Need a lesbian rom-com Christmas movie? Well, look no further. Streaming for free on Tubi,
“Looking for Her,” from Violet Wave Productions, is just what Santa (or Mrs. Claus) ordered.
Now, this reviewer never watches Christmas movies (except when I’m with family, where “A Christmas Story” plays all day), and romantic comedies are not my favorite genre, but I must admit….it wasn’t half bad. In a Christmas romance, one must never be picky about the plausibility of the plot. Usually, there is little to none of that. What matters is character believability.
Written and directed by Alexandra Swarens, who also stars in it with Olivia Buckle, the film provides what is needed…. attractive characters who have chemistry. Swaren’s Taylor is believable as a career-oriented perfectionist, whose live-in partner, Jess, recently broke up with her. She finds herself in a bind when her parents, who had not reacted well when she came out to them, have experienced some growth and absolutely insists that she bring Jess along and spend Christmas with them.
Meanwhile, a different sort of woman, Buckle’s character, Olive, lives on a sofa at her friend’s apartment and is desperately broke. She is an actress, but gigs are few and far between, and dog walking isn’t cutting it. She is a more relatable character than Taylor, and her rapport with her housemate is great and feels very real.
Back at work, Taylor confides in her work buddy about her dilemma. She doesn’t want to simply tell her folks about the breakup, because of her fear of disappointing them, as she did when she came out., They brainstorm a solution…hire an actress to play the part of Jess! The parents had never met her, so maybe she can pull this off. See where this is going? An unemployed actress needs a gig…
So, Taylor hires Olive to play the part of Jess, and it works like a charm. Taylor’s mom likes her so much, that Taylor almost feels left out! And while acting their roles as lovers, they manage to fall in love for real. No spoiler alert…. this is a Christmas movie, of course, they fall in love! And the production values are very good…feels like a real Hallmark show.
Here is the direct link to Looking for Her on Tubi>
Review: Janet Prolman
Janet Prolman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, where her mother nicknamed her “my little queer.” She has also lived in North Carolina and New York. A lover of short stories, theater, music, and performance, she knows the lyrics to almost every song or advertising jingle she’s ever heard. Now on Cape Cod, she enjoys kayaking and frequenting Provincetown.