Santa’s dancing his way into our hearts a little early this year. And who’s that driving his sleigh? Why, it’s Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray, stars of The Merry Gentlemen, a new rom-com heating things up this holiday season. You can unwrap this particular gift now –– and this sizzling Christmas entertainment is worth the wait.  

Directed by Peter Sullivan (Secret Obsession) and written by Marla Sokoloff (Sweet on You), The Merry Gentlemen is the story of a steamy musical revue that just might save Christmas. “We got to change things up a little bit and push the envelope,” Murray, who portrays romantic lead Luke, tells Tudum. “We take a lot of the tropes that have been created for this particular genre and poke fun at them in such a tasteful way.”

And you’re invited to see all the hip-thrusting moves and heart-melting romance. Below, we have your playbill for the show. Make sure to pick up some hot cocoa in the lobby.

Katrina Marcinowski

What’s The Merry Gentlemen about?

To save the Rhythm Room, her parents’ small-town performing arts venue, a former big-city dancer stages an all-male Christmas revue. “My character, Ashley, decides to take her skill as a dancer and choreographer and marries that with some hot dudes at the bar to make The Merry Gentlemen show. She may or may not save the bar …” Robertson teases. 

The actor was immediately drawn to the story, which is filled with bright lights and exhilarating performances. Those qualities are what Robertson enjoys during her own “orphan Christmases” in Los Angeles, with other loved ones who stay in the city for the holidays. “When I read the script, I was like, ‘This is my kind of Christmas movie!’ ” she says. “I didn’t even have to do any of the burlesque. I get to just watch a bunch of very talented dudes do it.”

One of those men is Murray’s Luke, a “kind, confident, and slightly sarcastic” contractor, who helps out Ashley’s family at the Rhythm Room. “He’s thrust into an unfamiliar situation and is pushed to the limits of comfortability,” Murray says. But, as the first photos of The Merry Gentlemen prove, Luke is also game for whatever Ashley has up her sleeve. 

Katrina Marcinowski

Katrina Marcinowski

Katrina Marcinowski

When can I watch The Merry Gentlemen?

The Merry Gentlemen has shimmied onto Netflix as part of the 2024 holiday slate. You can enjoy it now, along with other holiday rom-coms like Meet Me Next Christmas starring Christina Milian and Hot Frosty starring Lacey Chabert. Our Little Secret starring Lindsay Lohan will then debut on Nov. 27. Sounds like a holiday season to remember.

Can I see any Merry Gentlemen photos? 

Sokoloff, who wrote the movie and also stars in it, is excited to welcome you to the surprisingly cozy and sultry world of The Merry Gentlemen. “I’m my best self during Christmastime,” she says. “Watching holiday movies with my family … nothing makes me happier.” 

Like Sokoloff, you’ve probably noticed one place where her film really shines. “The costumes are the highlight for me,” she continues. “So many fun themes and moments. I can’t wait [for everyone] to see it all come together!”

And what about the trailer? 

Just like Luke and his fellow gentlemen, this is one trailer you won’t be able to look away from. Get your taste of the magic ahead in the video above.   

Who’s in the cast of The Merry Gentlemen?

The cast of The Merry Gentlemen includes:

• Britt Robertson as Ashley
• Chad Michael Murray as Luke
• Marla Sokoloff as Marie
• Beth Broderick as Lily
• Michael Gross as Stan
• Maxwell Caulfield as Danny
• Hector David Jr. as Ricky
• Colt Prattes as Troy
• Marc Anthony Samuel as Rodger 

Are the Merry Gentlemen really dancing in The Merry Gentlemen? 

You can bet your jingle bells they are. Murray took his preparation for the role (and all the body rolls that came with it) seriously. “It was something that I’d never done. I said, ‘Oh, this scares the crap out of me. I’ve got to do this,’ ” he reveals. “I made a bunch of phone calls and said, ‘Let’s get in as much rehearsal time as possible.’ ”

All of that practicing created an unbreakable bond between all the members of the Merry Gentlemen. “If you’re going to do it, you got to do it right. You got to go all in. All the guys were awesome,” Murray continues. “There was definitely a bond there. Everybody just helped each other up. And everyone else had a different gift to give to the film.”

Robertson — who did her own solo rehearsals for Ashley’s big opening Jingle Belles tap dance number — was delighted to watch the gents’ dance troupe come together. When she would pop into their eight-hour rehearsals, the men seemed more “like brothers” than co-stars. “Whenever one of the guys wasn’t sure about a move, they would ask the other guy who knew it. To see them help each other out was precious,” she says.  

Fans can get a peek at all their hard work in the photos, which include teases of the Merry Gentlemen in various performances. One image invites fans to giddy up and join them in the yuletide fun. Robertson admits the Western inspiration is one of her favorite vignettes in the movie. 

“I have a certain affection for the cowboys — I’m Southern,” she says. “The hats, the boots. There’s so much you can work with!”

Murray laughs and says his wife agrees with Robertson — although he’s partial to the Chippendales-inspired looks in The Merry Gentlemen. “I enjoyed the 1980s-esque, classic look with the bow tie and the whole nine,” he says. “There’s just something that felt very kind of old-school Patrick Swayze. Couldn’t hold a candle to him, but still, it just felt cool.”  

What happens in The Merry Gentlemen?

New York City transplant Ashley might be bound for small-town romance, but, at the very beginning of The Merry Gentlemen, we meet her first love: tap dance. The rom-com opens on a glitzy performance from holiday phenoms the Jingle Belles, with Ashley as the star at the center of the stage. Sadly, her bosses think her light has started to dim. Or, as Robertson bluntly explains, “She gets a little bit too old” — at least according to management.

So, Ashley decides to head home to Sycamore Creek. Initially, she thinks the trip is just a salve for her post–Jingle Belle wounds. But once Ashley steps foot back into her family business — iconic local music venue the Rhythm Room — she realizes just how badly she’s needed. The Rhythm Room’s surprisingly fashionable landlord Denise (Maria Canals-Barrera) is going to shut down the club by the end of the year and turn it into a juice bar. What’s the opposite of a Christmas miracle? Suddenly, Ashley has purpose. 

She also has a very hunky handyman named Luke to flirt with. Ashley meets Luke upon arriving back in Sycamore Creek and immediately gets all tangled up in his garland (no, that’s not a euphemism). Soon enough, Ashley is accepting rides from the carpenter and stumbling into him in the midst of his shirtless repairs. 

Luke’s abs are so memorable, Ashley decides they’re the answer to her Denise problem. She tells the landlord that the Rhythm Room is going to put on a Christmas-themed male revue — and Luke will be the star performer. Naturally. Although Luke tries to refuse Ashley’s plan, he’s no match for her determined charm. As Robertson says, “Grinding and tap will save this country!” 

Cue the mad dash to dance greatness as Luke, Ashley’s brother-in-law Rodger, and bartender Troy prepare for the big show under Ashley’s tutelage. The Merry Gentlemen’s debut performance is a hit, and the crowd goes particularly wild for a flash of Luke’s “naughty elf” boxers. But Ashley’s loved ones are far more interested in the fireworks going off between the tap dancer and her repairman. 

As Ashley and Luke’s connection grows, so does the Merry Gentlemen’s repertoire (and cast). Cowboys, Chippendales, sultry businessmen — these fellas can do it all. 

Ahead of the Merry Gentlemen’s most spectacular evening, Ashley has to make a choice: stay for the Christmas Eve show or return to New York and accept a new job offer from the Jingle Belles. Luke’s past makes matters more difficult. Years ago, he moved to Sycamore Creek for his ex-wife, who ended up picking the big city over their relationship. If Ashley goes back to the Big Apple, she could plunge Luke directly into the same heartbreak again. Yet she has to choose herself and her decades of hard work. So Ashley accepts the Jingle Belles’ offer … 

Until she doesn’t. After a particularly bad bout of airport traffic, Ashley decides to turn down the Belles and catch the Christmas Eve performance. (Who wouldn’t choose Chad Michael Murray over the threat of a crowded TSA line?) Luke is so happy to see his favorite tap dancer, and they finally share a magical holiday kiss that involves a perfect lift. “That was a Chad Michael Murray move right there,” Robertson reveals. Murray says it was the only way to cap off such a romantic tale. 

“You have this beautiful build between two characters through this hour-and-a-half storytelling,” he explains. “They go through so much together. There are forces driving them together and pulling them apart. It would just feel so anticlimactic not to have that. It just felt right.” 

Robertson thinks it feels particularly right that Ashley decides to stay in Sycamore Creek on her own. Luke doesn’t chase her to the airport and beg her to come back with him. “In life there are moments where you make a decision to show up or you don’t show up,” Robertson says. “It’s like a very simple moment for her, which is just like, ‘Where do I want to be? Do I want to be hustling in New York –– for what? Did it really serve me in any way? Or do I want to be here with my family, with this production that I just created? With this new guy who I’m falling in love with?’ ” 

On Christmas, it appears Ashley selected wisely, as the entire Rhythm Room family gathers for dinner. Not only is her mom’s famous oyster stuffing on the table, but the team blew past their $30,000 goal to save the club. It’s no wonder Luke says this is his favorite holiday memory — and probably now yours too. 

Additional reporting by John DiLillo.

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