The Netflix Holiday Cinematic Universe (NHC) feature "The Merry Gentlemen" attempts to blend elements of lighthearted comedy and Christmas schmaltz, reminiscent of "The Full Monty" and Hallmark festive films. The plot follows a young New York dancer, Ashley, who returns to her hometown to revive her parents' struggling music venue with an all-male revue, but unfortunately director Peter Sullivan and writer/star Marla Sokoloff's effort is uninspired and not particularly innovative.
The story opens with Ashley losing her job with a Christmas dance troupe in NYC due to her 'advancing age', and subsequently returns home to a sleepy Midwestern town. She's greeted warmly by the locals, including her older sister Marie, and handsome Luke, a carpenter she clumsily encounters at her parents' bar, The Rhythm Room. The establishment is facing eviction and drowning in debt, and Ashley conceives the idea of an all-male burlesque show to save it.
However, the narrative fails to deviate from old-fashioned clichés of city dwellers discovering love in small town life, and workaholics reminded about the importance of love over career. The film could use a fresh approach if it wants to compete with NHC's better executed entries like "A Castle For Christmas" and “Hot Frosty”. Several elements in the story lack credibility and leave more questions than answers.
Moreover, it's surprising that Ashley, an ex-dancer, never uses social media to promote her event and instead relies on handing out flyers and waiting for the press to cover their story. While the film mostly portrays audiences as just drooling female patrons, excluding potential LGBTQ+ viewers seems like a missed opportunity given the nature of the event.
The dance routines, though given a distinctive aesthetic touch, feel like a less memorable version of "Magic Mike". They may amuse some viewers, but lack novelty. Director Sullivan and Sokoloff do somewhat redeem the film by embedding a strong anti-corporate message, paying tribute to their cinematic inspirations and capturing the fun of dance in daily life through a lively montage.
The lead actors do their best to elevate the trite material. Britt Robertson delivers both physical comedy and emotional depth as Ashley, and Chad Michael Murray captures viewers’ hearts as Luke. However, the film ultimately misses the mark by resolving the plot with a predictable romantic storyline, thereby downplaying the messages of women's resilience and independence. A deviation from predictable to surprising could have made this holiday film more enjoyable.
