Taylor Watches Rom-Coms Vol. 7: Christmas Edition
The good, the bad, and the jingle bell rock
Happy holidays!
Nothing gets me in the holiday spirit like watching some of my favorite rom-coms where Christmas is always snowy and life seems to always be merry and bright.
I’ve already watched a few favorites like The Holiday (my all time favorite!) and Love Actually, but in this month’s edition you’ll find three first-time watches for me!
Wishing you all a fantastic holiday season, and I can’t wait to talk again in the New Year.
xo, Taylor
Holiday Affair (1949)
Just before Christmas, department store clerk Steve Mason meets big spending customer Connie Ennis, who’s actually a comparison shopper sent by another store. Steve lets her go, which gets him fired. They spend the afternoon together, which doesn’t sit well with Connie’s steady suitor, Carl, when he finds out, but delights her young son Timmy, who quickly takes to Steve.
I am a tough sell on old movies. I’M SORRY! I didn’t grow up watching them! My mom never sat me down and made me watch the classics! The oldest movie in our rom-com rotation was Overboard!
When Patrick turned this on, I let out a little groan. Not because I was confident that it wouldn’t be good, I’m not that dense to think all old movies are bad, but they do require a little extra lift on my end of things. I have to actively practice keeping an open mind throughout and continuously work to appreciate it for what it is while not picking apart how it’s different from the movies you usually see in this column.
I say all this to say that I absolutely f*cking loved this movie. Excuse my French, but I truly have to throw in an explicative just to try to convey how much I adore it. It is unbelievably sweet and clever and heartwarming - but more than anything, it is so smart, nuanced, and delicate. There is no great manufactured drama, there are no heroes and villains. It is just a beautiful story of happenstance and love that is meant to be.
I gave this movie five stars on Letterboxd and would venture to say that it is indeed perfect. The performances, the production design, the dialogue, the story, EVERYTHING is perfect to me. So just go watch it, will you?
The Family Stone (2005)
An uptight, conservative businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family’s annual Christmas celebration and finds that she’s a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.
Sarah Jessica Parker AND Luke Wilson AND Diane Keaton AND Craig T. Nelson AND Rachel McAdams AND Paul Schneider!
Okay, maybe that last one is just a niche personal preference, but WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?
This is one of my mom’s favorites and she watches it every year. Somehow, I never saw it in the 18 years I lived under her roof. I recently revisited the Father of the Bride series (which you can read here) and so I knew when Christmas rolled around, this Keaton flick had to make the cut.
This movie is insane. If you haven’t seen it, I’m not going to spoil anything, just go watch it for yourself. You have to go in just as blind as I did, it’s more fun that way! But while it is absolutely bonkers in so many ways, it also…works?
It helps that they have the most charming cast of all time (except for Dermot Mulroney, he’s always a grouch), but I almost find that they go so far into the realm of disbelief that it actually ends up grounding itself along the way.
If you hate movies that make you cringe, maybe this isn’t for you. But if you’re along for the ride and haven’t seen it, I feel like you just have to. Then we can talk about it. Like, please, someone talk to me about this movie it’s been living rent-free in my mind since I’ve seen it.
Happiest Season (2020)
A young woman’s plans to propose to her girlfriend while at her family’s annual holiday party are upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents.
Clea Duvall starred in one of the best (if not the best) queer rom-coms of all time, But I’m A Cheerleader, and when I heard she was taking her experiences and going behind the camera for a queer holiday rom-com, I put it right onto my list. The problem? I didn’t check it twice, and I ended up waiting three years to watch it.
The first few minutes gave me whiplash because it’s filled to the brim with “that person from that thing,” and I was constantly going in between watching the movie and furiously scrolling through Letterboxd. That said, they all make memorable marks here, especially Mary Holland who can be seen next year in Jake Johnson’s upcoming film Self Reliance.
Because of the ensemble nature of this film and the different storylines that merge throughout, some things are bound to be dead ends or left incomplete. I could have watched a whole separate movie on Aubrey Plaza’s character, but that just isn’t this movie, and that’s fine.
It’s sweet and festive and even got quite a few giggles out of me largely due to the strong comedic chops in this unlikely troupe. If you haven’t seen it yet, give it a go before the holiday season comes to a close!
Credit: Each plot synopsis comes from Letterboxd via TMDb.