Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
The Christmas Setup is a holiday themed gay romance set in Milwaukee.
New York City lawyer Hugo (Ben Lewis) returns home to Milwaukee with his gal pal Madelyn (Ellen Wong) for Christmas. To keep everybody busy, Hugo’s mother, Kate (Fran Drescher), has planned some chores for Hugo and his brother, Aiden (Chad Connell).
After Hugo and Madelyn get settled in, Kate asks Madelyn to go shopping with her and has Hugo stay behind to set up the Christmas tree when it arrives. The tree is delivered by Patrick (Blake Lee), who Hugo had a crush on in high school, which surprises Hugo.
Romantic hilarity ensues when Patrick flirts with Hugo and tries to get him to warm up to him. Although Hugo is interested in Patrick, he doesn’t want to get involved in a long distance relationship. But still, Hugo can’t ignore his attraction to him.
Some Thoughts:
The Christmas Setup is a light romance that’s perfect to watch while wrapping presents. The story is easy to digest and comes with everything you would expect from a Lifetime holiday love story.
As you can imagine, there’s a secondary romance between Madelyn and Aiden. Why else would Hugo bring his gal pal home for the holidays?
The acting, production values, and writing is what you would expect from a made for TV movie. The story doesn’t take any chances or pull any punches, so you can turn off your mind and bask in the splendor of two gay men falling in love…with the help of the delightful Fran Drescher.
The Final Verdict:
The Christmas Setup is a well done holiday romp with romance and an ending that will not disappoint. This is one of the better gay holiday romances.
