Whether playing Rory Gilmore’s conceited Chilton classmate/sworn enemy Tristan or making you feel all the feels on One Tree Hill, Chad Michael Murray was a staple of 2000s teen entertainment. Now, he’s back to make everyone successfully swoon (yay) while watching a Netflix Christmas movie.
Murray is starring in The Merry Gentleman alongside Britt Robertson, and the two play classic holiday characters in a classic holiday story: Attempting to stop a beloved place from shutting down. This time, they put on “an all-male, Christmas themed revue,” as Netflix put it. One word: Yes!
Unsurprisingly, fans shared on X that they are absolutely going to watch. Sure, the story sounds great, but just look at those abs…
But wait… there’s another handsome star in an upcoming holiday movie. Yup, I’m talking about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appearing in an utterly confusing film called Red One. While Murray’s fans can’t wait to watch him celebrate the holidays, people don’t get what The Rock’s latest is all about.
Johnson plays North Pole security agent Callum Drift which, okay, makes sense because he’s, you know, The Rock. But what is an action movie set at the North Pole? Aren’t Christmas movies supposed to be comforting, cozy vehicles that you watch with your favorite quilt and some hot chocolate? Instead, someone abducts Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) and Johnson has to save the (holi)day. There’s also a polar bear named Agent Garcia (Reinaldo Faberlle)… for some reason.
Fans took to X to share their dismay at Red One as a whole, and I’d have to agree with them.
Would you rather watch a shirtless dancing Murray or, um, Johnson making sure that everything is all good at the North Pole? I think I know the answer. Murray, for his part, is excited to star in what is going to be perfect holiday entertainment. He said in an interview with Netflix.tudum.com, “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.” The Merry Gentlemen is all about having a good time and hopefully includes some other Hallmark-esque elements, from cookie contests to tree decorating chaos to a big secret being revealed at the last second. But, again, Murray without his shirt off! That’s enough of a draw for everyone.
Red One might have been doomed from the beginning and the issues have nothing to do with the strange plot and setting. According to The Wrap, the movie was meant to come out in 2023. Instead, the publication says that the budget ended up being $250 million, which is wild (and more than any other holiday film). Johnson also allegedly peed in a bottle that he made his assistant deal with and was late all the time. That’s definitely not how you get people to see your movie.
Even if people weren’t already sure that they wanted to see The Merry Gentleman instead of Red One, there are a few details that might change some minds. Murray’s character, Luke, is a contractor, which is all I personally needed to hear, and the place Luke and Ashley (Robertson) are rooting for is called The Rhythm Room. You have to love some alliteration.
I’ll check out The Merry Gentleman when it’s on Netflix on Nov. 20, 2024, and will skip Red One, which comes out five days earlier on Nov. 15. Let’s collectively be sure to make some hot cocoa and enjoy Murray’s Christmas gift to us all.
