Movie · 2024 · Romance, Comedy · 1h 28m · PG · English
Curator score: 0.1/10 (62.7K ratings)
A little sizzle could save the season.
Overview
To save her parents' small-town nightclub, a Broadway dancer stages an all-male, Christmas-themed revue — and meets a guy with all the right moves.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.1/10
IMDb: 4.8/10
Letterboxd: 1.66/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 39%
Metacritic: 34
TMDB: 5.8/10
Director
Peter Sullivan
Production
Hybrid, Gentlemen Media Group
Cast
Britt Robertson, Chad Michael Murray, Marla Sokoloff, Marc Anthony Samuel, Maxwell Caulfield, Colt Prattes, Hector David Jr., Michael Gross, Beth Broderick, Maria Canals-Barrera, Meredith Thomas, Rivkah Reyes, Dominique Domingo, Bella Shepard, Michael Gaglio, Katie A. Keane, Chuck Spitler, Adrian Gaeta, Gizmo Nolan, Skyler Altman
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A thin holiday rom-com built around a novelty premise, with enough camp appeal for curiosity viewing but too little wit, chemistry, or polish to recommend broadly. The concept promises a cheeky, crowd-pleasing Christmas makeover of the male-revue formula, yet the execution seems to land more on awkward than charming.
Best for
viewers who enjoy low-stakes, formulaic holiday romances
fans of campy, so-bad-it’s-fun Christmas movies
people specifically looking for a PG-13-ish striptease premise without much edge
Skip if
you want sharp comedy or genuinely sexy choreography
you’re looking for strong writing and believable chemistry
you dislike cheap-looking holiday TV-movie aesthetics
you prefer Christmas movies with emotional depth or real warmth
Overview
The Merry Gentlemen has a high-concept hook that practically markets itself: a Broadway dancer returns home, tries to save a struggling nightclub, and turns a Christmas revue into the kind of gimmick that can sell tickets. That setup could have been a breezy, knowingly silly crowd-pleaser. Instead, it plays like a Hallmark-adjacent holiday movie that keeps reaching for cheeky but rarely lands on funny, sexy, or emotionally convincing.
Worth noting
What stands out most from audience reaction is the disconnect between the premise and the execution. The movie seems to promise a playful riff on male-stripper fantasy, but the tone is too sanitized to fully commit and too clumsy to feel clever. The result is a film that invites mockery more than affection, even if its earnestness and small-town-save-the-business structure are easy to understand.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a disposable Christmas romance with a novelty angle, there’s a certain curiosity value here. But as a movie, it looks underpowered: modest chemistry, generic plotting, and the kind of production choices that make the whole thing feel more like a streaming content obligation than a memorable seasonal treat.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Noah Rawson (0.5★) · 2418 likes
He loves her SO much that he just can’t bust it down sexual style if she’s not there… inspirational
lizzie (1★) · 1883 likes
remember to support your local hole in the wall mom and pop strip clubs
zoë rose bryant (2★) · 1458 likes
moved home eight months ago and have yet to meet a handyman who looks like chad michael murray this shit is misleading as fuck