he shouldn't. In 2024 I really hoped I wouldn't have to face such a moral, at this point any film with Lindsay Lohan is better (yes, even the Christmas ones).
Continue to follow FRAMED also on Facebook and Instagram, we will surely dismantle other Christmas films.
