Written by Chad Hodge Netflix‘s Single All the Way dazzles from start to finish. With a friends-to-lovers threading the story and followed by delicate mutual pining, it’s the kind of holiday love story that’s all about the best tropes, and the culminating moments that equate to something bigger and better.
Starring Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers, Kathy Najimy, Jennifer Robertson, Jennifer Coolidge, and more, Single All The Way takes us through the hilarious trials of meddling families and a whole lot of “shipping.” Having Peter’s (Urie) entire family ship him with Nick (Chambers) was delightfully refreshing. And his mom’s reason for setting him up on a blind date is at least with the innocent kind of intention where all she wants is to do her best to be a better LGBTQ ally. (But deep down, even his mom ships them, and Najimy was astounding as Christmas Carole!)
I’m a little bummed we didn’t actually get to see the fake-dating Peter and Nick were planning before the visit, but I’ll take the film as a win for the amount of mutual pining we got when neither of them even realized it’s what they were doing.
There are several fantastic scenes throughout, moments as heartwarming as Christmas romance films tend to be, but there’s one particular that we need to scream in length about. The photoshoot. (There will be tons of gifs from this, I’m sure. It’s romance goals.) There’s something about a person taking a picture of the person they’re meant to be with and realizing that it’s the most beautiful photograph they’ve ever seen. You can see it so brilliantly in the warmth and adoration both Urie and Chambers bring to life at that moment. And it’s in this same scene where you understand why the two of them never took the risk to date before.
Single All The Way gives our heroes a conversation about the fears of what happens when you fall in love with your best friend. While it’s beautiful and sounds lovely on paper, what happens after is a lingering, understandable fear that should be considered.
Friends-to-lovers is one of the best tropes, but it’s also the one that requires the most risk. For Peter especially, it’s clear right from the start that no one’s been there for him the way Nick has, and thus, losing him would be more terrifying than a thousand breakups combined. No plant could stitch him after that kind of heartbreak, so his reservations are easy to understand.
And thereby, the aftermath of the fears leads to the best kind of physical gift followed by a perfect decision for both of them. As an author, Nick gets to write from wherever he’s at, and with the shop now purchased, Peter can live his best plant life. Plus, as they had initially planned to announce their relationship with the entire family around, the two then surprise them on Christmas morning, stating that it’s official—they’re together.
Similar Christmas Film Recommendation: The Holiday Sitter
Single All The Way tugs on all heartstrings. There’s a slight love triangle, but it’s not one that ever feels like a threat because, again, the delicately woven mutual pining is so intense, it makes the angst worthwhile. The family dynamics are precious and hilarious, making for the kind of happy ending we all want to see. We watch these films because more than anything, we want people to find both love and a career they adore, and that’s exactly what happens for Peter and Nick. They get the best of worlds, and they even leave Los Angeles for a small town, which I’m personally super envious of.
Single All The Way is now streaming on Netflix and a must-watch for all holiday romance aficionados.