Best movies like Christmas at the Holly Hotel

In the aftermath of Stonewall, a newly politicized Vito Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBTQ+ representation in the media. He went on to write "The Celluloid Closet", the first book to critique Hollywood's portrayals of gays on screen. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Vito became a passionate advocate for justice via the newly formed ACT UP, before his death in 1990.

Master chef Kate Armstrong runs her life and her kitchen with intimidating intensity. However, a recipe for disaster may be in the works when she becomes the guardian of her young niece while crossing forks with the brash sous-chef who just joined her staff. Though romance blooms in the face of rivalry, Kate needs to look outside the kitchen to find true happiness.

A documentary on the life and career of Joan Rivers, made as the comedienne turns 75 years old.

Noel is a young man who travels from upstate New York every year to sell Christmas trees in New York City. Returning without the help of his long-time girlfriend, this year Noel finds it impossible to do the one thing he knows so well---sell Christmas trees. As Noel begins to spiral downwards, alienating co-workers and customers in the process, it turns out this same community of people may be the only ones capable of saving Noel from self-destruction.

This is the year 2022. Overcrowding, pollution, and resource depletion have reduced society’s leaders to finding food for the teeming masses. The answer is Soylent Green.

An unsuccessful sculptor saves a madman named "The Creeper" from drowning. Seeing an opportunity for revenge, he tricks the psycho into murdering his critics.

Parker Ballantine is a New York theater critic and his wife writes a play that may or may not be very good. Now Parker must either get out of reviewing the play or cause the breakup of his marriage.

One unlucky evening, Louis Cropa, a part-time bookmaker, discovers that his restaurant has become a hotbed of conflicting characters. In addition to having to please a whiny food critic, Louis must fend off a hostile takeover from a pair of gangsters, to whom his sous-chef is in debt. Further, Louis has an argument with his son, the star chef, whose culinary creativity has brought success to the business.

Meet the dirtiest cop in NYC history. Michael Dowd stole money and dealt drugs while patrolling the streets of '80s Brooklyn.

Eddie Tayloe's grandfather leaves him six thousand dollars and the money belt it came in, freeing Tayloe to leave his dull newspaper job in Texas and move to New York to become a playwright. Along the way, his car breaks down and a girl walking along the highway asks for a lift. It turns out she's a nice girl, named Perry, running away from a job at a gasoline station. Soon they're off to New York together, but part ways once they arrive. Time passes and Eddie is failing to sell his play; Perry is failing to find a job. Odd circumstances, involving an old pickpocket named Mandy, bring them together again.

When Grace comes to live with her daughter and son-in-law, she is eager to find a way to be useful in the community. She loves to read stories to children, and decides to read one on public access television. The response is so strong that a large company hears about it and offers her a television series. Her life becomes complicated as she is forced to make some serious decisions. Through it all, Grace is able to help a young mother realize that time is the most valuable gift she could give to her daughter.

"The Indian" is a touching drama about a negligent father who must face the son he abandoned years earlier, and the emotional wreckage he caused, in order to obtain a life-saving transplant.

Young Manhattan chef Samir rediscovers his heritage and passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food.

A classic comedy of mistaken identity and romance set during the holiday season at a ski resort that is owned and operated by a Native American Nation. Shot on location at The Sundance Resort in Utah, this is the first contemporary romantic comedy to feature an almost entirely American Indian cast. The film was featured at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.

Maddie, a reporter for a Norfolk newspaper, embarks on a Tiger Cruise during Christmastime where she meets a handsome naval officer and stumbles upon a mystery in the ship’s archive room.

A waitress, a barman and an underwear designer try to rob a New York restaurant where two of them work.

Josie Jennings a celebrated, romantic, 35-year old chef in the city heads home to spend the holidays at the quaint, magical bed and breakfast where she grew up, and where her mother Shannon has just opened a new restaurant. Famous food critic Tanner Rhodes, who has given Josie harsh reviews in the past, comes to town to review the new restaurant and Josie’s Christmas Cuisine. As the holidays unfold, Josie and Tanner get to know each other better, and a romance soon begins to blossom but will Tanner find a way to right his wrongs, write a rave review for the bistro’s delicious cuisine, and win Josie’s heart by Christmas Eve?

The dairy farm Emily has been running since her father passed away has fallen on hard times. When Emily’s sister, Dorothy, and her handsome business partner, Charlie, show up with a proposition to sell the farm, Emily comes up with an ingenious plan to buy out her sister's shares. She holds an online holiday ice cream flavor contest that goes viral with the help of a key ingredient, Charlie's amazing apple pie. Still, as the Christmas Eve deadline for the buyout approaches, Emily needs a Christmas miracle to save the family farm and her father's legacy.

As a little girl, Melanie Hogan wished to find her own prince charming just like her parents found true love. Now an adult, Melanie is running her own bakery and dating a handsome CEO, Justin. Although things seem perfect when Justin asks Melanie to spend the holidays together at his beautiful lake house upstate—and meet his mother. Melanie finds herself spending more time with Justin’s best friend and loyal assistant, Dean, who just might be harboring a secret crush on her. When complications arise that throw Melanie and Dean together over the holiday, will the two realize they're meant to be?

Eve, A Christmas loving professional wish granter, takes on the task of decorating the high-end condo for a reclusive writer who is spending the holidays out of town. But when the handsome writer turns out to be home for the holidays after all, Eve will have to pull out all her tricks to make him fall in love with Christmas all over again – and maybe find romance along the way.

Inspired in form by American police TV shows and soap operas, The Golden Boat is a madcap, surreal dash through the streets of New York city, telling the mysterious and often hilarious story of an aged street-person named Austin, a comically compulsive assassin, as he joins up with a young rock critic and philosophy student named Israel Williams. In the course of their adventures, Austin pursues his object of desire - a Mexican soap opera star - and along the way engages a host of TV characters and bit players, whose repartee range from gangsterish insults to the question of God's existence.

New York City cop becomes partners with a rodeo cowboy from Montana on the City's Mounted Police Department.

When Jesse is dumped right before the holidays by her boyfriend, Shawn, his parents convince her to still spend Christmas with them, and Shawn's handsome cousin, while Shawn is away.

With the Christmas season fast approaching, department store window decorator Sloan Van Doren is hoping to take over the recently-vacated head window designer spot but finds she has to prove herself by going up against rival Jake Dooley. As the two compete they find they may have more in common than they think. Stars Chyler Leigh and Naomi Judd.

With the holidays approaching, a young party planner arranges a special Christmas party for a New York toy store. When a powerful corporation threatens to shut her down, she decides to follow her heart, moving forward with the party plans and finding true love in time for Christmas.

The holiday season is turned upside down for a neophyte food critic JJ (Pope) when her uninhibited mother (Baranski) shows up unannounced. In an attempt to occupy her mom's time, JJ works out a deal with a young chef (Cannavale) that stirs up some matters of the heart.

A lawyer's wife walks out on him, then poses as a French nurse to spy on him.

A detective investigating the murder of a heroin addict discovers that there is a connection between the junkie and his fiance, who is his boss' daughter.

Strangers June and Charlie wind up double-booked in the same upstate New York Airbnb during the start of COVID-19. Exasperating the situation, the lockdown forces them both to stay and confront the unexpected feelings that develop between them.

With Christmas approaching in New York City, historian Jessica is hired to create an exhibition honoring the history of Christmas at The Plaza Hotel. When she is paired with Nick, a handsome decorator, they wind up enjoying a host of holiday traditions together and find themselves falling for each other.

A hobo played by Barnard Hughes decides it's time to go home. Drifting from place to place, Hughes finds himself in his hometown of Salt Lake City at Christmas time. Here he hopes to close old wounds and be reunited with his unforgiving son played by Gerald McRaney, and get to know the grandchildren he has never met. McRaney, still resenting the fact that Hughes ran out on his family 25 years earlier, gives his father only one day with his grandkids; after that, he's expected to leave and never come back. All the while Hughes' friends warn him that his son and the past are memories that are best left alone, and should leave, but he has to find out for himself.

A food and wine critic who hits her head and loses memory while accidentally visiting a winery she panned in the past, owned and operated by single dad Michael.

When chef Hank makes a deal with frozen food executive Maggie to save his restaurant, their unexpected attraction complicates matters, leaving Maggie conflicted: Does she choose her allegiance to her cut-throat boss or does she partner - both in work and in love - with Hank?

When a magical Christmas wish goes wrong and inadvertently gives Christina the ability to hear what gifts everyone wants for the holidays, she quickly learns that convincing reclusive one-hit wonder, Dan Copren, to step back into the limelight could make a lot of people happy. But to get to Dan, Christina must first link up with her handsome realtor, Robert, and help him figure out his son Oliver’s ever-changing Christmas wish list.

John Stonehouse (William Russell) checks into a hotel, intending to commit suicide. But instead he winds up helping a girl, Gilberte Bonheur (Fritzi Brunette), out of a jam. He finds her bending over a man who she has apparently killed, and since he's about to kill himself anyway, he offers to assume the blame. Throw a valuable emerald into the works, and the fact that the dead man suddenly comes back to life, and Stonehouse -- not to mention the audience -- becomes thoroughly befuddled by it all. Everything clears up, however, when Gilberte gives him a theater ticket -- it turns out that everything he went through was the plot to a stage play, enacted in real life by the actors. The critics roasted the play, saying it wasn't true to life, and this was their proof that the situations really could happen. Gilberte retires from acting when Stonehouse proposes.