"The Christmas House" is the first LGBTQ movie for Hallmark, which comes from the following year when the network pulled an ad and promised to provide more diversity in their future programming. Recent strides have been seen in holiday movies for both Hallmark and Lifetime, which have each broaden their scope of storytelling with films like "The Christmas House" and Lifetime's "Christmas Ever After." The movie finds a couple asking their sons to return home to recreate their Christmas house tradition. The two sons are at very different places in their lives, with Mike Mitchell facing the cancelation of his show "Handsome Justice" and Brandon waiting for news of adoption with his husband, Jake.
The parents hope to recreate their memories as a family before selling their house and taking time apart. The Hallmark movie stars Robert Buckley, Jonathan Bennett, Treat Williams, Sharon Lawrence, Brad Harder, Ana Ayora, and Mattia Castrillo.
'The Christmas House' recap and review
"The Christmas House" doesn't squander its use of humorous moments in the movie, from the brief scene of "Handsome Justice" to the race between brothers through the airport that causes a bit of chaos. "The Christmas House" isn't afraid to be funny and playful, showing off a quirky side to the characters that could only come through time with close family and how a family can bring out that child-like side. The movie's main love story is that of the Mitchell family, and while "The Christmas House" revolves around three couples, it's all about the love between these family members.
Love sets sail for Mike when he reconnects with his old friend Andi who used to do old magic tricks with him. Mike is in a flux place in his career, and by coming home, he's able to see what he's been missing. Through the connection of his family and the recreation of an old family tradition, he's able to fill that missing place and even falls in love. The movie's drama stems from Mike discovering that his parents are selling the house because they plan to downsize and take some time apart.
Several moments throughout "The Christmas House" show the Mitchell family's love through how they comfort and support each other. The brothers don't shy away from their parents' plan to sell the house. They listen and show their understanding of them every step of the movie.
The Hallmark Christmas movie shows what a family should be with their warmth and love towards each other. Throughout that show, flashbacks are included when the brothers were children in heartwarming memories baking in the kitchen and decorating the Christmas tree. The various rooms of this lovely Christmas house were actually replicas of the real Buckley Christmas house, which Robert Buckley talked about with MediaVillage.
The actor shares that various elements were like those in his family's own house, right down to an English phone booth's replica. Robert Buckley shares more on the subject with the Hollywood Reporter by explaining that his family became known as the Christmas House. It even became a proper attraction, with elementary schools taking field trips to see it.
The Christmas movie is deeply emotional in tone. The parents reveal their plans to sell and move into separate places interwoven with Mike reconnecting with Andi and Brandon and his husband waiting for the call about their adoption. The movie ends happily ever after with various snapshot moments of the family that finds Brandon and Jake with their new son, Phylis and Bill, hiking, and Mike and Andi wearing matching pajamas with her son Noah.
Jonathan Bennett shares about 'The Christmas House'
Jonathan Bennett (who plays Brandon) shares with Metro Weekly that being apart of "The Christmas House" makes him feel like he's part of progress. He says that this is what a 2020 family looks like and that Hallmark took extra special care to craft a story with an LGBT couple in a holiday movie.
Bennett continues in his interview with Metro Weekly by describing when the crew members came up to him and Brad Harder in tears. The actor explained that their crew was one that does dozens of Hallmark movies a year, but when he and Harder filmed a scene where they share a kiss, members of the crew came up to them to say how it made them feel represented for the first time.
To Good Morning America, Jonathan Bennett elaborated that this moment in "The Christmas House" found Brandon and Jake getting into a snip (thanks to adoption tension) and the two make-up with the comfort and love of two people in a relationship. The actor says that this was the moment when he realized that they had done something special, which starts by making the crew that put their energy into all these movies feel part of the family.
The actor teases that fans can expect this to be just the beginning for Hallmark and that projects are already in development that would showcase more diversity. For future reading on diversity in Hollywood, check out the need to have roles to be more diverse.
Continuing his interview with Metro Weekly, Jonathan Bennett shares that it's not the critic that matters. Still, it's the millions that will watch "The Christmas House" and feel represented. The movie will be matter to those with family members that are part of the LGBTQ community by making them feel like they're seeing their friends and loved ones represented. On Good Morning America, the actor noted that this was two men in love looking to start their own family and describes this sweet story as groundbreaking.
To NBC News, the actor shares how proud he was of Hallmark for making their Christmas table bigger and warmer than ever this year. Bennett continues with how it's important to represent, but more so to be represented correctly and for people to see themselves in media. The actor shares with CBS News that his agent called him with a Hallmark Christmas movie offer, and when he asked who his wife would be, he says his jaw hit the floor at discovering that he would be playing the first part of an LGBTQ couple.
Robert Buckley on 'The Christmas House'
Robert Buckley is the star of the movie (Mike Mitchell), a man who comes home for Christmas when his parents call him to help with the Christmas house tradition.
Buckley starred in the movie and co-wrote it, which he tells more about in an interview with TV Insider by explaining how "The Christmas House" was inspired by his own experiences. Buckley shares with MediaVillage that as an actor, he's always part of the story, and when crafting "The Christmas House," he wanted it to be entertaining while also for it to have some value and significance. Buckley continues by opening up about how he didn't realize how easy it was for him to find a straight guy on any movie or show and how this wasn't the same for other people. He says everyone should have the same opportunity to feel represented and to see themselves.
Robert Buckley shares with TV Insider that Andi was the one that got away for Mike and that he likes how she's not afraid to give Mike grief.
Incorporating the experiences that Jake and Brandon have while trying to adopt was important to the actor and said to MediaVillage that the inclusion of an LGBTQ couple feels like something that should have happened twenty years ago. He said that Hallmark just kept saying to give them more when asking about Brandon and Jake's story, which led to incorporating the couple adopting. The actor says that it was one of the first things he pitched to Hallmark and that it was overdue. Buckley explains how Hallmark was ready to change it up and that he was happy to get the opportunity to do it. The network is known for its heartwarming love stories, and spellbinding series such as "When Calls the Heart." He gives a huge shout out to Hallmark Executive Kate Redinger, who saw a movie in his family tradition of transforming their house entirely for Christmas.
Buckley shares with MediaVillage that the cast bonded over texts during quarantine, so by the time they came together, they were riffing with each other and making fun of each other just as a family would do. Fans can check out "The Christmas House" on December 25 on Hallmark Channel at 8/7:00 AM central.
