My Secret Santa

29:05Oh, I heard that as a totally separate event. Oh, I did too. Yeah, I thought there was another fountain. So it's all about that one fountain he cracked. Oh, you might be right. Maybe there's maybe he has a litany of of disastrous moves. But what's interesting is everybody in town knows he's this public fuck up. So he's like he feels like he's a like somebody who's being reported on in like page six or something. You know, like some sort of famous, like rich. Her brother is like married. this guy he's like the sexy billionaire he's causing all these trouble i did laugh when the brother said i could be the brother-in-law of a son of a billionaire i mean i really did that was my favorite line yeah i think are they the type of a family or something i think they are the hiltons but that hotel gave such kind of like econolodge vibes to me and there are versions of the Hilton that are like, you know, they can scale up or scale down, but I do feel like we can trust the brand a little bit more.

30:16And this felt so hodgepodge. June, I just want to think a little bit. I want to just talk to you from all the people out there who clean hotel carpets. Can you imagine trying to keep a place like that clean with all those snow boots trucking in, all that wetness? Like that hotel is kept very, very clean. And I will say you give it a little bit more credit for, you know, the entryway. I'm not saying it's dirty. I'm really not. It is just so outdated. The locker room I was not okay with. The locker room was rough. The locker room? I want to talk about the locker room for so long. Because for a movie that won't allow its romantic leads to really drink alcohol that much.

30:54Like, they have to be so, like, hot cocoa. And, you know, like, no real kissing. Like, they have to be so weirdly pure. and chased for one whole sequence to be she's dressed up in as human just looking at dicks in the locker room she sees his dick he drops his towel immediately in the locker room yes while they're chatting i have to ask because i'm not a man obviously well i don't know like but are you human i don't know i would have loved the opportunity to be human human also went into a woman's bathroom as well. And I'm glad that they didn't make a big deal out of it. It was like, whatever he chose, he chose.

31:36You know, but this is the thing. What's to stop women from dressing as Santa to get into men's bathrooms? Someone passed the bill. I don't know. I don't know, like, what locker room. I don't know what all goes on in there. But, like, if you were in there and Santa, a Santa performer came up to you, or even, let's say, someone you were an acquaintance of, would you drop your towel like that? Paul? Here's what I would say. I saw Jason shake his head. There's a lot of locker room behavior that is not universally accepted. It's not like there's one way of being. I have been in locker rooms where people are going to just fucking be out there proud and free.

32:20And then I'm going to be next to people who are so tidied up and wrapped up that you're in that. You can't even get a peek if you wanted to. Exactly. There was a pilot season where I joined the YMCA in Hollywood, just the one right there in Hollywood that we've all driven by a million times. And that locker room was naked dudes hanging out, chit-chatting, talking on phones, nude, walking around, walking over there to do full lotion setup at the lotion station, walking over there, just in their flip-flops. When I was a kid, our locker rooms for gym were divided just by a cement wall. And there was a small hole in the wall that we would all peer through.

33:05But it was only at the point where the... Wait, what? Back in my younger school, when I went to a school from kindergarten to fourth or fifth grade, our locker rooms were... Oh, so very young. Yes, there was a wall. There was a wall that was separate. Oh, what? No, no. And so we would all be trying to sneak a peek at the girls' locker. Why are you sneaking in fourth grade and third grade? That's so weird. Because when I was growing up, Porky's was big. And all you saw was that kid with his eye up against that eye hall. That's true. You're like, that's what you thought you did. But where the hole was, was the separation between the wash area and the dressing area, like the sinks.

33:50So there was no, there was never saw anyone. I want to back Paul up in the sense that like, yes, thank you. Like porkies and things like that gave us in our childhood established for us a world in which if you saw a hole in a wall, no matter where you were in the world, you looked through it in case there was boobs on the other side of it for reasons that you didn't know. Exactly. I don't even know if it was titillating. It was like, oh my gosh, this is the dream that there would be a hole in the wall that I can now see. And I know that there's a possibility that there are rooms in this building with boobs in them.

34:31Maybe on the other side of this wall is one of them. And I look back on my childhood and honestly, even right now, I want to remind myself, I should be looking for holes in walls. All the time. All the time. forever. That's why I'm traveling with like a little roll of duct tape everywhere I go to just cover up the holes. The psycho is based on that whole idea. No, it is true. In hotel rooms and stuff I do know some women look around for holes. I just can't. I can't. There's only so much I can be concerned about in this lifetime. Well, after you got it. First you do your bed bug check. Then you do your hole check.

35:04Then you do your secret camera check. And then you check if all the mirrors are actual mirrors rather than two-way mirrors. And then you check out. um here's what i'll say what i love about this movie is that when matthew gets up to present the human at the tree lighting ceremony he is heckled in a way that made me laugh harder than anything i was like hey didn't see you on a fountain motherfucker like like he is being roasted by the town which i think actually helped me like i just like that this town was so aggro? Like, this is a kid tree-lighting ceremony. He has neither the temperament of the free spirit kind of artist like ne 'er-do-well.

35:55He neither has that temperament, nor does he have the trust-fund, rich dick, entitled vibe to him. He is just awkward. He doesn't feel like he belongs, and he feels out of place, so he's stammering through his speeches. He's like, he's just an awkward guy. So I kept being like, why are we into him? I don't know. I also loved in the locker room scene that when, because of the locker room setup, we see he has a bunch of tattoos. I love that about him. But here's the thing, like, I don't, I think he's nice. And so that's great. But I also couldn't tell why she was that into him because he didn't seem to have much of a personality.

36:38But then I went back and remember the locker room scene. She saw something. Oh, she did. She sure did. She saw something. She saw something that honestly put a magical Christmas spell on her. Oh, yeah. It's the only reason because he is very, very bland. They both are. Right. They're both dull. I thought she had a lot of life in her. As characters. As characters. You know what I mean? I'm not saying this about the actors. I'm saying they both feel aimless. Both of them, both of them, neither of them are striving towards anything. They are both just kind of treading water. Well, yeah, I think they're both trying to find their anchor, which I think is each other.

37:22They are both, you know, they're both looking for something to ground them where they need to be, like keep them there. You know, they're they are they're boats. You know what I needed? I needed a scene in which we understood what it was like for her as a single mom in Lincoln and how like the pressures of having your kid in a rich town and being the poor worker in that town and how your kid wants to get along with all these other rich kids. But you can't provide that. That's really interesting to me. I love this. Yes. I would have loved that vibe and that understanding that she's operating in a very rich town from a position of scarcity.

38:07Right. So then I would need to know that that's what she's bringing to Santa, her work as human, that that sort of. But instead, like she is. It made me think also that everybody in this small town is on the same economic level as her, which for a ski town simply doesn't make sense. No, no. So they could afford all the things that they are asking for. Yes. Well, I mean, I think she's also trying to teach lessons, but I don't understand that. I guess I don't understand where, like, nobody is on an arc that I'm understanding. You know what I mean? Nobody at the end of the movie isn't, okay, I'm glad they have fallen in love with each other.

38:54But the process has really only made it seem as though they both are more comfortable, because they have found each other, they're more comfortable settling. Jason, that's the story. Rather than figuring out who they are as individuals and how to be happy as themselves and then love themselves and then share that self with someone else, they are clinging to each other as the answer to their lost and aimless lives. I have found someone who validates my limitations and my giving up. And by the way, what I also really needed to understand is like, does Zoe like this man? Who cares about Zoe? She's paralyzed after this.

39:38She is. Like, she's hurt. She's like, she's hurt. And they leave the big Christmas party. And Taylor's dressed as Santa Claus. And she runs to her daughter's side. And but like and maybe it's just because once they get there where it's clear the daughter is going to be OK is is, you know, perhaps she does not look OK. She looks very interesting. She's on a she's on a she's got in a neck brace. She's on a backboard. She doesn't know. She's like, Santa, why is Santa talking to me? It's like at this point, you'd be able to be like, I think that's my mom. It's my mom. What happens is Taylor and the guy, they have a whole conversation.

40:16She should be exclusively talking to the medical personnel about what the diagnosis is. And instead, she does her Mission Impossible tear off the mask reveal. Then she does apologies. Then she tries to talk. And it like is like, oh, also, what's that? Your daughter might have a spinal injury. What's the betrayal? The betrayal appears. It seems as though when she rips the mask off, you would think as though people thought she was actual Santa Claus. Well, that's what I'm saying. That's why she's being brought up on fraud charges. I mean, what's the fraud? We know it's not Santa, so the reveal is that it's Taylor.

40:52And she's also not, like, here's the other version of it, right? This resort has a world-renowned Santa, and he lives in the town. He dies of a heart attack. She hides the heart attack and dresses up as him. So she is pretending to be Hugh Man, the guy who has been doing Santa there for 20 years. That's a betrayal. That's a betrayal. Well, now she did go into the locker room. Maybe he's upset that she saw him half naked. Listen, if I'm this guy, I'm like, hey, man. Hey, man, you saw my dick and you didn't say anything. Like, what the fuck? Well, that means that she was still interested in him.

41:30Jim, would you care? I mean, the lip gloss that she's carrying around. Like, I thought when it dropped out of few man's pocket, I was like, oh, that's her daughter's lip gloss. Of course. Did they set that up that it was her daughter's? Okay, because even if it is her daughter's, though, it's still... No, it's hers because later on... No, I know it's hers, but I'm saying it's bizarre that it's hers. Even if it was her daughter's, who's 16, it would still be weird because that is the lip gloss of an 8-year-old girl. 100%. Very strange. Very strange. I did want to say that this movie, just to go back to the daughter potentially being incredibly wounded, I do think this movie does a couple of things where it doesn't really highlight any disabilities.

42:14Like, the daughter could be paralyzed. She's like, I got to do my apology to her. Now, meanwhile, when that girl comes over with a stutter, she's like, I got this. Oh, my God. I forgot about that, Paul. Like, she cures. This movie is absolutely irresponsible. This is a little irresponsible with any sort of, like, I mean, the fact that, like, she cures a stutter. stutter and then that's and that video gets thousands of likes which moves up to a million likes um but that to me was really like an like not like oh her good heart or her common sense santa-ing that's what people want parents want to bring their kids here to be get like kind of slapped in the face by santa no she like she is a christ-like magic yes it becomes like a like a very soft magical element enters because this is a movie unlike a lot of the other Christmas movies there is no magic there is no like oh the nutcracker turned into a man or there's not like a like a magical element to this but there is a little bit of like the lesson learned is that she like by accepting the Christmas I don't know what she yes she's able to do cures she's able to be so desirable that the the billionaire villain dad is like that's my santa when he keeps saying my santa it's so weird but here's the thing that i i i guess i disagree with i to me this movie had nothing to do with christmas okay do tell i think that this with the exception of like santa and the device of Santa.

43:51The movie, the stories had nothing to do with remembering the reason for the season, with all of the Christmas narratives that we hold dear to our heart. It's to settle, babe. It is literally to give up your dreams and to settle with whatever life dealt you up until this point to accept it. It's time to settle down, settle down and take responsibility for your actions. And by the way, that could happen any time of year. She could be the Easter Bunny. I agree. I agree. You know, a leprechaun. It could be, this is holiday agnostic. Well, and for everybody. Yes. Not just for Taylor and Hugh Mann and the Santa Claus character, but for the guy.

44:36I cannot remember. Matthew. That whole storyline is also not really on a Christmas trajectory, you know? No, not at all. I think that the issue that this movie has is it is taking place during the holidays, but it's more of a rom-com, right? It's more of a general rom-com. And there's no Christmas spirit. There's no magical ending. The movie doesn't even try to give you one of those like moralistic things. We're pulling that out of it. Like the movie doesn't lean there at all. It doesn't. And when they have their like, even the end of movie, a big kind of like, hey, I want to apologize and blah, blah, blah.

45:21They're kind of big talk that inexplicably happens on stage in front of a microphone. So everybody in town can hear their private conversation. That whole conversation isn't is also not about Christmas. It's not about anything. It's really just about I'm sorry, I lied. You know, it's really just, to your point, rom-com type stuff. Right. Yes. Yes, in a big public setting. And then they sing a song together. Run, run, Rudolph. Which is also weird. But, like, I mean. I don't know because I think the movie might be trying to tell us that they should both get. This is what's weird. They should both get back into pursuing their dreams together as a new screaming kittens.

46:12Now, what if what I'm sorry, what if the setup of the movie is that they know each other from both growing up in this incredibly small town? She hated him because he was Richie Rich, like, you know, rude, entitled Richie Rich. And he always like bullied her the way her daughter is bullied for being the poor kid who blah, blah, blah. And so they were from opposite sides then. And now they come. He's now returned to town as an adult. They haven't seen each other in 30 or 20 whatever years. Blah, blah, blah. That's a movie that their history informs their present story, because right now, none of it feels of anything other than so surface level.

46:53What if they were in the band together? I mean, what if he was the one who knocked her up? Because that's the story, right? He she got knocked up. She had to quit the band. All of her life went on hold to take care of her daughter. That's the dramatic monologue in the movie. If he was the one who did it as the party guy, he never came back to town until then. Then he becomes a he's the Christopher responsibility or maybe even better. He didn't know because so much. Here's my question about his work as the general manager. By the way, I felt I know the movie's telling us that like Tia is a villain.

47:30but I'm like I'm watching her the whole time and I'm like yeah it's so fucked up that this guy came back was your experience has just been swimming with swans and is taking over your job like this is insane well don't say like swimming with swans what happened there was he got into a car accident I feel like he ejected out of the front and was thrown in and started swimming around like drunkenly swimming around but she she's at least understanding and trying to protect the business from lawsuits that are no doubt going to come from this rogue Santa. Here's my question, though. One of the first kind of tests he has, and that she has, that Hugh Mann has as Santa, is the initial tree lighting.

48:13Oh, I have a question about this. Who was responsible for setting up the lighting and all the electricity there? And did Tia do that on purpose? or did he fuck that up? What actually happened? First of all, let me just say. The thing breaks. The thing breaks. Aren't those things ceremonial? Aren't they just ceremonial? Like, they're not really, like, it's not really, you're not really putting a candy cane on an electrical outlet. Like, you move that forward. You do it and then someone's backstage and presses. Hitting an on button. That's all that's happening. Like, we're not connecting a giant present to that.

48:48Like, but they made it like an electrician game there and wired this thing up. And they create this moment as if, again, you're right, this moment like, uh-oh, someone fucked up. But no, we don't know, and nor was it anyone's mistake because he's there too early. He couldn't have planned that or shortchanged it. Like, we see nothing. I don't think so. It's something that purports to be such a big event and, in fact, a catastrophic failure. Yes. But is also really just an accident that is not the responsibility of anybody there. But was it like his accident in Italy? Oh, boy. Do you think he was up there hooking up the electrical stuff?

49:26I don't know. It's like, I don't know. Do you think that everything he does, he's like, I don't care. Just run it. Like, just go forward. He does say at one point, like, I'm signing papers. I don't even know what I'm signing. All right. So, yeah. So, he's hiring the wrong people. Okay. Let me ask you this. Don't you think it's pretty weird? The part that I found very difficult to swallow was when Taylor, dressed as human, dressed as Santa. So Santa Claus, when Taylor is Santa Claus, when Taylor is speaking with Zoe, her daughter, I was like, yeah, this is irresponsible. Zoe would be like, you're my mother.

50:03You're my mother. This is my mother. Like, why doesn't Zoe just ask, like, how are you paying for this? Yes. By the way, here's a simple solution. Ask your brother to sell a couple of those masks. He has this mission. Great. You have the tuition for this elite snowboarding school. I also am like, I feel like the movie really wants us to feel like Taylor is like out on the outs. She drives that like really sketchy looking like 1980s era van. It must have been her old tour. Gotta be her old tour. Oh, wow. She's dressed in all black. When she's not in Santa, she's dressed in all black all the time.

50:47Like she's still like a punk rocker, you know, but I'm, I would love to see a rock out. So, so the idea of the movie is neither Taylor nor Matthew have grown up since teenage years at all. They still are who they were then now. Right? Yeah, sure. Yeah, let's buy that. But they're just, it's so, like, her daughter is strangely a more three-dimensional character to me. In many ways. In many ways. When they reveal, by the way, that her daughter's bully is Tia's daughter. Yeah. I was like, what the fuck is happening? Well, that's what I'm saying. Like, that moment is when I was like. Because she didn't make any sense.

51:28Yeah, I was like, oh, so she, and then, and the daughter had to be like, yeah, yeah, yeah, she actually is a good person. But I was like, does Tia actually have an issue with that? By the way, it does seem now that it will become so clear that she didn't really have any injuries. They were so minor. She only has like a sling on her a couple days later, it seems. Which seems like they were supporting the wrong part of her body when they put her on that. But Tia, when her daughter asks, like, have you heard anything? Is she going to be OK? The way Tia answers that question is like she's on the verge of death.

52:02Like she's not going to she's like there. She has great doctors taking care of her. They're doing everything they can. Like she's fine. Yeah. Well, I will say Tia's character in this is so overly dramatic about everything. That's true. In a way that is like in a way that is good because she uncovers truly like the fraud of the movie by doing some light Googling. On Jason on. Not Googling. Last Resort? What's it called? I believe it was called Look Path. Look Path. Wow. Look Path. Look Path. Can I just say something, too, that I had an issue with? Seek Trail. I don't feel there was so much kind of managing of Hugh Mann as a Santa performer.

52:53Like, people are checking in on him. People are watching him. The interactions with the children seem to go on forever. I don't know that like anyone needs that level of interaction for my Santa. You're usually pushed in there. They say, what do you want for Christmas? You say one thing. They say, Merry Christmas. And they usually say something like I can't make any promises, but you've it turns out you're on the nice list. Have a Merry Christmas. That's it. Or kiss me. By the way, Paul, this this this is the only thing I walked away from as the moral of the story. It's actually a great idea for women to play Santas.

53:31For women to take over the Santa industrial complex and just get those special masks. Like we should not be having older men sit there and have tons and tons of children come sit on their laps every year. Like that has to end. Okay. It should be a job only for women. Here's what I'll say. I'm inclined to agree. I think that the only caveat I would put on that is I do think I think that older men or middle aged men can play Santa if the women are adults. OK, well, so so in a scenario where the people sitting on laps are adults. Yeah. OK, I would say this. Right. Santa for the right job. I once...

54:51plenty of pictures with me and this monkey hugel and the monkey a lot of people with this monkey yeah yeah yeah there's a lot of monkey that sounds like something that maybe i would have gone to and then someone was like oh there's a monkey santa there and i've been like no i'm not gonna thank you i mean the fact that i just i i just recklessly just this is when you you were chimp crazy though yeah this was your chimp era this was like when the hangover was coming out and everybody was like, oh yeah, little monkeys are so cute. And the friends had a monkey. Oh, the friends monkey. Everyone loved that monkey.

55:24By the way, didn't you feel in the scenes between Santa, performed by Hugh Mann, and Matthew in the locker room and even a couple of the other early scenes, that there was a charged... And I'm not just saying, because we'll say later on. I want to talk about this, yes. I want to talk about this. Let's say later on that like he felt like he knew he felt like he could talk to her. He felt comfortable sharing things. That's all well and good. But there was something about the way that Matthew. I'm not going to put this on human. Matthew was looking at Santa Claus. Matthew wanted to fuck Santa but Santa wanted to fuck Matthew and that's okay it's okay well not it's okay but she was looking at him because she would be attracted to him but what was interesting was like oh he was looking right on back Matthew was connecting Matthew was connecting with another man in a way that you could tell the length of the movie his sexuality was being challenged yes not just another but why is his sexuality being challenged by like the most in terms of just our like you know are iconic characters, like the most asexual, the most sort of like, like what's happening?

56:42What was amazing to me is when he's telling Taylor in one of their cute repartee moments, he's telling her all about how excited he is for her to meet his best friend, Hugh Mann. That was strange. It made me so sad that Matthew has gotten to be 41 or whatever you said, Paul, and has never had a friend. And the only friend he's ever had is Hugh Mann, who he now is so excited to talk about his buddy Hugh. You gotta meet Hugh. I feel so at ease talking to Hugh. This is a red flag, ladies. If your guy's only friend is Santa, you're fucked. And by the way, have they talked that much? Have they really gotten into it that much?

57:32They had like two conversations. There's literally four sentences exchanged. But I guess no one's listened to him. Wouldn't it have been fun to see a scene where Matthew and Hugh are hanging out and trying to talk about stuff and just don't have anything in common? Or they do. You know what I mean? Like, I would have loved a bro down, ho down for these guys out for beers or whatever. Like, that's a funny setup that we never get. Right. That they have to, like, bro out together. I mean, I will say, I think there was a missed opportunity with the bathroom scene. Okay. And this also makes me question Matthew, by the way, as a general manager.

58:10when she's going back and forth between taylor and santa and changing costumes she's in the bathroom with her brother and there's lots of grunting getting on the fat suit all that's going on he's watching santa get fucked right well here's the thing yes he is watching santa get fucked or santa fucking someone i don't know either way right but he is fine with it. He's like okay with an employee of his at the lodge fucking someone in the bathroom during a company event. During the Christmas party where the Santa that is getting drilled has to be present is currently absent. They were like, where's Santa?

58:59I think it might have worked better though if he had heard Taylor's voice in there if we didn't see the Santa boots. because then that would have added a little bit more of a spice yeah a little bit more of a spice what would have been cool is if he thinks he hears taylor outside opens the door and is like taylor and it's like oh oh oh hey you you know what i mean like if there's like uh then you would think hugh his best friend was fucking taylor his girlfriend that's a great scene yes i want in I want in on this. How great if he thinks because of something she does or says or miscommunication, he thinks he's in competition with you for the hand of Taylor.

59:43I mean, someone make that. Sign me up. Can you relate it right now? I mean, that's. It's horrendous. Wow. I would love that. But that's the kind of stuff this movie would never go near because it's too, like, sketchy or it's too, like, you know, overtly sexual. I will tell you that this is one of the only movies that we have ever done to get a 10 plus on common sense media, which means that common sense media is like a conservative website that rates movies. Is it OK for families and stuff like that? A 10 plus like this movie is beyond good for families. They love it for families. Yeah, there's nothing in here that's untoward whatsoever.

1:00:22You know, like like the most scandalous thing that happens in this movie is someone has a glass of red wine that they don't even finish. Now, I will say this with all these, you know, critiques. I went down easy. I was very happy with this movie. I enjoyed my time watching it and it made me actually go, you know what? They got they figured it out. There's snow on the ground. It's dumb. It's fun. I like this chemistry. I liked everybody in it. to us. You know, I wasn't mad at it. It was not. It wasn't a slog to get a harder time. OK, because I did like the premise and I did think that there was a lot left on the table that wasn't explored.

1:01:07And I'm I think I'm in between because I well, I think I'm I feel similarly because both the way what you're saying, Paul, it goes down smooth. It is easy and it's a fun, easy watch. So much more so than... The one we just watched. Whatever we watched last week. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Thank you. This is so much better than Merry Christmas. But to your point, June, it's so much better that it almost promises that a better movie is there and is possible. And in falling short, you're like, oh no, you had it all there. You had the ingredients. Why didn't you just mix them this way instead and have it be a little more coherent or a little bit more fun or whatever.

1:01:51It's closer to a good movie that would have been a blast. But it falls short. Well, if they would have pushed some boundaries. Now, look, obviously we have opinions about this movie, but there are people out there with a different opinion. It is now time for second opinions. You're a man! You're a man! You're a man! You're a man! You're a man! The movie was a piece of shit. Yet this person recommends it Tell me what is the message Maybe that art is subjective I need a second opinion Here we go, people. So far, this movie is only out a handful of days at the time of recording here. There are no Amazon reviews, so we have to turn to Letterboxd and IMDb.

1:02:42The average letterbox rating is two out of five stars, and that's out of 18 ,000 ratings. So a lot of people watching this. And on IMDb, there are 43 written reviews. Now, I will say on IMDb, the user identifies themselves a little bit. And I will say that the name of the user is Jay Eggold. That rings a bell. Well, it's because our lead, Matthew, his name is Ryan Eggold. So we might believe that J. Eggold is related to Ryan Eggold. And we'll take a look as we hear this 10 out of 10 review. For all the cynics out there, take a moment to heat up some hot cocoa, even throw in some mini marshmallows and just have some good old fashioned heartwarming fun.

1:03:37In this crazy world, we truly need lighthearted, lift-me-up stories like this. Ryan Eggold is such a fun and talented actor to watch. And you can see how he navigates comedy and seriousness with ease. Watch this and your heart will feel squishy and warm. Which we could all use this holiday season. 10 out of 10, we need more films like this from Jay Eggold. Oh, wow. So it doesn't even reference the possible relationship. No, it just it does give Ryan a shout out. Yeah. Yeah. But it's not like, and he's my brother. No. Yes. Not like one of those. Now, I will say that Karen 95 writes, I'm sorry, but this movie was bisexual as fuck for everywhere you look at it.

1:04:26I mean, literally got Matthew looking at who he thought was a man, a.k.a. Santa Claus and catching feelings for Santa when they were talking at the bar. I mean, you could see Matthew's face in that moment because he couldn't believe he was feeling like that about a man until that moment in time. He had never pondered the question of bisexuality. So eventually, when he goes on a date with Taylor and they're both walking with their hot chocolates, all the trees were decorated with bisexual lighting, which was obviously a hint at his bisexuality. And at the end of the date, he has a unicorn on his hand.

1:04:57Okay? Also, we have Doralee, who was attracted to Santa, like genuinely at some point thought they were going to be brave and let both women kiss, or for Matthew to kiss Taylor while she was wearing the suit. Also, obviously, Taylor was bisexual. She literally had a unicorn chapstick, and unicorns represent bisexuality. So in conclusion, this was bisexual, and no one is going to change my mind. P.S. Confession time. Alexander Breckenridge, this is the lead, was my bisexual awakening. It was because of her that I realized I was into women at age 16. I saw her as young Moira in American Horror Story.

1:05:34I mean, when they aired that series back in the day, I started watching because there were actors I was a fan of. And I also thought Dylan McDermott was so hot. He is still very sexy. I was also invested in the series even before it aired. So when I saw her appearing for the first time in that series, I was so mesmerized by her beauty. And I wasn't sure why I was feeling that way about a woman. I mean, I was thinking to myself back then, well, obviously I like men. I like, you know, get all hot and bothered by Dylan McDermott. But I was also having those same thoughts about her, like sexual fantasies about her.

1:06:01I felt guilt. I mean, I was raised Catholic. Oh, my God. In a somewhat conservative country slash household. So thinking about women in such a way was considered sinful. And I was scared of admitting it to myself that I also like women. I mean, I did eventually at the age of 16 come to, you know, blinky, blinky emoji, the conclusion I was indeed bisexual. after a very erotic fantasy involving Alexandra Breckenridge and Alex O 'Loughlin. I mean, both at the same time. And if you think about it, that's the real meaning of Christmas, finding out your true self. Also, Christmas is not... Is it? Is this still the same for you?

1:06:36Finding out... Also, Christmas is not just sad for some of us. It's also horny. And most women my age want to sit on an old man's lap and ask for nice things. Yes, I understand, Dora Lee, because I also want to fuck Santa. That would give the Santa Claus is coming to town a whole new meaning, if you know what I mean. Five out of five stars. I think this person means they would like to fuck Tara as Santa Claus. Yes. I don't know. I don't know what she's saying. This was wild. What a wild. What a ride. My God. But I do think the person is correctly drilling down into some stuff that is pretty interesting, and I would have loved more of.

1:07:15Not only is Matthew confronted with starting to have feelings and connection to another man, but an elderly man at that. Well, that's the thing. Like, I think there's a world in which Matthew just is bisexual and, like, starts the movie off that way. Who knows? Like, maybe he is just bisexual. It doesn't have to tell us. But what's more interesting is that he is not that he's attracted to a man, that he is attracted to a man that is Santa. Right. A Santa man. Yes. That is subversive. Yes. And is that his type now? Are we watching him develop? She will never fulfill. When he fell in love with her, it was in some ways as Santa.

1:07:58And does that enter the bedroom at all? Do they role play? Why don't we ever get him on her lap? Because we don't want that. We don't? We don't want the big buff man on the little Santa lap? No, we don't want it. I want to just read one more line here from Empu, who writes, through this film, I learned what a single mother could do. Five stars. And I want to answer you both with Grant KF's review, which says, you know, this movie is great. It breaks the mold. It's better than the Hallmark movies. But at the end, Grant says, we need a sequel to see this couple running the resort and having a child on Christmas Eve.

1:08:42I will be waiting. 10 out of 10. Great. I like that. Why not? Why not? Our shirt, It Ain't Christmas Bitch, is available right now in the Tee Public store. It's a beautiful picture of Santa with magical writing right on it. And I got to say, Jason, I'm glad that you brought this into our lives. Jason's tip. I hope so. Me too, Jason. Me too. I did, as I was watching it in full, feel very responsible. I was like, oh, wow, they're having to do this. Boy. But I think worth it. I mean, they're apparently making you an executive producer. They are. Retroactively. Yes, I am now an EP on the thing. And when they come around to making the sequel, I hope that they ask us to be an integral part of it.

1:09:26Maybe we're doing a live podcast at the resort in the room, in the conference room. She's booked us as part of her job as director of family events. Yeah, that's interesting. Now, I wanted to save the best piece of information for last. This was written by Ron Oliver, who wrote Hello, Mary Lou, Prom Night 2. So a little connection back. Oh, interesting. Yes. Isn't that a very old movie? It is, 1987. Oh, whoa. People are still, yeah. And has made a nice name for himself, writing movies like Christmas at the Plaza, Falling for Christmas. He writes primarily Christmas and wedding movies right now.

1:10:11But it was also directed, and this is why I think the quality is good, by the director who directed all the Princess Switch movies, which I enjoy. Princess Switch 1, Princess Switch Switched Again. Vanessa Hudgens. Yes. Yeah, the VHCU, the Vanessa Hudgens Cinematic Universe, or I guess streaming universe, VHSU. There we go. So the tagline, single mom, double life. Love it. I love it. It's a great setup, you know, for a movie and absolutely recommend. And I'll just say one final thing, which is this, that you might have been saying, Paul, Jason June, why didn't you bring up the fact that Alexander Breckenridge also has remade The Twelfth Night with Amanda Bynes and she's the man.

1:11:00We're also the same idea. A female dresses up as a man. So they're just, yes, there it is. We acknowledge it. Just one of the guys. Just one of the guys, right. That was just one of the guys. All right. Well, we did it. Happy holidays. And remember, if you want to watch our very special live holiday episode, it is up right now on hdtgm.com. You can buy that and the Deep Dive holiday special. It is great. And for less than$20, you can enjoy so much good stuff. Remember, if you have a correction or omission for this episode, leave us a voicemail at 619-PAUL-ASK or write a comment in our Discord at discord.gg slash HDTGM, and I'll respond to those messages on Last Looks.

1:11:44And without spoiling anything, I will just say we have a very special two-part episode in store for you all. That will be dropping on Tuesday and Friday of next week. Yes, it's a year-long event starting in 2025, ending in 2026. So be on the lookout for a little end-of-the-year gift from us. And lastly, thank you to our entire team, Molly, Scott, Cody, Casey, and Zoe. Bye for now. Happy holidays.