3 days ago
12
We know you remember the photos seen on the ‘gram: Chad Michael Murray, shirtless, cowboy-hatted, and doing a body roll. Perhaps you screen-shotted them, too. Alas, no matter how excited you might be for Murray’s resurgence as a Hollywood hunk (which is set to peak with next summer’s long-awaited “Freaky Friday″ sequel, “Freakier Friday,”) it’s not enough to make his latest feature “The Merry Gentlemen” even sizzle.
“The Merry Gentlemen” opens with a not-so-merry woman, Ashley (Britt Robertson), an aging Jingle Belle dancer. The pseudo-Rockette is given the boot by her boss, and right before the big holiday season. That’s how Ashley ends up back in her hometown, where she’s promptly deemed “city girl” for ditching the Big Apple.
It’s there where Ashley runs into Luke (Murray), the local bar owner and handyman who — thanks to Ashley’s suggestion — also now moonlights as a shirtless dancer. Seeing his abs inspires Ashley to make a pivot of her own, as she determines to stage an all-male, Christmas-themed revue; if she can’t be one of the dancers on the biggest stage, she might as well become a choreographer on a small one.
Now, it would make more sense if Ashley’s career were thwarted due to an injury rather than her age. The “Girlboss” alum Robertson isn’t old by any means, and a reclamation of her career post-recovery would give “The Merry Gentlemen” some much-needed oomf. Instead, this half-hearted “Dirty Dancing” riff tries to spin some holiday cheer from a story that’s absent any stakes. The film‘s only proper conflict arises when Ashley is asked to return to her former dance company, a predictable “twist” that further confirms the project’s “slightly too horny for the Hallmark Channel” ethos. Will our heroine leave her new love and go back to the big evil city, or will she pick her isolating career over her hometown community?
The better question is, do we care? And the answer is “no.” We’re here for the sight of a bare-chested and suspender-clad Murray dramatically asking if his fellow dancer will help bring Santa’s sleigh tonight as part of a routine. Netflix’s watered-down take on “Magic Mike” may not get any randier than that, but there’s no denying the spectacle of it all.
As a holiday rom-com, however, “The Merry Gentlemen” is sorely lacking the sparkle and comfort that is found in so many other recent holiday movies like it, including Lindsay Lohan’s “Falling for Christmas,” which cemented Murray’s “Freak Friday” co-star as the queen of Netflix rom-coms. (Peter Sullivan directs from a script by actress Marla Sokoloff, who hails from the cable world, where she previously starred in and directed Lifetime films like “Christmas Hotel” and “Blending Christmas.”)
Beth Broderick is a standout, mostly for nostalgic purposes. And it’s really saying something when the most peppy and heartfelt scenes in “The Merry Gentlemen” come from the grandmother character. Murray and Robertson feel tired as leads, and while Murray is making it work onstage, the more conventional scenes all feel like they’re missing some holiday spice (among other things). At least this movie is pretty to look at, which is more than you can say about most Netflix Originals.
Rating: D+
“The Merry Gentlemen” starts streaming Friday, November 20 on Netflix.
Want to stay up to date on IndieWire’s film reviews and critical thoughts? Subscribe here to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers.
English (US) ·