Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Entertainment
Rollo Ross

'Happiest Season' spotlights LGBT love in Christmas rom-com

FILE PHOTO: Cast member Kristen Stewart poses at a screening for the film "Underwater" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

"Happiest Season," out on Hulu on Friday and starring Kristen Stewart, breaks the mold as a romantic comedy about a lesbian couple set around the holidays.

Stewart, who is bisexual, says she's astounded it's taken this long for a major studio to get behind such a film.

"I would have loved to have grown up with a movie like this. But the fact that I’m 30 years old and I’m in it - I feel really lucky to be in the first film, but I’m also baffled that it is,” Stewart said.

Stewart plays Abby, who's been in a relationship with Harper (Mackenzie Davis) for more than a year when Harper invites her to her family home for Christmas. On the way there, Harper reveals that her parents don’t know she’s gay and Abby has to pretend to be Harper’s straight roommate.

"Happiest Season" director and co-writer Clea Duvall said she felt there were was gap in the market for LGBT films with a light touch.

"I don't think it always has to be this big heavy story," she said. "We deserve big, bright, bold romances ... where you can have a real happy ending."

Daniel Levy, best known for his Emmy-winning role on comedy "Schitt's Creek," plays Abby's gay best friend. He said more stories like "Happiest Season" need to be told.

"The fact that its 2020, and I think that it’s the first movie depicting two women falling in love over the holidays by a studio, is kind of shocking,” he said.

(Reporting by Reuters Television; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.