With Thanksgiving and Black Friday in our rearview mirrors, we’ve officially enter holiday season territory. As we head into the holidays, some are lucky to get time off work to spend the season with their loved ones — and what better way to relax and cozy up than to watch classic holiday movies?
Of course, Christmas movies in particular tend to be packed with images of the “traditional” nuclear families and their way of living during the holiday season. This may not necessarily be the case for queer people, who might want to enjoy seeing their lives represented well during this time. What’s more, it’s pretty challenging to find LGBTQ+ holiday movies, but the last decade of cinema has seen a rise in queer holiday stories being told. From Carol to Single All the Way, here are the best LGBTQ+-themed holiday movies to watch this season.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Friendsgiving (2020)
Saban Films
Written and directed by Nicol Paone in her feature debut, Friendsgiving is a comedy-drama starring Kat Dennings, Malin Akerman, Aisha Tyler, and many more. The plot centres on two best friends Abby, a lesbian getting over her ex, and Molly, a mother to a five-month old baby. Abby and Molly plan to enjoy a quiet Thanksgiving, but the entire holiday becomes engulfed in chaos when they start inviting different people, such as Molly’s fling Jeff, a few single lesbians to find Abby new love, and Molly’s enstranged mother Helen. Friendsgiving didn’t receive the most positive reviews, but it’s a good watch if you enjoy movies that don’t make you think.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020)
Netflix
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square is a holiday musical film directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen. It stars Dolly Parton as Angel, Jennifer Lewis as Margeline, Josh Segarra as Pastor Christian Hathaway, and Christine Baranski as Regina in the leading roles. The plot follows wealthy Regina as he returns to her hometown around Christmas just to evict its residents and sell the the land to mall developers. Parton wrote all of the songs that are performed in the movie. Although it’s one of the corniest things you’ll ever watch, it has some wise, soul-crushing lines that will definitely stick with you.
6 Single All the Way (2021)
Released on Netflix at the beginning of December 2021, Single All the Way is a Christmas romantic comedy directed by Michael Mayer and written by Chad Hodge. It stars Michael Urie as social media strategist Peter and Philemon Chambers as his best friend Nick. Peter is sick of his family always asking him about his single status each holiday, so he convinces Nick to pose as his boyfriend during their Christmas visit. Some would argue that the movie resembles a lot of slow burn, friends-to-lovers fanfiction tropes, and that’s exactly why the audience loved it so much. The story is pure fluff, has no toxic characters, and focuses on fake dating and best friends falling in love. What more could we ask for?
5 Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Vertigo Films
Based on McHenry’s 2010 BAFTA-nominated short Zombie Musical, Anna and the Apocalypse is a British Christmas zombie musical film directed by John McPhail. It stars an ensemble cast of mostly unknown young talents, such as Ella Hunt as Anna, Malcolm Cumming as John, and Sarah Swire as Steph. The story takes place in Little Haven, Scotland, and follows Anna and her high school friends as they have to deal with a zombie apocalypse to save their loved ones. The entire movie soundtrack is one big masterpiece. It’s one of the most niche movies we’ve ever seen: a zombie comedy musical at Christmas time — sign us up.
4 Let It Snow (2019)
Based on the young adult novel of the same name by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle, Let It Snow is a Christmas romantic comedy directed by Luke Snellin. Set in Laurel, Illinois, the town gets hit by a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, bringing together a group of high school students, whose friendships and love lives end up colliding. The characters range from Julie, who doesn’t want to leave her sick mum behind for university, Stuart, who is a rising pop star passing through town, Addie who is a paranoid girlfriend, and Dorrie, a waitress at the local Waffle Town. Netflix Christmas rom-coms are truly the backbone of society, and Let It Snow is no different.
3 Happiest Season (2020)
TriStar Pictures
Clea DuVall’s semi-autobiographical film, Happiest Season is holiday romantic comedy-drama film. It stars Kristen Stewart as Abby, Mackenzie Davis as her girlfriend Harper, Alison Brie as Harper’s sister Sloane, and Aubrey Plaza as Harper’s ex-girlfriend Riley. The film follows Abby and Harper as they visit Harper’s family for Christmas. Abby plans to propose to Harper in front of her parents, but soon finds out that Harper hasn’t yet come out as lesbian to her conservative parents. Overall, the movie was praised for its amazing cast, but with queer audiences, Plaza was the one to steal the show, per usual.
2 Lez Bomb (2018)
Gravitas Ventures
Written by, directed by and starring Jenna Laurenzo, Lez Bomb is an American comedy-drama. Laurenzo plays the character of Lauren, alongside Caitlin Mehner as Hailey. The plot is pretty similiar to that of Happiest Season, but, instead, set during Thanksgiving. Lauren is a closeted lesbian who takes her girlfriend Hailey home for the holidays with the intention of coming out to her parents. Things get complicated when her male roomate shows up, and Lauren’s family mistakes him for her boyfriend. She asks him to pretend to be one, until she’s ready to come out. Be wary that it’s a very thoroughly, infuriatingly frustrating movie, but worth the watch.
1 Carol (2015)
Killer Films
Last but not least, we have the most crtically acclaimed movie on the list: Carol. Based on the 1952 romance novel The Price of Salt, Carol is a romantic drama period film directed by Todd Haynes. It stars Cate Blanchett as Carol Aird, Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet, and Sarah Paulson as Abby Gerhard in the leading roles. Set in New York City during the early-1950s, it tells the forbbiden love story between an aspiring photographer Therese (Mara) and an older woman going through divorce Carol (Blanchett). The film received five Golden Globe Award nominations, six Oscar nominations, and nine BAFTA Award nominations, so you could say its success was immense — and rightfully so.
