There is an infinite amount of holiday movies and everyone
has their favorite. Love Actually is fine.
I personally can’t stand It’s A Wonderful Life.
Elf is delightful. For me, Die
Hard is the best. Last Christmas is a perfect
entry into the collection and I think it will certainly become one of the
favorites.
Last Christmas follows the story of Kate, or Katerina, as
she struggles with life in general. She had a heart transplant a year ago and
since then her life is falling apart. She can’t quite handle the fact that she
was incredibly ill with everyone worried about her and now she has a second
chance at life but can’t help feel overwhelmed by it. She is a bit self-sabotaging, working in a
year-round Christmas shop run by a woman named ‘Santa’ and going on auditions
for singing stage roles. Her parents are
barely speaking to one another and her sister is telling her to get her life
together. One day at the shop, she notices
a handsome man in the street, looking up.
His name is Tom, and as she spends more time with him, she realizes that
she is a mess and takes steps to improve her situation.
The movie is directed by Paul Feig, who has made a lot of
things I really love: Bridesmaids, Spy, and A Simple Favor among them. The story was written by Emma Thompson and
her husband based on the Wham song, and it is an absolutely charming story. I particularly enjoyed that Tom does not ‘fix’
Kate’s life, she fixes herself after he shows her how much he enjoys life. The cast is exceptional and seems to be
having a really good time.
- Emilia Clarke plays Kate with a sense of hopelessness after her transplant and feeling like she can’t quite live up to the expectations of a second chance. Her transformation is lovely, and again, I really like that Tom was not the fixer, he was the inspiration for her to take matters into her own hands. She does her own singing in the movie and does a wonderful job carrying the piece.
- Henry Golding continues to encourage me to push for him to be James Bond. He even has a little Bond moment in this movie. He’s so handsome and charming and fun and likeable. He’s the perfect rom-com lead. He gives Tom a general lightness that works very well. He inspires Kate without becoming a crutch.
- Emma Thompson plays Petra, Kate’s mother. She’s worried about her daughters while also worrying about herself. This is set just as Brexit was first pushing through and Petra and Ivan came to the UK from the former Yugoslavia. Petra is concerned they will be sent back and channels all her anxiety into worrying about Kate, which drives Kate a little nuts. Thompson manages to make the role touching and funny.
- Boris Isakovic plays Ivan, Kate’s father. He’s attempting to be there for his family, while still not being there. He’s driving a cab and is out most of the time.
- Lydia Leonard plays Marta, Kate’s sister. She is frustrated at the slack Kate is given after her health issues and encourages her to straighten out her life. ‘Encourages’ is putting it nicely.
- Michelle Yeoh plays Santa and steals all the scenes she is in. I’ve never seen her do straight comedy and I think she manages to find just the right tone between irritated and supportive with Kate.
- It’s worth mentioning the music. Yes, it is all George Michael, and while Last Christmas is obvious, the rest is equally as enjoyable. There’s one song that is new and previously unreleased. It made me remember how much I loved his music.
Overall, I really loved this movie. It’s so charming and fun,
the perfect holiday rom-com with layers beyond the obvious. Yes, there’s a bit of a twist, but it is not
one I saw coming, which I really enjoyed.
8 out of 10 – I do feel like it was released too early. This
needed a thanksgiving weekend release, or even a little closer to Christmas.
Bonus - come on, everyone love this song!
So glad you enjoyed this one! I didn't see that twist coming at all, it was so emotional! I'd love to see Emilia Clarke do more comedy roles, she was a delight in this.
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