If You Loved "Single All the Way", Here's Nine Films to Check Out Next.

Alexa, play Boyfriends by Harry Styles. On loop, please.

I suppose it is safe to say that I have had a weekend from Hell, and it is sad and tragic that I'm only taking time now to process all that has happened and attempting to make sense of it all. For someone who boasts about how uneventful my life is and I prefer it that way, my anxiety can only take so much before I start losing my grasp on my sanity; I behaved rather out of character to deal with a slight inconvenience from a man, now I'm in bed watching Single All the Way on Netflix trying to stop myself from crying.

So I'd rather put together a young listicle for my internet loves to bask in. If you have not seen Michael Mayer's first Netflix gay romance, released December last year, I would suggest you do because it is the cutest interpretation of the friends-to-lovers trope, if ever I've seen one. It's resonant, it tugs at your heartstrings, showers you with feels and has Jennifer Coolidge (that's just iconic on its own).

In Single All the Way, we meet plant-parent advertising exec Peter, played by Ugly Betty's Michael Urie, who's tired of being the single friend and sibling at gatherings (or worse, at Christmas) and convinces his bestfriend Nick, a childrens' book author, to pretend to be his boyfriend. This seems like a solid enough plan, until we discover upon the two friends' arrival that Peter's Mom has set him up with a local trainer, and the plan does not even take off.

There's quite a lot to love about the film, despite the acting being subpar and terrible at times - newcomer Philemon Chambers, who plays Nick, is adorable and cute to look at, very convincing in his role as the author who's secretly in love with his bestfriend, but not so much - especially in a cast consisting of people with films and shows like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hocus Pocus, Schitt's Creek, the American Pie films, and so much more.

A News24 review of the film summed it up perfectly how this film had its good and not-so-great moments, but somehow made all of them work in such a way that we're able to look past them to bask in the beauty of the streaming platform's first gay holiday romance. It reads:

This movie is textbook Christmas cookie-cutter stuff. As Netflix's first gay holiday rom-com, Single All The Way is a vital addition to the streaming giant's ever-expanding vessel of Christmas content. But that doesn't mean it's perfect.

The biggest downfall of this rom-com is the apparent lack of chemistry between Peter and his love interests. By overemphasising every little moment, Urie never really relaxes into anything resembling a natural person, especially in his intimate moments. Chambers, on the other hand, is charming and confident as Nick. The big-screen newcomer did a great job winning me over while winning Peter's family over. As for the supporting cast, Jennifer Coolidge has to get a special mention. Her melodramatic Aunt Sandy is a welcome dose of camp. On the flip side, Peter's family fit well within the 'well-meaning straight people trying to understand gay culture' category. Admittedly, as a heterosexual, I probably fit into that group too, but I found it extremely annoying and forced at times.

Loving the film is so easy, especially when you consider how we've been bombarded with lackluster tacky recycled Christmas stories which have been dubbed hallmark films. It is a gay romance that does not hinge on stereotypes, trauma porn or the over-used coming out storyline. It is light, campy and fun, and can be watched by lovers of family-centered content. It is especially important for two other reasons: with the nationwide banning of books written by queer and LGBTQ+ authors in American states, Nick's character being a much-loved and award-winning author of childrens' books is ideal since the kids in the film are shown to be major lovers of Nick's work who relate and look to him beyond his sexual orientation and identity; another reason is that such films are simply important. Imagine a queer-themed Christmas film where a family loves and embraces their own regardless of how they identify, at a time when most young queer people are forced to spend the holidays alone.

It's truly what we need. What we deserve.

I put together a young list of other films dedicated to the queer love story and the holiday spirit, because in this awful world we live in, we deserve some heartwarming and romantic content geared towards the not-so-straight demographic. Eat your heart out, bestie. I made this with my sad and yearning heart, filled with a bit of love.

No Hiding Here

dir. Gabe Gabriel (2021)

No Hiding Here is a gay romcom set in a small South African town, where a beloved drama teacher accidentally plays gay porn over the biggest school event of the year, forcing him, and the event's guest and featured artist – a closeted big city celebrity – into hiding from the outraged community. This was such a cute watch, it is everything you need to feel good about not just yourself, but the whole concept of friendship and found family.

I simply dislike the fact that we're in the 2020s and still having to deal with queer love stories being firsts on a streaming platform, but if it's any consolation Gabriel's film is the perfect fit for such a milestone. I only hope that it opens up the door for many more to rise and shine. We deserve it.

Let It Snow

dir. Luke Snellin (2019)

Based on the 2008 novel of the same name by The Fault In Our Stars author John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle; Let It Snow is a film that sees a snowstorm hit a small midwestern town on Christmas Eve, bringing together a group of high school students. They soon find their friendships and love lives colliding, and on Christmas morning, nothing will be the same.

Breaking Fast

dir. Mike Mosallam (2020)

Although this one isn't technically a Christmas themed film, it is guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings. On the holiest night during the month of Ramadan, Mo, a practicing Muslim reluctantly attends his best friend's birthday party, where he unexpectedly meets Kal, a 30-year-old all-American white guy, who catches him by surprise with each twist and turn through the streets of Los Angeles.

Carol

dir. Todd Haynes (2015)

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. Therese Belivet works at a department store in Manhattan where she encounters the beautiful Carol. Things take an unexpected turn when Therese develops strong feelings for Carol.

The Christmas Setup

dir. Pat Mills (2020)

The Christmas Setup follows the story of New York lawyer Hugo (Ben Lewis) who heads to Milwaukee with his best friend Madelyn (Ellen Wong) to spend the holidays with his brother Aiden (Chad Connell) and his mom Kate (Fran Drescher), who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations. Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges for Hugo to run into Patrick (Blake Lee), Hugo’s high school friend and secret crush, who has recently returned after a successful stint in Silicon Valley.

Happiest Season

dir. Clea DuVall (2020)

This romantic comedy is about longtime lesbian couple Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis), who made plans to go home to the latter's family for the Christmas holidays. Aside from spending the yuletide season with Harper's conservative parents, Abby is also planning to spring a marriage proposal on Harper. Trouble begins, though, when she discovers that Harper hasn't come out as a lesbian yet to her family, leaving them clueless as to who Abby really is in her life.

Ideal Home

dir. Andrew Fleming (2018)

I think it's safe to say that, at this point, we've already established that we're not all here for Christmas films, but rather a serving of beautyful queer stories centered around love, family and all-round heartwarming content. This film is all that and more. Paul and Erasmus are a bickering couple with an extravagant life. When Bill, the grandson Erasmus never knew he had, shows up at their dinner party with nowhere else to go, the couple reluctantly decide to take him in. Despite the difficulties of incorporating a child into their lives, Bill grows on them. But when Bill's father is released from prison and comes to take back his son, the men realise that you don't fight with your family, you fight for them.

Dashing in December

dir. Jake Helgren (2020)

After Wyatt finally comes home for the holidays to try to convince his mother to sell the family's Colorado ranch, he finds romance with dashing a new ranch hand who dreams of saving the property and its magical Winter Wonderland attraction.

Tangerine

dir. Sean Baker (2015)

This film is ideal for me. I loved everything about it, despite the very amazing fact that it's an independent that managed to cause great chatter at film festivals. It's a queer buddy comedy like any other, featuring queer people in queer roles. Did I mention that it was shot on an iPhone? WOW!!!

After hearing that her boyfriend/pimp cheated on her while she was in jail, a sex worker and her best friend set out to find him and teach him, and his new lover, a lesson.

Funny enough, there’s quite a few Christmas films with queer people as main characters than you can think; you just need to surf the net to look for them, which makes me even sadder to acknowledge that it took Netflix this long to commission one. Films like Holiday Heart, The Family Stone, and the only other sapphic Christmas film on this list, (shocking, I know. Like, make more sapphic films, please) Ghosting, exist and are waiting for you to watch them and hype them up.

I hope this list brings you as much joy as compiling it did for me. Now I just need to set the time to have a marathon of all the other films I haven’t seen. Let me know which ones you’ve seen, and if I missed any.

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Reblogged from The Nkeshyy Blog Presents: What Are We Watching?