It's Easy To Give Emilia Clarke Your Heart In 'Last Christmas'
Starring Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson, Michelle Yeoh
PG-13
Romance, Comedy
Run time: 1 hr, 42 min
Directed by Paul Feig
In theaters November 8, 2019
Ever since there was talk of this movie, I was on board. Between the cast, the writer, the director and the inspiration, it seemed like a romcom tailor made for me. When the relationship is between Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, Emma Thompson writes and acts in it, Paul Feig directs in and George Michael songs play a huge part, I was all but counting down to see it. The trailers seem to have given away the plot twist - but let’s be honest, you don’t see a romantic comedy for mental gymnastics. It’s the comfort, the predictability and the joy that comes from these movies that are infinitely more important.
The plot is pretty well outlined between the myriad of previews, Kate (Clarke) is a young woman trying to cope with life after a serious health issue and struggling to get back on her feet. Despite dreaming of being an actress/singer on London’s West End, she’s working in a Christmas shop run by Santa (Michelle Yeoh) and meets Tom (Golding). Through a series of seemingly random encounters, Kate tries to find herself, her dreams and ways to focus on others and make her community just a little better. And, of course, George Michael songs play a part through the whole thing, especially the titular tune.
I will admit this movie is not quite as rom-com-ish as I would have expected, but it somehow still works just fine. It caps out at the perfect length for a movie like this, and despite being predictable, it’s incredibly enjoyable. Every member of this cast is beyond talented and getting to see them interact in this kind of a film is nothing short of a delight. Having a writer like Emma Thompson helps keep the dialogue from being on the wrong side of eye-rolling cliche.
If you go into this movie having the hope that it’ll change your life and make you think hard about the world around you, you may be disappointed. If you’re looking for an incredibly fun way to spend about an hour and a half, this will exceed expectations. There’s enough charm and charisma to carry the film easily, and there are enough side plots to keep it fresh and interesting. And it won’t hurt getting into the Christmas spirit as the weather gets colder. Just the few moments you spend in Santa’s holiday store are enough to make you sing carols. But with this film in all actuality, you’ll probably just end up singing “Last Christmas” for 48 hours.