This Is Not Your Mama's Christmas Movie! Get the Scoop on Netflix's 'The Merry Gentlemen'
It might be sweater weather outside, but Netflix is hoping you'll get hot under the collar with their latest original Christmas movie. Looking to separate themselves from the traditional holiday movie, Netflix is leaning toward edgier, sexier Christmas rom-coms that might even make Lifetime blush. Their latest flick is The Merry Gentlemen is essentially Magic Mike—Christmas Edition and we are here for it.
What is The Merry Gentlemen about?
To save the Rhythm Room, her parents’ small-town performing arts venue, Ashley (Britt Robertson), a former big-city dancer stages an all-male, Christmas-themed revue. One of her recruits is Luke (Chad Michael Murray), a contractor who helps Ashley's family out at the Rhythm Room.
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Meet the cast of The Merry Gentlemen
Britt Robertson (Ashley)
As a teenager, Robertson had lead roles in Life Unexpected and The Secret Circle. She would later lead the Netflix series, Girlboss and star in Big Sky. Her most recent role was that of Agent Laura Stenson on The Rookie spinoff series, The Rookie: Feds.
Fun fact: Robertson is the eldest of seven children.
Related: Big Sky—Everything You Need to Know About the Twisty Crime Thriller
Chad Michael Murray (Luke)
There's another Luke that Murray is best known for playing. For several seasons, Murray played Lucas Scott on One Tree Hill and it was that role that catapulted him to stardom. Starting his career as a model, Murray has since appeared on Gilmore Girls, Riverdale and Dawson's Creek. This isn't his first Christmas movie either. He has appeared in several holiday films including Toying with the Holidays, Write Before Christmas and Christmas on Windmill Way. He currently stars opposite Morgan Kohan on Sullivan's Crossing. He'll also star in the upcoming sequel to Freaky Friday, Freakier Friday, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in 2025.
Of working on The Merry Gentlemen, Murray says, “We got to change things up a little bit and push the envelope. We take a lot of the tropes that have been created for this particular genre and poke fun at them in such a tasteful way.”
Related: Chad Michael Murray Shines in Great American Family's Newest Original Christmas Movie
Marla Sokoloff (Marie)
Sokoloff is best known for her role as Lucy on The Practice. As a child actor, Sokoloff had a recurring role on Full House and would later reprise that role decades later on Fuller House. Other credits include Drop Dead Diva, Burn Notice and Grey's Anatomy.
Fun fact: Sokoloff wrote the script for The Merry Gentlemen.
Beth Broderick (Lily)
Broderick is best known for her role on Sabrina the Teenaged Witch. She has appeared in several holiday movies including A Very Merry Toy Store, Romance at Reindeer Lodge and Christmas Town. Other credits include Criminal Minds, Walke, and Lost.
Michael Gross (Stan)
Gross is best known as patriarch Steven Keaton on Family Ties and as Burt in the Tremors films. His many other credits include Anger Management, Suits and Last Man Standing.
Fun fact: Gross and Meredith Baxter, his Family Ties on-screen wife, share the same birthdate.
Maxwell Caufield (Danny)
Most viewers will recognize Caufield from Grease 2 where played Michael Carrington, the British cousin of Sandy's (Olivia Newton-John) who comes to Rydell High as an exchange student. Caufield would later be cast as Miles Colby on The Colbys, a spinoff of Dynasty. Other credits include Castle, NCIS and The Nanny.
Did You Know? Caufield is married to actress Juliet Mills, the sister to The Parent Trap's (1961) Hayley Mills.
When does The Merry Gentlemen premiere?
The Merry Gentlemen will be available to stream on Wednesday, Nov. 20 on Netflix.
Are they really dancing in The Merry Gentlemen?
The answer to that question is very merrily yes. For Murray, “It was something that I’d never done. I said, ‘Oh, this scares the crap out of me. I’ve got to do this. I made a bunch of phone calls and said, ‘Let’s get in as much rehearsal time as possible.’”
It proved to be a bonding exercise between the actors in the "revue" as well. “If you’re going to do it, you got to do it right. You got to go all in. All the guys were awesome,” Murray revealed. “There was definitely a bond there. Everybody just helped each other up. And everyone else had a different gift to give to the film.”
Did the female actresses enjoy The Merry Gentlemen dance routines?
I mean, come on, who wouldn't? Robertson quite enjoyed watching the routines come together and would occasionally pop into their rehearsals. She was particularly fond of the Western-themed performance. “I have a certain affection for the cowboys—I’m Southern,” she said. “The hats, the boots. There’s so much you can work with!”
Is there a trailer for The Merry Gentlemen?
Yes! Check out the official trailer for The Merry Gentlemen starring Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray.
Check out images from The Merry Gentlemen
Take a look at some select images from The Merry Gentlemen starring Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray in the gallery below.
View the 5 images of this gallery on the original article