Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls continues the story of the Miller family during the Christmas holiday season.
The Christmas House: Deck Those Halls picks up with Mike (Robert Buckley) wrapping up filming his TV show, Handsome Justice. This time Kathleen (Michelle Harrison), the showrunner for Handsome Justice, approaches Mike to do a reality TV competition where two stars compete to have the best holiday themed house. When the actor Mike is supposed to compete against is injured, it’s decided that Mike’s brother, Brandon (Jonathan Bennett), will fill in as his competition. As expected, hilarity and holiday hijinks ensue.
Some Thoughts:
Unlike The Christmas House, Brandon and his husband play a bigger part in The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls. However, this time the dramatic tension revolves around Mike finding the right time to propose to Andi. Even though Brandon and Jake have two children, the drama centers around the straight couple. I thought the kids would play a bigger part, but they don’t.
The story also includes Andi’s larger than life ex-husband, Zane (Matthew James Dowden). Zane is looking to have a better relationship with his son, Noah (Mattia Castrillo). Since Zane has lived all over the world and done some outrageous things, like punching a shark, he’s won over Noah. Mike is bummed out by Noah’s lack of attention, but he understands.
All the dramatic tension is put on the straight couple, keeping the gay storyline in the background. Brandon and Jake’s story has more prominence than the previous film, but that doesn’t take much. It’s a bit of a bummer for those looking for light gay holiday fun.
Although Brandon and Jake have to take a back seat in the story, they still have some sweet moments. And most of the fun comes from watching the competition between Brandon and Mike, even when it overshadows the play Bill and Phylis are in.
The Final Verdict:
The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls is mindless romantic fun. The gay story isn’t front and center, so you may want to look for something else if that’s what you want.
