The Merry Gentlemen tells the story of Ashley, a big-city dancer that loses her job and has to go back home for the holidays. While at her family’s bar, she finds out that her parents are in debt to the owner and has until the new year to get the money or the family business will be evicted. As a suave idea as a choreographed dancer, Ashley comes up with the bright idea to hire a few of the men in town (who coincidentally all have six-packs) to perform an exotic dance show - ala Magic Mike. 

 

Conceptually the film is more risqué than the usual holiday fare and that alone should be a selling point in and of itself. However as a swift and easy comparison when it comes to male exotic dancers being depicted on film, Magic Mike showcases how to do it right. The Merry Gentlemen certainly shows how to deliver a stale, static dance routine that sheds no life into the holiday spirit. The camera doesn’t flow with the dancers, nor does it highlight the exoticism of it all. This accumulates to a bore of a film, particularly during these pretty prominent dances. 

 

Britt Robertson is fine in the lead, not delivering anything substantial to her role beyond a coordinator and rushed love interest for Murray’s fixer-upper. Chad Michael Murray makes a stoic return to screens with this holiday rom-com, similar to his Freakier Friday co-star. However, this attempt fails to service his abilities beyond some charm being thrown into otherwise poorly paced and rushed scenarios. Remove the dancers and the film falls back into a generic seasonal picture… add them back in and it’s a poorly produced Magic Mike ripoff. There’s truly no winning.