Make The Yuletide Gay (DVD)

Olaf ‘Gunn’ Gunnunderson (Keith Jordan) is an out and proud student at university, but hasn’t told his parents he’s gay. Although he doesn’t have any plans to tell them when he goes back home for Christmas (just in case they react badly), his situation gets more complicated when his boyfriend, Nathan (Adamo Ruggiero), turns up. Nathan doesn’t know Gunn isn’t out at home, and so has to pose as his boyfriend’s roommate, while Gunn’s parents encourage their son to get together with his old school friend, Abby. Nathan gets rather annoyed with this, especially as he can’t see Gunn’s problem with telling his parents the truth, which puts pressure on him to come out.

It’s all pretty standard and lightweight, and doesn’t really deal with much that hasn’t been handled in a hundred other coming out movies, except with the addition of some festive tinsel. That said, Make The Yuletide Gay is pleasant enough, with a couple of good-looking young leads, plenty of good humour and a relatively light style that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It does rather let itself down at the end though, as in order to get a joke it undermines its plot and makes Gunn’s parents seem rather mean. Quite unusually for a low-budget gay film, it even features a couple of actors you might actually recognise, including Hallee Hirsch (ER, JAG) and a brief role for Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Beverly Crusher).

Make The Yuletide Gay may be charming enough and the DVD has a few okay special features, but it’s nothing particularly special, which is a shame as it certainly puts in the effort and its festive romantic comedy heart is in the right place. It’s a film that’s worth a rent, although it’s all a bit lightweight to become a gay Christmas classic.

Overall Verdict: A light and frothy gay comedy, which is perfectly pleasant but doesn’t do anything that a hundred gay movies have done before it.

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

(This review previously featured on MovieMuser.co.uk)