Now that both Hallmark and Lifetime TV have discovered that gay people exist…… and even watch TV, they want to include us in their traditional overdose of Holiday movies. Lifetime got the edge with their first one in 2021 with The Christmas Set helmed by a gay director and starring a real-life gay couple of actors. It was one of their signature highly sentimental rom-com where everyone is guaranteed a happy-ever-after-ending. Including the lead same-sex couple. It was entertaining and worked.
This year however the Lifetime LGBTQ offering ‘A Christmas to Treasure’ starred a contemporary gay couple but in a chocolate box story that was obviously taken from the 1950s . I kept thinking that Bing Crosby would burst in any moment singing White Christmas. However kudos to Lifetime at least for its gay crew: director Jake Helgren and stars married real-life couple Taylor Frey and Kyle Dean Massey, who deserved a much better story.
A Christmas To Treasure is about six old estranged friends who go back to their small hometown to take part in a Treasure Hunt that had been set by the newly departed Mrs. Marley who had been an important influence in all their childhood. The Hunt gives the opportunity for all of them to re-live their friendships, especially that of Austin and Everett, which had finished before they got past first base. No guesses for what happened next.
A Christmas to Treasure is not a ‘bad’ movie per se but it is the one LGBTQ out of the 26 Holiday movies they made this season, so I kind of thought on that count alone, we deserved better.
P.S. You can check out our review of Hallmarks first ever queer movie which was a lot better https://queerguru.com/queerguru-reviews-hallmarks-very-first-gay-christmas-movie-the-holiday-sitter/
Review : Roger Walker-Dack
Editor in Chief : Queerguru
Member of G.A.L.E.C.A. (Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association) and NLGJA The Association of LGBT
Journalists. and The Online Film Critics Society. Ex Contributung Editor The Gay Uk &Contributor Edge Media
Former CEO and Menswear Designer of Roger Dack Ltd in the UK
one of the hardest-working journalists in the business' Michael Goff of Towleroad
Labels: 2022, A Christmas To Treasure, Holiday, John Helgren, Lifetime TV, review, Rom com
