I'm giving Under the Christmas Tree a positive review. With all its faults, its still a step in the right direction in the largely ignored world of gay, or in this case lesbian romance films for the general public.
The story: Charlie is a "tree whisperer" scouting for the perfect tree for the state's holiday display. Alma is a local businesswoman running a struggling Christmas shop with her parents, who are about to retire.
Charlie finds a tree on Alma's property that would be perfect, but it has been cherished by the family and is in fact the logo for the shop.
While Alma says no, at the same time sparks fly between Charlie and her. From there, the story follows Charlie's attempt to change Alma's mind and the gentle flirtation between them.
The flaw here is there is very little romance in this rom-com. I know there were constraints. This is a TV movie after all, but there weren't even many longing looks between the two, making it a bit sterile. Apparently, this was the director's first film. Perhaps a more experienced hand might have been able to get something on screen not on the printed page.
Still, I'm giving this a great grade. I've watched it several times and enjoyed it. The ending definitely leaves open the possibility of a sequel. That would be a very good thing.
