"Christmas on Repeat": A "Groundhog Day" romcom with Matthew Lawrence, Peter Pan, a bodybuilder, and some cocks

 

After successfully finding a gay romance tucked into the final scene of Falling for Christmas, I decided to check out some other recent Christmas movies to see if a gay character snuck in under the noses of the homophobes.  First up,  Christmas on Repeat, because it features one of those day-keeps-repeating plotlines, and Matthew Lawrence (sigh), one of the trio of muscle-hunk brothers who brightened the 2000s.  

Scene 1: The day before Christmas. Andrea spent the night in her office, because she's a workaholic, but not to worry, her assistant got presents for her husband and kids, and arranged for bonuses for the office staff.  On her way out, her boss, Nick (Matthew Lawrence, sigh) stops her: they have to shoot a commercial tomorrow -- on Christmas Day -- and the guy in charge of the account is taking Christmas off, so... No fair!  Why don't you do it?

She calls her husband, John (Gary Poux), to say she's on the way home.  He is upset, because that means she will want to cook breakfast  and she's an awful cook.  Wait, how is she going to fall in love with the Boss?  Maybe she's just the conduit, and the Boss will fall in love with someone else.

She mentions that she has to work tomororw, but he's not upset: she "has to work" every Christmas. 

Scene 2: She stops to buy some groceries -- the supermarket parking lot is empty on Christmas Eve?  And the donation-collecting Santa Claus knows her name.  Creepy.  He points out that there will be a shooting star tomorrow night with "off the charts" magic.

Scene 3: At home, she greets her teenage children. Lexi, who looks like a 30-year old supermodel, has a new dance routine -- this is depressing, as Andrea and her husband used to dance, before she got too busy. 

And Matt (JJ Whyte) is there; he was going to stay overnight with his friend Ryder, but changed his mind.  Tell me more about your "friend," dude.

Back story: Daughter from Andrea's first marriage, Son from this one.  I guess they want to explain why Lexi is so melanin-deprived.  Or they could have found a 30-year old African-American supermodel.

Scene 4: Andrea works on her laptop until late, and goes to bed after Hubbie is already asleep.  Don't worry, I won't say anything about the cock she's missing out on.

Scene 5: Christmas day.  She commits the following crimes:

1. She doesn't know her son Matt's friends

2. She is unaware that he has stopped being interested in basketball

3. She tries to make pancakes, but sets the kitchen on fire.  Not being able to cook is apparently a major sin in this world.  Maybe this movie is pushing the nuclear family myth, where Dad works and Mom stays home to cook. 

4. At the comemrcial shoot, she doesn't prevent the  "Clean, Green, and Prestine (sic)" actress from sninping at director Paul (Terry Woodberry).  

Director Paul yells at the actress, she quits, and then he quits.  And gets heterosexualized by mentioning his wife.  Darn.  

But at least we have another cock, after the break

5. Next Andrea stopped by a cop  for speeding in a residential zone. I expected a whole hauled-into-jail thing, but she just goes home.  

6. They sit down to the horrible gifts that her assistant picked out.

7. Boss Nick calls to yell at her about the shoot falling apart, and demands that she show up for a new shoot tomorrow, the Day After Christmas.

8. She stays up so late that hubbie is already asleep. 

Scene 6: Whoops, the day repeats.  And repeats and repeats, until she finally gets everything right. 

1. She gets to know her son's friend Ryder (Nolan Almeida, seen here as Peter Pan).

2. She becomes an expert basketball player, and rekindles her son's love of the sport.

3. She learns to cook so she can fill her patriarchal gender-polarized life role.

4. The photo shoot goes perfectly.

5. She helps the cop (Joe Rosetta) with his personal problems.  Why not just drive the speed limit?

6. They sit down to the perfect gifts that she bought.  Whiile repeating Christmas Day over and over?  What store was open?

7. She tells Boss Nick that she's not available until after New Year's Day, so she can spend time with her family.

8. She goes to bed early enough to...um... satisfy her husband.

The end.

Beefcake: None.

Gay Characters:  None.  Boss Nick mentions a wife.  Andrea's son doesn't display any heterosexual interest, but the basketball thing is probably meant to heterosexualize him.

Matthew Lawrence: The posters make him Andrea's suitor, or at least a main character, but he appears in only a few scenes, yelling at her on the telephone.

My Grade: C.  It would be lower, except for the muscles of Joe Rosetta and the cocks.

Here's another for the road

See also: Meet Me Next Christmas: A drag show, a queer cousin, Pentatonix, and a dancer's dick

Marcus Adair: finance major, stuntman, Jabari warrior, nude model

Falling for Christmas: Lindsay Lohan's boyfriend gets a boyfriend in a Christmas romcom