WOMEN WE LOVE: Mackenzie Davis

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and that means it’s time for the most wonderful kinds of movies. While it’s always fun to revisit our annual favorites, this year’s batch of new Christmas films might just win out. We’ve got everything from Jingle Jangle, a Christmas musical that seems destined for Broadway, we’ve got The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again, which brings us triple the Vanessa Hudgens, and we’ve got Hallmark’s slate of 40 new films.

But perhaps no film has been as warmly welcomed as Hulu’s record-breaking Happiest Season. The film centers on Harper and Abby, who have been happily dating for months and are headed to meet Harper’s family for Christmas. The snag is, Harper isn’t actually out to her parents, and doesn’t tell her girlfriend that until they’re already in the car. What follows is a weekend of complicated feelings and uncomfortable situations, mixed in with just the right amount of humor and chaos.

The movie is an instant classic, anchored by a phenomenal cast, including Mackenzie Davis as Harper. And while Harper herself is bit hard to love, Davis certainly is not. Honestly, we’ve been sleeping on Mackenzie Davis for too long now. That could be because of her wide range of projects. Depending on what you first see Mackenzie Davis in, your perception of her likely varies wildly.

From "Black Mirror" to Terminator: Dark Fate to That Awkward Moment, no two characters Davis has played are ever really the same. Each character is not only original but memorable.

Then there’s the sheer skill of Davis. Take a moment and brace yourself, and let’s relive THIS moment from Happiest Season:

Davis expertly plays up the nuances of her characters, making them feel real in a way other actors can only strive for. Perhaps that’s because Davis understands the gravity of each story. Happiest Season in particular is a monumental film, considering how few LGBTQIA stories we see in the form of a big-budget holiday film. That fact was not lost on Davis. In reality, it’s part of what drew her to the project. Speaking to The Cut, Davis revealed that both she and Kristen Stewart signed onto the film because they “would feel so jealous that we didn’t get to be a part of it. It’s special culturally and socially, but it’s also special personally.” She continued, “It’s important to me to politically and ethically stand behind the things and the images that I contribute to the world. But not always in an overtly political way. This movie in particular feels like it’s only political in the liner notes. It’s political in how sort of standard it is — a standard Christmas rom-com.”

Of course, that only makes it easier to love Mackenzie Davis. She’s just funny and honest, making her a perfect pairing to Kristen Stewart. Their chemistry in Happiest Season was undeniable, and it’s clear that that’s because they were a little obsessed with each other. Let’s not understate how on-the-money Davis’s impression of KStew is.

Personally, we wouldn’t mind seeing them on-screen together again. But until a Happiest Season sequel is confirmed, we’ll happily look forward to Davis’s next solo project.