Raye and Sawyer Spielberg talk falling in love with the Boston area while shooting their Bay State-set holiday flick
By Matt Juul Globe Staff | Boston Globe | November 20, 2024
The Boston area gets a starring role alongside a pair of Spielbergs in the holiday flick “Merry Good Enough,” which filmed around Massachusetts in the winter of 2022.
From Back Bay’s picturesque Copley Square to the Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland, a number of familiar Bay State locales pop up in the Christmastime comedy drama starring actors and married couple Raye and Sawyer Spielberg. The duo admits that they fell in love with Boston and its surrounding towns during their shoot, living briefly in Arlington before staying at a friend’s place in Watertown.
“We have two small kids, and so we brought them with us and they had the best time,” said Raye Spielberg. “It was just a great experience. We loved being there so much.”
“We kind of felt like a home away from home when we were working there,” she added, noting that, as an East Coast native, she was already “very familiar” with New England’s cozy, cold weather vibes.
Directed by Caroline Keene and Dan Kennedy, “Merry Good Enough” centers around Lucy Raulie, played by Raye Spielberg, and her dysfunctional family as they try to navigate the holiday season. Things quickly turn chaotic when matriarch Carol (Susan Gallagher) goes missing on Christmas Eve, forcing Lucy, her siblings, and estranged dad George (Joel Murray) to reunite at their family home. Sawyer Spielberg, who also stars in Apple TV+’s World War II series “Masters of the Air” and is the son of director Steven Spielberg, plays Sam, Lucy’s neighbor and eventual love interest.
In addition to Boston and Wayland, “Merry Good Enough” filmed in Beverly, Danvers, and Peabody, with the center of the action, the Raulie’s family home, shot in Lynn. A scene featuring a glowing holiday light display took place in front of “an actual residence” in Woburn, according to Raye Spielberg, noting how a nearby neighbor offered them hot chocolate to warm up as they filmed outside.
“Everyone in Boston opened their doors for us and the holiday spirit was alive and well while we shot it,” said Sawyer Spielberg. “We wrapped the film two days before Christmas. Everyone in the neighborhoods that we worked in were so generous with their spaces.”
“That was the first time we shot a film together and shared the screen together,” Sawyer Spielberg said of working on “Merry Good Enough” with his wife. “So the newness of that fit well with the newness of Sam and Lucy’s relationship.”
“We were both a little awkward at it,” Raye Spielberg said. “And it fit perfectly with Sam and Lucy’s relationship because Sam and Lucy have a familiarity with each other, but also an awkwardness because there’s feelings coming up.”
While there’s a love story brewing under the surface of this holiday film, the majority of the focus is given to Lucy’s fraught relationship with her mother and siblings. Raye Spielberg describes Lucy as a bit of a “Scrooge” when viewers first meet her, as she’s not only dejected with her family but also trying to get over a divorce that’s pushed her back home.
“I felt for Lucy really hard,” she said, explaining how the character has hit a wall in life and is feeling overwhelmed by “the brokenness of her family” during the holiday season.
Since dealing with loved ones isn’t always easy this time of year, Raye and Sawyer Spielberg hope audiences can relate to this dysfunctional family tale.
As Sawyer Spielberg put it, “This film taps into what really happens when you come home for the holidays.”
“Merry Good Enough” is now available to stream on Tubi and for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Apple, DirecTV, YouTube, and additional platforms.