People Magazine gave us an early Christmas gift this week with the first look at the Kristen Stewart-starring queer holiday romcom Happiest Season. We’ve been excited about this movie, from writer-director Clea DuVall, since we heard about it, but the new pictures have our excitement off the charts? Lesbian icon Kristen Stewart looking adorable as she tries to figure how to propose to her girlfriend, played by Mackenzie Davis? With Dan Levy???? I’ll take twelve.
Clea DuVall has been an icon for queer women for years, ever since she romanced Natasha Leonne in But I’m A Cheerleader, so it’s incredibly exciting to see her step behind the camera to bring us the kind of romcom we’ve been craving. And it feels special knowing that DuVall wanted it, too.
“I’m a huge fan of Christmas movies, but I had never seen my story represented,” says DuVall told People “Happiest Season felt like a great opportunity to tell a universal story from a new perspective.”
And she’s doing it with a seriously amazing cast. Not only do we have Stewart, Davis, and Levy, also joining the family holiday fun are Mary Steenburgen, Victor Garber, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Mary Holland.
The plot of the film sounds typically romcom—as it should—but also uniquely queer. Abby, played by Stewart, wants to propose to her girlfriend, Harper, over the holidays as they visit her family … but it seems she’s not actually out to her family and thus drama and (we hope) hilarity ensues. It sounds like something that queer fans might be familiar with, but also a fun concept for a movie.
“I think I’ve wished to see a gay Christmas romcom my whole life,” Stewart said of the project to People. “I’m so happy and proud of Clea for bringing this into the world.” Stewart also added that the movie taps into both the queer and the yuletide need for home and belonging: “I love when holiday movie makes you long for an idea of home, but also examines how hilarious and hard reality at home can be sometimes.”
Happiest Season comes out in theaters (remember those) on November 25th, right in time for the holidays, and hopefully, the world will be a slightly safer and healthier place by that time so that we can actually see it in those theaters.
(via: People, images: TriStar Pictures)
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