Single All the Way parents guide

Single All the Way Parent Guide

This gay rom-com is just as vapid as the straight ones.

Overall B-

Netflix: Peter is perpetually single, much to the disappointment of his meddling family. So Peter hatches a plan to bring his best friend, Nick, home for the holidays to pose as his boyfriend. But is it all really just an act?

Release date December 2, 2021

Violence A
Sexual Content B
Profanity B
Substance Use B

Why is Single All the Way rated TV-PG? The MPAA rated Single All the Way TV-PG For language and suggestive dialogue

Run Time: 99 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Peter (Michael Urie) is facing a blue Christmas. Having learned that his boyfriend is married, he’s heading home for the holidays. Single. Again. Desperate to avoid his family’s pity, he persuades his roommate and best friend, Nick (Philemon Chambers), to come with him and pretend to be his partner.

Once the friends arrive in New Hampshire, Peter learns that his mother (Kathy Najimy) has set him up on a blind date with her buffed gym instructor, James (Luke Macfarlane). Quickly abandoning the charade with Nick, Peter is charmed by the handsome, athletic personal trainer. But that’s not enough to keep him away from the festive activities at home. Over the course of the holidays, Peter starts to see where his heart really lies…

There are three questions that will determine how you feel about Single All the Way. First: How do you feel about homosexuality? If you have contemporary attitudes about LGBTQ issues and want to see greater representation in film, this movie fits the bill. If you have traditional views about same sex relationships, this show will likely make you uncomfortable.

Second: Do you enjoy Hallmark-style romantic dramas? If paint-by-number, cheesy movies with foreordained happy endings are your idea of cinematic comfort food, you’ll be relieved to know that this movie doesn’t depart from that formula. It replaces some of the gender stereotypes with gay stereotypes, but that’s not a surprise in a genre known for lazy writing.

Third: How fussy are you about production quality? If you insist on good dialogue, well rounded characters, and an entertaining plot, this story will be disappointing. The cast ooze harmless goodwill, but they are neatly pigeonholed into flat cardboard characters spouting cavity-inducing dialogue. This movie is every bit as vapid as rom-coms featuring straight characters. If gay Americans want equal representation in romantic films, they can take what comfort they can find in the fact that these characters are every bit as clueless as their straight counterparts.

Like traditional Hallmark romances, this isn’t a film with broad audience appeal. Rom-coms have always appealed to a strongly female demographic, and this one hits the same notes, although it will also find an audience with LGBTQ viewers. For either of these audiences, there’s little here to offend. There’s no sex beyond kissing, no swearing beyond terms of deity, drinking without drunkenness, and no violence whatsoever.

Not only is there little negative content, there’s little in the story that isn’t filled with “niceness”. And that’s a problem. Romantic movies need a conflict or issue to temporarily keep the intended lovers apart, but here the only relationship challenges are diffidence, fear, and poor communication. It’s not exactly compelling cinema. But, hey, at least it’s clean.

Directed by Michael Mayer. Starring Michael Urie, Jennifer Coolidge, Luke Macfarlane. Running time: 99 minutes. Theatrical release December 2, 2021. Updated

Watch the trailer for Single All the Way

Single All the Way
Rating & Content Info

Why is Single All the Way rated TV-PG? Single All the Way is rated TV-PG by the MPAA For language and suggestive dialogue

Violence:   None noted.
Sexual Content: A photo shoot involves shirtless men depicted as scantily clad Santas. A married man kisses another man. A woman reminisces about dancing on a table with gay shirtless cowboys. Two men kiss in a couple of scenes. The song with the closing credits has risqué lyrics and dance moves. 
Profanity:  There are approximately a dozen terms of deity in the film.
Alcohol / Drug Use: Adults drink alcohol at social events and with meals. A man purchases a large amount of alcohol.

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Single All the Way Parents' Guide

Why do Peter and Nick take so long to acknowledge their feelings?  Has fear ever held you back from taking a risk?  Do you think Peter’s relatives are giving him a nudge or do you think they are interfering in his life?

Home Video

Related home video titles:

There are an increasing number of same sex romantic films. Breaking Fast tells the story of Mo, an observant, gay Muslim who falls for a non-Muslim man. In The Prom, a school’s refusal to allow a senior to bring her girlfriend to the prom brings a group of Broadway stars to the rescue.

Fake romantic relationships are also film fodder. Maggie and Jack are radio hosts who decide to pretend to be in a relationship to keep their listeners engaged in Midnight at the Magnolia. In The Proposal, a publishing executive discovers that she’s going to be deported so she forces her assistant to pretend they’re engaged. When a woman saves a man’s life, his family believe that they are a couple. During the time he spends in a coma, she falls in love with his brother in While You Were Sleeping. Famous author C.S. Lewis agrees to a marriage of convenience with an American friend in Shadowlands, but when she’s diagnosed with cancer, he has to examine his true feelings for her.