Get ready for another Christmas tear-jerker in the form of Spoiler Alert. However, unlike all the Hallmark holiday films based on books, this one is a true story and it's coming to theaters.
Based on the 2017 memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello, the film details his 13-year relationship — and eventual marriage —- with photographer Kit Cowan. Although we already know how it will end, the Elf Squad still can’t wait to see this equally heartwarming and heartbreaking love story. And it’s made even better with several poignant and tender scenes surrounding Ausiello’s favorite holiday: Christmas.
Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge star as Michael and Kit, with Nikki M. James, Sally Field, Bill Irwin, Antoni Poroski, and Jeffery Self rounding out the cast.
A Bittersweet Christmas Love Story
Director Michael Showalter is already well-versed in tackling serious subjects and real-life events — case in point: 2017’s critically acclaimed The Big Sick. That film details how actor Kumail Nanjiani met his wife, Emily, and what happened after she became ill a few months later. But unlike its predecessor, Spoiler Alert has a very different ending. And Showalter has plenty to work with, thanks in part to Dan Savage and David Marshall Grant’s adapted screenplay.
Michael is uptight, struggles with body image, and has a huge Smurfs collection at home. Kit is more confident but has never come out to his parents or had a long-term boyfriend. Yet when these two meet at a queer bar, they find exactly what they’ve always needed. The film showcases all the ups and downs of their relationship, earmarked by heartwarming Christmas scenes and pictures of the two in front of their tree. But during a very low point, everything comes to a head when Kit is diagnosed with terminal cancer. And it's this unexpected tragedy that finally brings these men and their families together for good.
Parsons has come a long way since his twelve-year run as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. Since coming out, he’s especially made a point to take on more LGBTQ+ roles, such as Michael in both the stage and film adaptation of Boys in the Band. As for Aldridge, he’s portrayed Thomas Wayne in the DC Comics series, Pennyworth, since 2019. He also stars in the British crime drama The Long Call and made appearances in Reign and Fleabag.
More About the Author - Michael Ausiello
As for Ausiello himself, he was a television industry journalist and actor long before he became an author. He has spent decades working behind the scenes and on-camera for shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra, Good Morning America, and Today. And his long-time friendship with producer Amy Sherman-Palladino has earned him cameo appearances on Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, and Scrubs. Originally from Roselle Park, New Jersey, Ausiello lives and works in New York City.