Last year saw a huge surge of new Queer Christmas films – it was wonderful to see! I actually recapped the highs and lows of last year’s bunch in my earlier post: “8 NEW Queer Christmas Films Coming in 2021.” The Queer Christmas films sub-niche within the queer film oeuvre has grown exponentially in the past few years. [And thankfully that doesn’t seem to be stopping!] In fact, if I look at my total queer film reviews since I started the site (including this year’s batch), roughly a THIRD of them are Queer Holiday Films!
This year, I’ve decided to focus on a mixture of new and older queer Christmas films to review. While I am still struggling to get into the full Christmas spirit despite our warm New Zealand summer, there’s something special about Christmas films that often help. This year’s certainly helped. Well, aside from one queer Christmas film that was not only very difficult to find – but quite cringeworthy to watch!
Keep reading to find out which film wasn’t so great, and the others that were much better! Simply click on the film titles or film posters to read the full review. And don’t forget to let me know what you think – and whether you agree or disagree.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas & Holiday season this year!
Grab “The COMPLETE Checklist of ALL Queer Holiday Films, Shorts, & Series!”
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5 Queer Christmas Film Reviews for 2021
When Wyatt Burwall (Peter Porte) finally returns home for the holidays in an effort to convince his mother Deb (Andie MacDowell) to sell the family’s Colorado ranch, a romance unexpectedly ignites between Wyatt and their dashing new ranch hand Heath Ramos (Juan Pablo Di Pace), who dreams of saving the beloved property and the ranch’s magical Winter Wonderland attraction while reawakening the spirit of Christmas in Wyatt’s lonely heart.
I nearly overlooked “Dashing in December” amid all of the other new queer Christmas films last year. A TV Movie produced by Paramount, it didn’t get much attention. Which is quite unfortunate because it’s a great queer Christmas film! There is some amazing characterisations along with a storyline that touches on real life issues such as family, loss, and even running away from your problems. Yet in the end, romance blossoms and we get our happy ending. (with the help of a deus ex machina!) It IS a queer Christmas film, after all! Let’s break it down further.
Read my full review HERE
Watch “Dashing In December” on Prime Video.
A 20 something woman (Alexandra Swarens) goes back to her hometown for the holidays for the first time in several years and is not only met with people from her past, but she’s forced to deal with unresolved feelings too.
Historically, at least for the films I have reviewed, when one person writes, directs, AND stars in their own film – it doesn’t work. As expected, that is the case with “City of Trees.” However the low rating actually stems more from the lack of a budget, crappy cinematographic elements, and poor editing. The plot itself is rather intriguing with some in-depth conversations. The trouble is that by the time the story got involved, I was already zoning out due to an incredibly slow pace and the lack of adequate lighting. However, many fans online rave about “City of Trees.” Let’s break it down and see what happened.
Read my full review HERE
Watch “City of Trees” on Prime Video.
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As they enjoy the local holidays together, Hugo (Ben Lewis) and Patrick’s (Blake Lee) attraction to each other is undeniable but as Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him.
Of all the Queer Christmas films, I truly think “The Christmas Setup” has become my favourite! There’s something magical about how Hugo’s mother plays matchmaker bringing Hugo together with his high school crush – who happens to like Hugo right back. It’s nearly a perfect match, until Hugo has to decide between Patrick or a promotion to London. Naturally, everything works out in the end – for everyone. Throw in all the Christmas spirit. cheer, all the stunning decorations, and a hidden queer romance connected to the train station’s history – it’s simply perfect! But what truly makes the film wonderful is that Hugo and Patrick are played by real-life couple, Ben & Blake. They are still acting, but it’s that extra oomph that makes it special.
Read my full review HERE
Watch “The Christmas Setup” on Amazon, Prime Video, and Lifetime.
16 year-old Lindsay (Brooke Nevin) decides to give Santa Claus (George Hamilton) an extreme makeover.
“Too Cool for Christmas” is not actually cool – in any way. This made-for-TV film is a bit of a weird fit within the queer niche. The producers actually filmed TWO versions – one stars a straight couple (“A Very Cool Christmas”), and the other one stars a gay couple (“Too Cool for Christmas”). To be honest, it has taken me a couple years just to track down the gay version. I should have left it buried – it’s that cringeworthy! Even if you take into consideration that it’s supposed to be a knock-off version of “Clueless” set at Christmas, there are so many issues that it’s almost painful to watch. Grab a drink – we’re going to rip this film to shreds!
Read my full review HERE
Watch “Too Cool For Christmas” on Amazon, Prime Video, and Here TV.
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When the zombie apocalypse hits the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – teenager Anna (Ella Hunt) and her high school friends have to fight, sing and dance to survive, with the undead horde all around them. Teaming up with her best friend John (Malcolm Cumming), Anna has to fight her way through zombified snowmen, Santas, elves and Christmas shoppers to get across town to the high school, where they’ll be safe. But they soon discover that being a teenager is just as difficult as staying alive, even at the end of the world.
Comedy, Musical, and … Horror? In a Christmas Film? Huh? Normally these three distinctly different genres don’t work together at all. However, there’s something really unique about “Anna and the Apocalypse” – it’s actually quite captivating! With various hints of another zombie classic, “Shawn of the Dead”, it just works well as a whole. The film is bright and colourful, despite being about killing zombies. Even as a musical, the film’s songs fit well and are performed by a vocally talented cast. Yet something still has me reserved to give “Anna and the Apocalypse a 5.0 / 5.0 rating. So why did such a high scoring film land on this KINDA queer Christmas films post? Because the only queer character is Steph (lesbian) and other than a phone call and short talks about her offscreen girlfriend – that’s all we get! From an LGBTQ perspective, it’s rather disappointing – even though this is such a great film to watch.
Read my full review HERE
Watch “Anna and the Apocalypse” on Amazon and Prime Video.
But wait – there’s one more!
There’s a Classic Christmas TV special that nearly everyone I know watches at least once every holiday season – and guess what, it’s a bit queer! Now, I know that many of you might see the film’s title, recollect the famous song that it’s based upon, and wonder – what in the heck is he talking about? There is no way a reindeer can be queer; you’re making that all up just to be politically correct!
Well… as it turns out, you might be just a bit wrong. Or rather, I can open your eyes to how a queer story has lain rather well hidden within a beloved Christmas classic for decades. Follow his “red-nose” over HERE and find out which film this might be!
