‘Single All the Way’ is a Netflix Christmas movie about Peter (Michael Urie), who desperately wants to avoid his family’s judgment about his forever single status. He tries to convince his best friend and roommate Nick (Philemon Chambers) to come with him for the holidays and pretend that they’re now in a couple. But when Peter’s mother Carol (Kathy Najimy) sets him up on a blind date with her handsome trainer James (Luke Macfarlan), the plan goes awry.
Summary
The movie opens with Peter, an advertising assistant shooting a Christmas scene with hunky gay Santas. There is an unseen demanding boss who wants to put up sponsored posts targeting Insta-gays, which exasperates Peter. Peter’s real passion is tending to and decorating plants and he hopes to open a plant shop someday. He is mocked by his colleagues that his current relationship lasting 3 months is a record. He attends a party with his current boyfriend Tim, who’s a doctor.
Nick works as a ‘Task Rabbit’ that is a sort of posh handyman. Nick and Peter share their apartment with a collection of potted plants and Nick’s dog Emmet. Nick has also written a bestselling Children’s book ‘Saving Emmett’, which is about rescuing his dog after his previous owners abandoned him. He earned a lot of money from that book and is saving it for a rainy day.
At work, when Nick is putting up Christmas lights on the roof, the lady of the house says that her husband has just arrived. It turns out that the husband is none other than Peter’s boyfriend Tim. After Peter learns about this, he is devasted and breaks up with Tim. He convinces his best friend Nick to spend Christmas with his family back in New Hampshire and also asks him to pose as his boyfriend because Peter desperately wants his family to stop viewing him and judging him as a loser at love.
Peter floats the idea of moving back to New Hampshire. Nick wonders why he’d want to give up the buffet of gay men in LA. Peter’s reply is, “The all-you-can-eat buffet in Los Angeles has served me nothing but 7 heartbreaks, a mountain of therapy debt, and a chipped tooth”.
They reach Peter’s family home in New Hampshire. Peter’s mother Carole, has already set her son up on a blind date with her trainer, James. Even worse, Nick tells Peter he should go on the blind date before Peter can start spinning a web of lies about their fake relationship. Peter protests but finally agrees to go. But Peter’s mom isn’t the only one obsessed with Peter’s dating life. The rest of the family is convinced that Nick is actually the man for Peter. Will these best friends become lovers or will Nick be left in the cold?
Single All the Way ending explained in detail:
Peter’s Family
Mom Carole insists on being called Christmas Carole all December long and she is not afraid to correct anybody. Aunt Sandy (Coolidge), Carole’s sister, also puts together a Christmas pageant every year, and it’s every bit extra.
Christmas Carole brings a fake Christmas tree as she doesn’t like cleaning the falling needles every time. Everyone sulks as they wanted a real Christmas tree. Peter’s father is very much a typical father and loves his son and likes Nick and they bond well when Nick fixes a leaking faucet.
Peter’s sister runs a pub in the town and has two teenaged daughters who love Nick and desperately want Peter and Nick to be together. Even Peter’s father mentions to Nick how Peter seems happiest when he is with Nick.
Nick brushes it off. His other sister has two children, a boy and a girl around 4 to 6 years of age, who are great fans of Nick’s book Saving Emmet. They insist that Nick should write a sequel. Thus, Nick bonds really well with Peter’s family and they all love him.
The Blind Date
Peter goes to his mom’s gym to meet his blind date, who’s a personal trainer there. He turns out to be a handsome man and Peter is immediately attracted to him. They go to Mrs. Claus’s cafe and have peppermint lattes. Although initially hesitant, James actually has fun on his date and they even get a real Christmas tree for Peters’s house together.
He goes to the supermarket on his way back and runs into Nick, they’re both buying extra wine. Peter tells Nick the date was ‘not bad’, and Nick keeps teasing him about it.
Christmas Carole is upset that they bought a real tree but is overjoyed to hear that James picked it out and that the date went well. Peter’s whole family cheers, except for Peter’s teen cousins, who still want Peter and Nick to be together.
Who does Peter end up with?
During his dates with James, Peter keeps talking about Nick. James suggests that maybe they are more than friends. Peter’s family takes notice of how well he and Nick get along, realizing that the two are supposed to be more than friends. The family decided to play matchmaker for Christmas with the purpose of bringing them together.
Nick realizes this and confesses his love for Peter, but the latter seems hesitant. Peter has plans to move back home and start his dream job. Coupled with that, he was also scared of getting romantically involved with Nick and risking their perfect friendship. Crestfallen, Nick decides to leave.
As soon as Nick leaves, Peter realizes his true love for his best friend and runs after him. He finds Nick at a store space “to be rented”, where Nick says that this would be Peter’s plant store and he has paid six months’ rent in advance. He has used his book money for this. Peter realizes how much Nick loves him.
He decides that he can never stay away from Nick and confesses his love. They announce themselves as a couple the next day, on Christmas. Peter’s family is overjoyed that he has finally found love with his best friend.
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