REVIEW: ‘The Merry Gentlemen’ Bares All…Kinda

As a film with the hook of bare-chested men dancing to save a business around the holidays, The Merry Gentlemen knows the audience it’s gunning for. It’s me. I’m the audience. However, despite its witty title and shiny trappings, its embrace of the shallow also extends to its romance. For a movie tapping into the sensual dance stylings ala Magic Mike, the chemistry between the two leads is so stiff that no amount of stretching out can warm up this otherwise frigid start to love. And that’s not without Chad Michael Murray‘s best efforts.

The Merry Gentlemen features a plot that will feel familiar to rom-com fans. Broadway performer Ashley (Britt Robertson) has spent the past twelve years sacrificing everything for her dancing. Unfortunately, with dance comes the harsh reality of ageism, and Ashley gets “aged out” of the Rockettes-style group she’s dedicated everything to. With nothing else on the horizon, this quintessential city girl returns to her small town to spend the holidays with her parents. Ashley discovers a whole mess, requiring her to get creative to save her family’s business.

Aside from the fact that landlord rents are the real evil of The Merry Gentlemen (I kid, I kid), Ashley is ingenious. She looks around her mother’s (Beth Broderick) and father’s (Michael Gross) establishment, takes in the surprisingly ripped men employed by them or within their general periphery, and decides, “You know what will make bank? An all-male, Christmas-theme revue?” This plot point plays with and embraces the “save the small business” trope in a fun way and ends up being the strongest, most delightful part of The Merry Gentlemen.

Luke (Chad Michael Murray), the handyman who entangles Ashley in their first meeting, is reluctantly looped into Ashley’s scheme. The reluctance stems from his thinly written dislike of “city girls,” which Ashley embodies when she arrives in town. Her attitude and general lack of charm or charisma don’t help either. Yet, Luke at least tries to help, and slowly, through Ashley’s hands-on training and encouragement, he comes out of his shell and, well, his shirt. A lot.

While the gentlemen are indeed merry in the film, the romance is slightly less so. Part of this concerns our leading lady character, Ashley. Due to a combination of acting, direction, and writing surrounding the character, Ashley reads a little one-dimensional. Ashley is incredibly dedicated to her craft—dancing. She’s a career woman, almost obsessively driven. It’s no surprise that, for the tropes touched upon in The Merry Gentlemen, she is not the one who falls first.

However, her ambition and focus put Ashley into the “strong, independent” female character archetype, with little else to help round her out. There’s not a whole lot of depth beyond that in Britt Robertson’s performance. Despite the character’s drive and unnecessarily extra clumsiness, a trademark of many a rom-com heroine, Robertson’s Ashley is almost rendered unlikable. Had there been more nuance to the performance and further hints of the character’s developing feelings for Luke, the romance by the end of The Merry Gentlemen might have resonated strongly.

Because, on Murray’s end, Luke’s feelings for Ashley are pretty obvious. From the facial expressions, his physicality, and his actions towards Ashley during the story, there’s something there. But it’s unclear throughout The Merry Gentlemen that Ashley reciprocates. Instead, the love almost registers as one-sided despite Murray’s best efforts to generate chemistry. Something manifests towards the end. And even then, it’s a stretch.

Putting aside the romance element, The Merry Gentlemen is held together by its delightful premise of saving a small business. With more towns becoming increasingly devoid of character as people move out to the cities, there’s a reason why saving the family business is a good old classic in romance, especially around the holidays. The extra special flair of having an all-male dance revue come to save the day is a lovely touch that works to bring in viewers but also reminds us that creativity can and will save the day.

The Merry Gentlemen is streaming exclusively on Netflix.