Review: ‘Last Christmas’
Actress Emilia Clarke has had a successful year. She has starred in the HBO phenomenon “Game of Thrones” and been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the show; 2019 might just be her most notable year to date.
Straying away from her usual television scene, Clarke has recently broadened her horizons with movie roles. From “Me Before You” to “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” Clarke is quickly making a name for herself in the world of film.
“Last Christmas,” which is Clarke’s first feature since retiring her role as Mother of Dragons, hasn’t had the greatest reviews thus far. Review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes currently has the film sitting at a mediocre 49% — with most referring to it as incredibly predictable.
“It takes skill to devise a resolution that’s simultaneously predictable and nonsensical, but [Last Christmas] manages it,” wrote San Francisco Chronicle’s Mick LaSalle.
Directed by Paul Feig and co-written by actress Emma Thompson, “Last Christmas” welcomes you into the life of a woman named Kate (Clarke) who works at a Christmas shop as a holiday elf. She is dissatisfied with her job and has a tendency to blame all of her problems on others. It isn’t until she meets a mysterious guy named Tom (Henry Golding) that her Scrooge-esque outlook starts to change.
“Last Christmas,” while being incredibly funny and equally heart-breaking, tends to take a turn into territory many romantic comedies have already gone. It’s because of this that most critics are not amused with Feig’s creation.
The biggest issue that has come from the movie thus far is the trailer. While cute and interesting, it provides viewers with enough information to figure out the whole movie in less than three minutes.
“‘Last Christmas’ isn’t particularly funny, or romantic. And the film’s twist ending, which many viewers accurately guessed after watching the trailer, is idiotic and poorly explained,” wrote Rolling Stone.
Due to this, if you are interested in “Last Christmas,” I would recommend staying away from watching the trailer and instead to go in blindly.
While no one was expecting “Last Christmas” to be an Oscar-worthy film, most walked into the screening hoping for more depth and likable characters, myself included. Clarke, while quirky and relatable in her rom-com roles, tends to be borderline annoying. It felt like her character was pulled right out of “Me Before You” and tweaked just a little bit to have blonde hair and a bad attitude.
The stand-out actor proves to be Emma Thompson. While having only a few scenes within the film, Thompson managed to grab the spotlight whenever she was on screen. I was eager for more scenes with her and sometimes found myself ignoring the parts with Clarke and Golding, anticipating more of Thompson’s character.
To be quite honest, I am not a huge fan of sappy Christmas movies. I enjoy “Home Alone” and “The Santa Clause,” and I often try to stay away from anything that has any inkling of being like a Hallmark film. While “Last Christmas” managed to grip my attention longer than any Hallmark movie has ever done, it felt as if I had seen the film before.
The more I reflect on the film, the more I realize how much I truly enjoyed the experience. I do recommend it, but only to those who simply want to be entertained and shed a few holiday tears. If you are a sappy, Christmas-loving, Hallmark kind of person, this is right up your alley. If you’re the type that over analyzes film, I would suggest staying away — as none of it is truly plausible.
All in all, the film — which proves to be merely a love letter to George Michael — is a satisfying holiday movie that works well with what it is given.
“Last Christmas” is in theaters worldwide now, and is rated PG-13 for language and sexual content.
