THE HOLIDAY CLUB is a new LGBTQ+ rom-com that ticks many wonderful trope boxes. Mostly, the “friends to lovers” one – and I loved it. I did expect a Christmas movie, and while it does cover this holiday, it could be watched during any holiday. A very smart move indeed. Read our full The Holiday Club movie review here!
THE HOLIDAY CLUB is a new LGBTQ movie coming out just in time for the Holidays. It’s a rom-com and while it could be called a Lesbian Christmas movie, it would be more accurate to call it an LGBTQ Holiday movie. And no, this is not a “War on Christmas” (which doesn’t actually exist, anyway), but rather to say that this movie covers many holidays.
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Of the two lead characters, one loves any and every holiday, and the other pretty much hates them. To be fair, after years of being unlucky during the holidays, there’s a (sort of) valid reason. Bottomline: Yes, you’ll want to watch this new movie. It’s a super cute Rom-Com that warms your heart.
Continue reading our The Holiday Club movie review below. Find it on VOD (or Tello) from November 26, 2024.
A meet-cute on Valentine’s Day
The Holiday Club manages to begin on the romantic Holiday of the year: Valentine’s Day. It’s a real meet-cute scene, but also one that we know will only lead to friendship as one of them has a girlfriend. Still, their chemistry and immediate understanding and recognition of each other as people are wonderful to experience.
Okay, full disclosure time. I have to say that I definitely also loved The Holiday Club because it felt wonderfully familiar. While we were both single when we met, this story reminded me quite a bit of how my wife and I met and became friends first.
The whole “we’re just friends” will be a thing throughout the movie. It even becomes a pop culture meta element, when they go watch When Harry Met Sally at one point. As someone who loves the whole “friends to lovers”-trope (as it’s my own life story), this obviously works wonderfully for me.
Not just Christmas but all the holidays
A key element in The Holiday Club is the fact that Sam (Makaela Shealy) hates the holidays while Bailey (Alexandra Swarens) loves them. This becomes a constant reference point for the two friends after that fateful first meeting on Valentine’s Day.
From this point on, the two women – who live right next to each other in small-town Ohio – somehow continue meeting up. They have an instant attraction and also bond over pastry. Bailey owns a bakery and as the Holiday fan of the two, she always makes holiday-themed cakes.
As the holidays of the year pass by, they never seem to be single at the same time, which is a problem for the two faithful people. As stated in the official plot “romance proves elusive”. And I don’t know that I agree with this as the romantic feelings are obviously there, and not elusive at all, but acting on them is a challenge.
Admittedly, I expected the whole thing would finally come together at Christmas. Not only is this movie released alongside all the other (straight) Christmas movies, but the poster features a Christmas tree. In any case, it doesn’t quite pan out that way. And that’s all I’ll say about that.
You should enjoy this romantic story and all its twists and turns first-hand yourself.
Watch The Holiday Club now
The writer and director of The Holiday Club is Alexandra Swarens, who also stars as Bailey. Previously, she also directed the Lesbian Christmas movies Looking for Her (2022) and City of Trees (2019). While I enjoy some of her movies more than others, I always appreciate them.
If Alexandra Swarens is a writer-director of a movie, then I will definitely watch it. That’s a rule for me, and you can safely make it a rule for yourself as well!
Also, make sure you stick around for the end credits, as we get many wonderful behind-the-scenes moments during those. I adore these moments, which we usually get more of from indie productions and comedies. This is both, so it’s a win-win. Also, I loved watching Alexandra Swarens having to yell cut on herself, when she starts laughing.
Also, while I’ve only mentioned Makaela Shealy and Alexandra Swarens from the cast, this movie features many wonderful supporting characters as well. These are also portrayed with humor and heart by actors such as Danielle Meyer, Maddie Small, and Catherine Bagent. To name just a few.
Womentainment Recommendation
Do not miss out on The Holiday Club this Christmas!
As a romantic comedy, I feel this movie ticks all the right boxes. Nothing is forced, it’s never too slow, and yes, there will be drama, but nothing crazy or unreliable. Especially for anyone who knows the perils of lesbian drama – whether firsthand or from the outside.
Also, I loved how this movie can easily be called an LGBTQ Christmas movie while being perfectly fine to rewatch during any other holiday. It fits just as well as a Valentine’s Day movie as a Christmas rom-com. How great is that?!
The Holiday Club is Out on Digital from Tello on November 26, 2024.
Director: Alexandra Swarens
Writer: Alexandra Swarens
Stars: Makaela Shealy, Alexandra Swarens, Danielle Meyer, Maddie Small, Catherine Bagent
Official plot:
Sam hates the holidays. Bailey loves them. On a lonely Valentine’s Day, the two women in small-town Ohio meet incidentally, bonding over pastry and an instant attraction. With every passing holiday, they spend more time together … But romance proves elusive.
