Original Airdate: December 13, 2020 (Paramount Network)
Where to Watch?: Paramount will re-air it in this, and likely future seasons, too; It’s also available for purchase via iTunes, et al, or you can watch now, with ads, for a limited time, on paramountnetwork.com (cable login required)

Dashing in December is a big swing. Not only is it Paramount Network’s first-ever original holiday movie, but it’s also a story centered on two men falling in love at Christmas. To go with an LGBTQ+ centered romance right out of the gate, and as your only offering, is bold, and I admire the moxie.

This definitely had a bit more money than most of these made-for-TV cheapies. The music budget alone could probably pay for a Hallmark movie or two, and I appreciated the extra gloss a bit more cash leant to the overall production. We got to see lengthy horse rides, for example, instead of just a scene with them leaving, and then returning to the same, already-set-dressed locale. The Utah ranch most of this was shot at seemed pretty luxe, and a bit more money also got them Andie MacDowell as the mom, though not exactly sure how much she added, to be honest. (MacDowell’s mom was not really much of a presence, unlike, say, Fran Drescher.)

The trajectory of the story is pretty typical—a single, big business-type comes to their tiny hometown for the holidays, where he at first finds annoying, and then falls in love with, the salt of the earth guy who works with his hands. The only thing missing from the tried and true formula is either one of the leads hating Christmas, but then coming to adore the season. Also, no baking contest.

But the premise is about where the typical-ness ends. The story actually lets Peter Porte’s “Wyatt” lean into to being a bit of an actual jerk, and stresses that Juan Pablo Di Pace’s character “Heath” has a life that is small for a lot of reasons, and while that isn’t a bad thing, it’s also not necessarily a superior life choice.

There’s a fake out at the beginning with partner names, where they make you think Wyatt is going to be in the closet, but then it’s revealed that, no, the “Lindsey” ex he’s discussing is a guy, and everyone knows that. Wyatt’s female high school ex also has the name “Blake,” so the whole messing with gender name tropes/what-happens-when-you-make-assumptions implications here are intentional, and honestly pretty well done.

And, while completely “clean,” this PG-rated film also lets its grown adult protagonists be just a tiny bit lusty, which is such a refreshing relief. Fun fact: Sexual attraction is a part of actual human beings falling in love. Not something most so-called Christmas romances seem to want to admit.

Not only do we get a very lovingly shot scene with Porte in just his holiday boxer briefs (and, damn, Porte, just…damn), but there’s also a lustful glance from a waiter early on, and at least the subtle intimation that these guys did more than close-mouth kiss while falling in love, though nothing beyond that is ever said or shown. 

Honestly, this movie is rife with smoldering stares and…you know what? Here for it! Loaded looks all over the place really sells this romance that doesn’t actually show any contact beyond the aforementioned chaste kiss we see in all these films, yet still manages to feel a whole lot hotter. Di Pace, in particular, gives very good glance.

The character establishing dinner, where Wyatt makes fun of the wine Heath brought, and acts all “you’re the help” with him about not remembering his name is great, as is Heath’s “If you do that, can I call you Sugar Cube?” I like how these two are imperfect, and hold their own with each other, making both the initial annoyance, and eventual attraction, feel genuine.

Another honestly good line, well-delivered by Porte, is when Wyatt and Heath have a conversation about their sexuality, and Wyatt acts cool and know-it-all, with “You can just tell,” followed up immediately by the endearing, “Plus, my mom told me you were gay." 

Another great moment was the honky-tonk scene. Not wanting to "dance with a dude” at a “straight country bar” in a small town he’s not completely familiar with, but knows is conservative, feels both very true, and very much like what an actual, not-in-the-closet, but not-living-in-a-fantasy-world-either gay man would say in 2020. 

Their entire falling in love story had a veracity most of these movies lack. And Porte, who I’ve previously only seen play super nice guys, being the more worldly of the two, also works well. Wyatt’s heartbreak story was solid, and completely believable, both in its particulars, and how much it would have hurt, and I actually got a little teary when they were exchanging longing, meaningful looks during the church scene while “Silent Night” played.

Heath responding to the memories Wyatt shares by setting up the “homecoming” dance for their date is absolutely swoon-worthy, and Wyatt planning to reciprocate, but then screwing it up by being a jerk again, felt so much more real than most of these movie fights. 

Like, they both actually had good points from their own perspectives, and while Wyatt was being supercilious and presumptuous, he also obviously felt like he was doing the right thing and, when it comes to the ranch, he was supporting it, so definitely did have a say in its future. And for Heath, who has been bemoaning his lack of job and relationship options, moving to a bigger city where you’re more accepted and there’s more opportunities isn’t a totally crazy idea, even if the way it was presented was tone deaf.

They even managed to make that whole, two people on opposite sides of a door, but neither one opens it, or knows the other is there, cliche work pretty well. Throughout the movie these actors sold the longing and confusion really well, and there were genuine obstacles to their relationship, not some mis-overheard misunderstanding.

Honestly, this is so much better than anything else I’ve seen from writer/director Jake Helgren, who has made a slew of not-great Christmas movies (harsh but sadly true). Helgren said he wanted this to be a bit of an homage to the way he’d wished Brokeback Mountain ended, and while I’m not saying Dashing is at that caliber, think Helgren, Porte and Di Pace for sure nailed that aesthetic. 

The ending of Dashing in December is definitely its weakest part. No, an “angel investor” isn’t going to fund your ranch just by farming “a few acres,” and a private equity lawyer/investment banker isn’t moving home to Colorado to lead year-round sleigh rides. That’s just as silly as all the turning-down-the-big-promotion-to-make-Christmas-trinkets-full-time Hallmark endings, but the rest of this story had more depth than average Christmas movies, and up until then everything felt both real and powerful in a way these movies rarely do.

Don’t think the reason so many of this season’s Queer or otherwise diverse Christmas movies are at or near the top of my list this season is because they’re LGBTQ+-centered—after I’m all, I’m very white, very straight, Midwestern mom—but do think it’s true that the people who made those movies, gave them extra care and attention, knowing they were groundbreaking, and it shows.

Happiest Season, The Christmas Setup, The Christmas House, A Sugar & Spice Holiday and now Dashing, have all been far better crafted than your average holiday rom-coms. And, in almost all cases for the creators and stars, this long-awaited representation is personal, so they seem to be going that extra mile, and we absolutely see that effort in the quality of the final product. Which actually goes back to my annual rant that I’d be happier seeing a dozen new movies every year, done well, then 116 more slap dash efforts. But I’m not a programming exec.

Do know what I like though, and Dashing in December worked for me. With a better ending that felt more like the rest of the movie, would have been four-paw worthy for sure. Wish it had done better in the ratings, but hope Paramount stays in the made-for-TV game. Also hope we get not only more LGBTQ+ and BIPOC representation next holiday season, but also some hetro romances that are as swoon-worthy as the same sex couple stories were in 2020. Seriously, I think this movie and The Christmas Setup absolutely had the most actually romantic romances of any I’ve seen this season, and it’s not even close.

Final Judgement: 3 Paws Up