Peter Sullivan’s Netflix movie, The Merry Gentlemen, is a sweet and simple story about a Broadway dancer whose life turns upside down after she finds out she’s been fired from her job. Ashley was very passionate about what she did, and she had a hard time coping with the news. Ashley had no clue what fate had in store for her and how her life was going to take a drastic turn in the next few days. So, let’s find out what all happened in The Merry Gentlemen and the kind of conflicts Ashley had to deal with in her life.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Ashley go back to Sycamore Creek?
Ashley was a part of the Jingle Belle group on Broadway, and she loved what she did. She had been performing for a very long time, and she was one of the senior members of the team. One day, out of nowhere, Jodie, the show producer, informed her that the administration wanted new faces for the show, and so she was being replaced by a younger dancer. Ashley’s life crumbled before her eyes, and she didn’t know what she would do next. She tried convincing Jodie to let her stay on with the group, but the decision had already been made, and the producers were not ready to retain her at any cost. Ashley was at her home when she got a call from her mother, who told her she and Ashley’s father were going to pay her a visit as they wanted to see their daughter perform.
In response to that, Ashley told her mother that she was planning to come down to Sycamore Creek instead to spend Christmas with them. So, she basically implied that she had been kicked out of the Jingle Belle. Later, when Ashley finally arrived at her hometown, she was a bit shocked when she saw the state of the club that her parents owned. The place was a mess, and Ashley got to know that her parents hadn’t been able to pay the rent for the last six months. Denise, the landowner, liked Lily and Stan, which is why she gave them as much time as she could to pay all their dues. But her hands were also tied, which is why she’d been trying to find an investor for the longest time who would take over the place. Ashley got to know about it, and that’s when she realized that she would have to do something to help her parents. The Rhythm Room was an iconic place, and back in the day, it was always packed with customers. But then, slowly, other places started to come up in the area, and Lily and Stan found it extremely difficult to hire bands and other artists to perform in the club. Without an “act,” they weren’t able to lure in customers, and eventually, they started incurring heavy losses.
How Did Ashley Revamp Her Parents’ Club?
Denise came to the club, and she told Ashley that she had found a prospective buyer who was ready to wipe out their debt and give a good price for the club. Ashley knew how emotionally attached her parents were to the place. She knew that, though they were not saying anything, they did not want to sell the place. Ashley told Denise that she could not sell the club, and just to convince her to do so, she said that she had figured everything out and that she had already made plans to revamp the place. Ashley told Denise that she was going to hire male strippers and that they would perform on a regular basis in the club. Denise was also a bit surprised when she heard that, but she didn’t say anything to Ashley at that moment. Ashley knew that it would be an uphill battle for her but she was not ready to give in without putting up a fight.
At the beginning of The Merry Gentlemen, we saw that Ashley had bumped into a man named Luke, who often came to the club to help out Stan and Lily. Luke had come to Sycamore Creek, as the girl he loved, Amy, stayed there. He wanted to spend his life with Amy, but things didn’t turn out the way he’d planned. Amy left him, and ever since then, he lost trust in people, and he accepted the fact that he wouldn’t find love again in his life. Ashley knew that Luke could be one of the dancers who could perform and also help her hire people, but he was a really shy guy, and he didn’t know if he would be able to dance in front of everyone. But Ashley eventually talked him into it, and she also formed a team of talented dancers that she named “The Merry Gentlemen.”
Slowly, customers started pouring in, and once again, the club started making profits. Soon, Ashley was able to repay the debt, and amidst all the chaos, all the preparations, and all the planning, she got quite close to Luke. Ashley and Luke understood each other better than anybody else. Luke, for the first time after his breakup, felt motivated to do something, to fight for a good cause, and to fall in love all over again. Everything was going great, but then one day, Ashley received an unexpected call that changed everything for her and her family.
What Made Ashley Reject Jodie’s Offer?
Ashley got a call from Jodie, and the latter told her that the producers wanted to hire her back, as the new joinee wasn’t able to deal with the pressure. Jodie also told Ashley that she would get a hike of 25 percent, and after hearing that, the latter decided to take the offer. Ashley didn’t know how to break the news to her family. She knew that they expected her to stay back. They believed that after the effort Ashley had put in, she would help them run the place. Ashley’s sister, Maria, told her that she should take the offer if it was what she really wanted from her life, but at the same time, she also asked her to tell Luke what she felt for him. She said that Ashley should make an effort to make things right and find a middle ground even if she had made up her mind to go back to New York. Luke stopped talking to Ashley because he was hurt. He actually felt that what they had was much more than a fling. But he also couldn’t do anything in that situation, so he just stopped answering Ashley’s calls and ghosted her completely.
In The Merry Gentlemen’s ending, Ashley took a cab, and she was all set to leave Sycamore Creek and her people behind, but just then she had an epiphany of sorts. She still wanted to dance, but she was not ready to lose out on the opportunity to be with her people. She realized that she had made her dream of becoming a performer bigger than any other aspect of her life, but what actually brought her happiness was being around her family and friends. She knew that even if she became the greatest dancer in Broadway history, all that success wouldn’t amount to anything if she didn’t have her people around her. Ashley got out of her cab and came back to the club. Luke, who had lost all motivation to perform at the club, couldn’t believe it when he saw her standing in front of him. A lot of people would be of the opinion that Ashley had compromised on her career, and that she would have achieved a lot professionally if she would have gone back to New York. But in my opinion, she did the right thing. I have always felt that we often give our careers so much importance that we end up ignoring all those people who actually make us happy. I mean, it is a good thing to be passionate and to chase your dreams, but the question that one must ask themselves is what is the cost they are willing to pay for it. At the end of the day, it’s your parents, your partner, your siblings, and your friends who bring happiness into your life. Ashley, I believe, was one of the lucky ones who understood that just at the right time, and I believe that in retrospect, she would know that she had made the best decision of her life.
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