Have you heard of the Christmas movie that came out twice, one version with gay parents and another with straight parents? 

“Too Cool for Christmas” and “A Very Cool Christmas” both came out in 2004 with the same cast with just one minor difference: in one version, the main character had gay parents, and in the other, she had straight parents, respectively. 

The movies are identical, down to the smallest bit of dialogue. The plot is about a teen girl who would rather go skiing with her friends than spend Christmas with her family. 

In an interview with Buzzfeed, director Sam Irving said that they would shoot a scene with the mother, then swap out with the other dad and film the exact same scene. There were no shooting differences in the process of filming. Each version got the same treatment. 

Some movie critics have theorized that the gay version was for the more tolerant Canada while the straight version was to go to conservative America. 

However, Irving responded to these comments saying that the entertainment landscape in 2004 was unfavorable to LGBTQ+ representation at best. Making both movies at the same time was a guarantee that at least one version would get sold in the market. 

I don’t need to watch both versions to know that the main character, Lindsay, is a selfish, spoiled brat hidden behind terrible 2000s dialogue and poor editing. 

Despite having a brand new car, clothes, makeup and a large allowance, she still is throwing a fit about being denied going on her ski trip. 

The lack of awareness in the main characters is absolutely astonishing. She does have a small bit of character development with helping the mall Santa, who turns out to be the real Santa. 

The rest of the 1 hour and 30 minute film is an almost unbearable watch, with incredibly painful dialogue and acting. 

Unless you’re really scrounging for some low-bar LGBTQ+ representation, “Too Cool for Christmas” and its straight counterpart “A Very Cool Christmas” aren’t worthy of your Christmas movie lineup.