The Holiday Sitter (2022)
“Stop trying to make fetch happen”
It isn’t often that you get a Mean Girls deep cut in a Hallmark Christmas movie, but you do when it’s “Gay King of Christmas” aka Aaron “what day is it?” Samuels, aka Jonathan Bennett starring in the network’s very first (in 2022!) LGBTQ-led Christmas movie!
Bennett is Sam, the workaholic bachelor guncle and last-minute babysitter for his niece and nephew whose parents need to leave town to attend the birth of baby #3, courtesy of a surrogate. (Seriously, this movie is breaking all kinds of Hallmark norms. Suck if, GAF!)
Along for the ride is the local (as in, next door neighbour) contractor, Jason, a gay man desperate for children of his own. And nothing says parents of soon-to-be 3 children than leaving them with the local contractor while you head out of town.
Jason is on board to help Sam figure out how to take care of the kids and we’ll, wouldn’t you know, a romance is born.
Average Hallmark fare? Sure.
Fake frost on the windows that looks like dish soap wiped onto the glass? Yup.
Summer trees questionably still lush and green even with a foot of snow on the ground? You betcha!
But listen, I still got a damn tear in my eye at the end. Honestly - SUCH a softie in my old age! And I always give bonus points for the non-Herero WASP version of Hallmark movies. It’s not often any holiday movie touches on the challenges of being LGBTQ when it comes to having a family and getting married, so the fact that Hallmark chose to go there? Props.
Not to mention a Mean Girls throwback! And we KNOW Hallmarks enduring love for Lacey Chabert. How long until Lohan appears in one?
Now THAT would be so fetch!
Classic Christmas movie tropes:
Christmas market (always my jam)
Yuletide skit/recital
Christmas light walk through the neighborhood
You’ll like this if…
You enjoy standard Hallmark holiday fare and aren’t a bigot.
SCORE: 6/10
Tell me more!
When Sam, a workaholic bachelor, babysits his niece and nephew before the holidays, he recruits help from their handsome neighbor Jason and finds himself in an unexpected romance. Starring Jonathan Bennett and George Krissa.
