From Jeremy Kibler

Now that Netflix has cornered the market on Hallmark Christmas Movies as much as the Hallmark Channel, the weekly offering is The Merry Gentlemen, a mild Magic Mike with the chestnuts of a traditional romantic-comedy. There’s a time and place—the holidays and the sofa—for genial, undemanding fluff that goes down easy like a cup of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows, and those with a soft touch for holiday content (and hunky men) should be okay with this pleasantly sweet diversion. 

Aged out of her sub-Rockettes Christmas show, Broadway dancer Ashley Davis (Britt Robertson) goes back home to visit her charming small town of Sycamore Creek. Her parents (Beth Broderick, Michael Gross) can’t keep up with the rent or maintenance repairs on their once-popular bar, The Rhythm Room, which used to usher in musical acts. When confronted by the landlady (Maria Canals-Barrera) about eviction, Ashley panics and ends up lying about being in the process of putting on a male dance revue. To follow through, she enlists the help of carpenter and general handyman Luke (Chad Michael Murray), as well as dim but hunky bartender Troy (a very photogenic Colt Prattes) and a few others. If the show brings in enough “woo!” girls, can they raise $30,000 and save The Rhythm Room? Sweetie, have you ever seen a movie before?

Director Peter Sullivan and writers Jeffrey Schenck and Marla Sokoloff (who also co-stars as Ashley’s older sister) give us the basics — a little town that’s clearly a backlot, a romance between a city girl and a “Hallmark handyman,” and eleventh-hour plot complications that could keep our leads apart but won’t. Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray elevate the bland types they’re playing with their cute chemistry that allows us to buy into their flimsy romantic connection; their meet-ups are surprisingly lovely after their lame meet-cute involving a clumsy entanglement with garland. It’s a delight to see Marla Sokoloff again, here playing Ashley’s big sister Marie, who took over the local diner to keep her cookie-baking skills nice and sharp. Maxwell Caulfield is also a sight for sore eyes as a barfly who might just step in for one of the male dancers. 

In what is safe and cozy, The Merry Gentlemen knows exactly what it’s doing to serve its audience (along with referencing two other Netflix rom-coms). Formulaic and unsurprising as if meant to just be half-watched while decorating your Christmas tree or wrapping presents, this is perfectly fine yuletide fodder with swirling six-pack abs and plenty of limber dance moves. It might be more than a little hokey, but that doesn’t mean it won’t keep you toasty.

Rating: 3/5

The Merry Gentlemen hits Netflix on November 20, 2024.

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