Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 10+
Innuendo, shirtless male dancers in a ho-hum holiday romcom.
Videos and photos
Based on 4 opinions of parents
What is the story?
Ashley (Britt Robertson) is living her dream as a Broadway dancer in THE MERRY GENTLEMEN. When she is let go and replaced by a younger dancer, she goes home for the holidays to regroup. Once there, she discovers that her parents have fallen into debt because of the bar they run. The bar used to be a gathering place in the city that featured local acts. Ashley comes up with the idea of choreographing a male “show” (men dancing shirtless) to try to raise money and save her parents’ establishment. She enlists handsome handyman Luke (Chad Michael Murray) and others to help them.
Is it good?
Tis the season for topless men on Netflix. First Hot Frostyand now A jolly gentleman. Hallmark meets romance in this movie Magic Mike. Unfortunately, while the film is undemanding, it doesn’t go deep enough into setting up its characters for us to really care. We don’t learn anything about Luke’s background, except that he was dumped by his ex-girlfriend, and of course his abs. If you’re looking for an emotional film about men stripping down to raise the necessary funds, check out the British classic The Fully Monty instead. If you’re looking for crazy holiday stuff, this will help.
Talk to your kids about…
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Families can discuss the idea of moving from a big city to a small town, as Ashley does The Merry Gentlemen. What stereotypes of “city” and “city” do you see in this film?
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Have you seen other movies featuring male strippers or shirtless dancers? How does this one compare?
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Could this movie have been set at a time other than Christmas? How would that change?
Did we miss something about diversity?
Research shows a connection between children’s healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in the media. That’s why we’ve added a new “Different Representations” section to our reviews, which will be published continuously. You can help us help children