The Christmas Setup

The Christmas Setup is an American-Canadian romantic comedy television film, directed by Pat Mills and broadcast in 2020.[1] The first LGBTQ-themed Christmas film ever broadcast by Lifetime,[2] the film stars Ben Lewis as Hugo, an uptight New York City attorney who comes home with his best friend Madelyn (Ellen Wong) to visit his mother Kate (Fran Drescher) for Christmas, and is forced to consider what he really wants in life when he reconnects with his high school crush Patrick (Blake Lee) just as he is offered a promotion to his firm's office in London.[3]

The Christmas Setup
Main poster
GenreRomantic comedy
Christmas
Written byMichael J. Murray
Directed byPat Mills
StarringBen Lewis
Blake Lee
Ellen Wong
Fran Drescher
Chad Connell
Theme music composerMichael Richard Plowman
Country of originCanada
United States
Original languageEnglish
Production
EditorRyan Kovack
Running time85 minutes
Production companiesMarVista Entertainment
Neshama Entertainment
Wishing Floor Films
Release
Original networkLifetime (U.S.)
CTV Drama Channel (Canada)
Original release
  • December 12, 2020 (2020-12-12) (U.S.)
  • December 18, 2020 (2020-12-18) (Canada)

Production and release

The film was shot in Ottawa and Almonte, Ontario, in 2020.[3] Its cast also includes Chad Connell, Pedro Miguel Arce and Peter Nelson. The film premiered December 12, 2020 on Lifetime in the United States,[1] and December 18, 2020 on CTV Drama Channel in Canada.[3]

Critical reception

The Christmas Setup received positive reviews from critics upon its release. Patrick Serrano of O, The Oprah Magazine wrote "I've watched every made-for-TV movie in 2020. This is the most triumphant."[4] Glamour Magazine gave it a positive review with the headline “The Lifetime Gay Christmas Movie Totally Broke Me—So, Yup, It Worked”, writing, “exhilarating, freeing, and—if you're a gay man—totally soul-crushing. Isn't that what rom-coms are supposed to do?”[5] In a collective review of 2020's crop of LGBTQ-themed Christmas movies, Salon gave the film a mixed review, calling it cheesy and "derivative of probably 80 straight-to-television holiday movies", but called it “Salon's pick for just straight-up, saccharine Christmas fun. It hits all the marks that have become standard in the straight-to-television holiday movie genre” and praised the casting of real-life couple Lewis and Lee as the romantic leads and expressing relief that "at least none of the issues arise from the central couple".[6] TVLine listed Fran Drescher as an honourable mention in their Performer of the Week, stating, “The most groundbreaking aspect of Lifetime’s first LGBTQ-themed holiday movie The Christmas Setup was not that it had a gay couple at its center. It was that it was actually really good” and “Drescher layered her alter ego’s unabashed glee with notes of genuine happiness. In a sea of indistinguishable, cookie-cutter holiday movie matriarchs, Drescher gifted us with a true Christmas miracle: an actual human being”.[7]

Accolades

The Christmas Setup was nominated for the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie.[8]

Cast

References
  1. Hank Stuever, "TV’s gay Christmas movies are as benign, charming and cliche as we always hoped they’d be". The Washington Post, December 9, 2020.
  2. Jackson Weaver, "New slate of LGBTQ holiday movies sparks joy, criticism over portrayal of queer stories". CBC News, December 18, 2020.
  3. Leanne Cusack, "The Christmas Setup filmed in Ottawa and Almonte, lauded as holiday rom-com with representation". CTV News Ottawa, December 18, 2020.
  4. Patrick Serrano, "https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a34935804/lifetime-christmas-setup-lgtbq-christmas-movie-review/". O, The Oprah Magazine’’, December 11, 2020.
  5. Christopher Rosa, “https://www.glamour.com/story/the-lifetime-gay-christmas-movie-reminded-me-that-im-single-so-yup-it-did-its-job/“. ‘’Glamour Magazine’’, December 11, 2020.
  6. Ashlie D. Stevens and Hanh Nguyen, "TV's first crop of queer Christmas movies range from saccharine fun to superficial flops". Salon, December 13, 2020.
  7. Team TV Line, “Performer of the Week: Kaley Cuoco”. “TVLine”, December 19, 2020.
  8. Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 28, 2021). "GLAAD Unveils Nominees For 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards; Deadline's New Hollywood Podcast Honored With Special Recognition Award". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
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