The day of ghouls, goblins, and candy-galore has officially ended. Now we have entered the season of cheers, jingles, and festivities. Even though it’s only the first couple weeks of November, the holiday spirit is already beginning to awaken and we have Last Christmas, director Paul Feig’s latest romantic-comedy, to thank for kickstarting the holiday season. On the surface, it sounds like a pretty impressive kick-off to the Christmas season. It’s got a handful of wonderfully talented actors in Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, among others. It has Paul Feig at the helm as well as a script co-written by Bryony Kimmings and Emma Thompson, who also stars in the film. To top it all off, who doesn’t enjoy a Christmas tale meant to lift your spirits?
To be honest, though, it only manages to lift some of my spirits, which isn’t a terrible thing, mind you. Last Christmas manages to ruffle your feathers enough to keep your holiday spirit beating, thanks in large part to a wonderfully cheerful pairing in Clarke and Golding and admittedly overboard, but nonetheless pleasant, direction by Paul Feig. At its core, there's plenty of cheer and sentimentality to at least keep you smiling. But it fails to capture its own identity as it shuffles a wide array of loosely (if at all) connected themes and story beats while also being a story that is entirely predictable
Kate (Emilia Clarke) works as an elf at a Christmas shop in London under the employment of Santa (Michelle Yeoh), which she calls herself in the store. Outside of work, however, Kate’s life is been anything but cheery. She’s homeless, has many rough patches with her family, and can’t seem to find enjoyment during the holiday season. Things start to change, however, when she meets a stranger named Tom (Henry Golding) who notices her horrid behavior and unfortunate circumstances. Tom takes Kate on a series of trips around London while providing her with enough guidance and wisdom to help her get her life back together.
Like I mentioned before, Christmas is the holiday I look forward to the most every year, and Last Christmas often successfully explains why. It’s filled to the brim with cheesy storytelling/dialogue and over-the-edge sentimentality that we can often expect from any traditional Hallmark film. But if it’s duty was to get you ready for the holiday season, it’s fair to say it does a commendable job. Paul Feig directs the film with a polished and cheery luster that is as overstuffed with Christmas merriment as Santa’s Christmas shop in the movie. It can often be overwhelming, but it still imbues the film with the pleasant aesthetic it’s shooting for, which is admirable.
But it’s Clarke’s commanding performance and her chemistry with Golding that sell the movie’s potential as a seasonal holiday treat. Clarke is capable of selling the pessimistic narcissism that follows her character like a shadow while also providing plenty of laughs and smiles as she learns to become more humble and caring. She and Golding also make for a likable and endearing pair and make up the heart of the story. Everyone else around them, including the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson, and others, also provide commendable performances.
But underneath all the visual galore lies a story that sadly doesn’t live up to the holiday season. It manages to be enjoyable when its focus is on Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding and the journey they go on, but the insertion of differing story beats, beats we’ve seen done properly in other holiday projects, falters its own attempt at creating an identity. The story consists of Yeoh’s character finding love, Kate’s relationship with her sister and her parents, Kate and Tom’s relationship, Brexit, Kate becoming a singer, etc. It all feels too much and the film isn’t able to sustain that kind of weight. You can also find it very predictable especially if you’ve seen the trailers for it. The big twist at the heart of it you can see coming from as far as the North Pole, and it doesn’t even have any meaningful connection to the story. It just feels like a throwaway, if anything.
Even hours after seeing the film, I’ve already begun to push it aside and forget about it altogether. Even more so, while the first 2/3s is solidly focused, the last third lacks any sort of narrative through-line. It focuses solely on Kate’s attempts at personal redemption and, while that is often a staple in Christmas stories, it drags on for about 45 minutes to an hour to the point where there isn’t any definitive central conflict left.
Last Christmas is worthwhile for anyone who is looking for a simple and straightforward holiday romp. Nothing is unique about the story and it often fails to become anything more than a simple rom-com/dramedy. It doesn’t come close to melting your heart, but Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding make for an excitedly cheerful and eccentric duo and there’s plenty of life and spirit in the film to at least keep you warm for the holidays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9CEIcmWmtA&t=1s&w=585