PremiumSingle All The Way review: Tale as old as time, but this gay love story is heartwarming nevertheless
'Tis the season of Christmas, which means it’s time for cheesy, lighthearted romances to flood streaming services. Single All The Way is the latest on this list and what works for it is that there’s a gay couple at the centre of this tale.
Last Updated: 06.37 PM, Dec 03, 2021
Story: Gay buddies Peter and Nick head to the former’s home in New Hampshire for Christmas. Peter’s just had his latest heartbreak and wants Nick to pretend his boyfriend on this trip. Will they find true love after all?
Review: How many times have we seen a story of friends who suddenly realize they’ve been in love all the time? Innumerable, right? Netflix’s Christmas special Single All The Way follows the same formula, only here the protagonists are two gay best friends-roommates, who have feelings for each other that everyone else around them notices, but not them, until they visit family over Christmas.
Single All The Way is the latest addition to cheesy holiday season romantic movies and you know, from the word go, how this one’s going to end. What’s refreshing is that this is not about a Grindr fest, but is instead a lighthearted romance that is quite heartwarming.
Peter (Michael Urie), a content producer, who loves plants more than his current job and Nick (Philemon Chambers), a handyman, who is also a best-selling children’s book author, have been best friends for years. Peter is all set to take his boyfriend of a few months to meet the family, but then finds out that his new squeeze is a closeted gay, with a heterosexual family. Yikes! His solution to averting too many questions from the folks is to ask Nick to pretend to be his boyfriend on this trip. Of course, their charade falls apart soon enough, with Peter’s mom even going one step ahead and setting her up with her gay fitness instructor.
How Peter and Nick uncover their true feelings, with (a lot of) help from the former’s family, forms the rest of the narrative. And, talking of the family, there’s Jennifer Collidge Jennifer Robertson and Kathy Najimy among the delightful supporting cast.
Verdict: If you are a sucker for romance, Single All The Way is just what the doctor ordered. It’s lighthearted and breezy, with none of the melodrama or gimmicks normally associated with LGBTQIA+ characters. The normalcy of this cute couple is what makes this film endearing.