Netflix brings a naughty Christmas with The Merry Gentlemen

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, all streaming services are filled with new (bad) Christmas movies. With all that sugary romance, you might sometimes miss a bit of spice. Luckily, Netflix is coming out with a new title that is both naughty and nice. ‘The Merry Gentlemen’ promises to be a Christmas movie à la ‘Magic Mike’ that will warm us up even more than the fireplace.

A last resort

Dancer Ashley (Britt Robertson) returns to the small village where she grew up for the holidays. There, her parents run a bar, The Rhythm Room, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. In hopes of saving the family business, Ashley decides to use her skills as a choreographer to organize a dance show with some of the bar's employees. We can't call them strippers; Ashley uses the term revue, but it is indeed one with only handsome men; without shirts, of course. One of her dancers is contractor Luke (Chad Michael Murray), who has been helping the family for some time. He gets swept up in the whole Christmas spectacle, although it seems he does it for Ashley with all his love.

A good preparation

Dancing, especially in this way, was something Chad had never done before. He found it terrifying, but that’s exactly why he wanted to play this role. To deliver a convincing performance, he took his preparation very seriously. “I made a lot of phone calls and said: ‘Let’s schedule as much rehearsal time as possible.’” For weeks, he practiced with the other actors on their dance moves; those rehearsals sometimes lasted between six and eight hours. All that practice not only led to better performances but also strengthened the bond between the actors. “When one of the guys was unsure about a move, they would ask another man who knew it. It was beautiful to see how they helped each other,” said Britt.

Anyone wanting to spice up Christmas this year will have to be patient a little longer. ‘The Merry Gentlemen’ will be available on Netflix starting November 20.

Image: Netflix