Let’s be real for a second. We’ve all had those "holiday from hell" moments where you’re stuck in a house with people who don't quite get you. But for Kristen Stewart, Happiest Season took that universal dread and turned it into something much more complicated than your average Hallmark flick.
When the movie dropped on Hulu back in late 2020, it didn’t just premiere; it basically took over the internet. People weren't just watching a rom-com. They were debating. They were yelling at their screens. They were suddenly very, very invested in the romantic choices of a fictional character named Abby.
Honestly, the setup is a classic trope. Girl meets girl. Girl loves girl. Girl invites girl home for Christmas—only to reveal, mid-drive, that she’s actually still in the closet and her girlfriend has to pretend to be her "straight, orphaned roommate." Yikes.
Kristen Stewart Happiest Season: The Role That Felt Too Real
For Kristen Stewart, taking on the role of Abby wasn't just another gig. She’s been pretty vocal about why this specific story mattered. In various interviews, like with The Advocate, she mentioned how any queer woman over a certain age has likely dealt with that specific, crushing weight of not being able to be honest about who they are. Or, worse, being with someone who isn't ready to be honest yet.
It’s meta, right? Stewart has lived her life under the most intense microscope imaginable since her Twilight days. She’s talked about the "f—ing annoying" studio notes she got on the set of Happiest Season regarding her hair and clothes. Apparently, executives wanted her to look a certain way—basically, they wanted to "shroud" her identity to make it more "digestible" for a mainstream audience. Stewart, being Stewart, found the whole thing exhausting. She told Them magazine that she saw her role as the "hidden vegetables" of a family-friendly movie. It’s a healthy dose of reality tucked inside a sugary holiday package.
The Aubrey Plaza Problem (And Why We Can't Let It Go)
We have to talk about Riley.
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If you’ve seen the movie, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Aubrey Plaza plays Riley, the ex-girlfriend of Mackenzie Davis’s character, Harper. Riley is cool. Riley is empathetic. Riley actually sees Abby while Harper is busy pretending Abby doesn't exist so she can please her high-strung parents.
The chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Aubrey Plaza was so electric it practically short-circuited the movie’s actual intended romance. To this day, if you go on X (formerly Twitter) or TikTok during December, you’ll find thousands of people arguing that Abby should have left Harper at that gas station and driven off into the sunset with Riley.
Director Clea DuVall has defended the ending, noting that the movie is a "genre film." In rom-com land, the couple you start with is the couple you end with. But for many viewers, the "happy ending" felt a bit like a hostage situation. Harper spends most of the movie gaslighting Abby and ignoring her. When they finally make up in the end, a lot of us were left wondering: Wait, is this actually good for Abby?
Behind the Scenes: From Pittsburgh to Your Screen
The making of the film was a bit of a race against time. They filmed in Pittsburgh and wrapped on February 28, 2020. That is—checks notes—literally days before the world shut down because of the pandemic.
Because of COVID-19, Sony ended up selling the distribution rights to Hulu instead of giving it a massive theatrical release. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Since everyone was stuck at home that winter, Happiest Season became a massive streaming hit, shattering records for Hulu and becoming one of their most-watched original films at the time.
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The Cast Is Actually Stacked
It’s easy to focus on Stewart, but the ensemble is kind of ridiculous:
- Dan Levy as John: He basically saves the movie’s soul with that speech about how everyone’s coming-out story is different.
- Mary Holland as Jane: She co-wrote the script and stole every scene as the "weird" middle sister.
- Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen: Playing the most terrifyingly "perfect" parents you’ve ever seen.
- Alison Brie: Bringing that high-key "eldest daughter" anxiety to a whole new level.
Why This Movie Still Stings (In a Good Way)
What most people get wrong about Happiest Season is thinking it’s supposed to be a light, fluffy escape. It’s not. It’s a movie about the trauma of the closet, disguised as a movie about tinsel and candy canes.
Clea DuVall based a lot of the script on her own experiences. It’s semi-autobiographical. That’s why the "outing" scene at the Christmas party feels so visceral and uncomfortable. It isn't "funny" in a traditional way. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s painful.
Some critics, like those at Frieze, even called it a "horror movie" for queer people. And honestly? They aren't entirely wrong. Watching someone you love deny your existence for five days straight is a nightmare. But that’s also why it resonated so much. It didn't sanitize the experience. It showed that even in a "happy" Christmas movie, the process of coming out to a conservative family is often a total wreck.
The Legacy of Kristen Stewart’s Holiday Debut
Looking back, the film did something huge. It was the first holiday rom-com centered on a lesbian couple to be produced by a major Hollywood studio. It paved the way for more "Holigay" content.
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But it also sparked a much-needed conversation about what "representation" actually looks like. Do we want movies where queer characters just get to be happy and bake cookies? Or do we want movies that reflect the hard, jagged parts of our lives? Happiest Season tried to do both, and the fact that we’re still talking about it years later suggests it hit a nerve.
If you’re planning a rewatch this year, keep an eye on the background details. The wardrobe, which Stewart fought so hard for, is actually incredibly specific. The "butch" influences in Abby’s outfits—the coats, the boots, the lack of traditional "feminine" holiday sparkle—were intentional choices to show that Abby wasn't changing herself, even if Harper was.
Your Happiest Season Checklist
If you're diving back into this world, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Watch it for the supporting cast. Dan Levy and Mary Holland are the real MVP's here.
- Pay attention to the Riley scenes. If you think the subtext is there, it's because it is.
- Listen to the soundtrack. It features artists like Tegan and Sara and Sia, making it one of the "gayest" soundtracks in recent memory.
- Accept the ending for what it is. It’s a genre trope. It’s not meant to be a manual for a healthy relationship; it’s meant to be a Christmas miracle.
Now that you’ve revisited the drama of the Caldwell family, why not look into how other 2020 releases compared? You could check out the production history of Love Lies Bleeding to see how Stewart handled a much more "edgy" queer narrative later in her career.