As you may have realized per some of my previous posts, I have spent this semester living in London. So, after seeing advertisements for this movie plastered all over buses, tube stations, and shopping centers, this felt like a holiday release I could hardly pass on. Who wouldn’t enjoy the added bonus of having visited a lot of the Covent Garden locations in which Last Christmas was set? And the fact that the film was written by the amazing Emma Thompson and stars Game of Thrones phenomenon Emilia Clarke alongside Henry Golding from Crazy Rich Asians sealed the deal.
I’ll admit that my expectations for Last Christmas were low. I generally adopt an attitude of skepticism toward blockbuster Christmas films, (it’s really, really hard to beat the original Home Alone, okay?), and went in having been told by several people that the movie was only mediocre/ tried to do too much. I have to agree with the second piece of criticism, but I actually enjoyed Last Christmas a lot more than I thought I would. That being said, let’s get into what I liked and what I didn’t like about the film. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t like spoilers, you probably shouldn’t keep reading. Definite spoilers ahead.
What I liked:
It Wasn’t Nearly as Cheesy as the Title Suggested
While the film featured plenty of moments that made me cringe a bit, particularly in the first half, overall I thought Last Christmas managed to refrain from getting too trite. Even though some of the happily-ever-after resolutions of various plotlines came across as a little too good to be true, Christmas movies are supposed to end with smiles and family reunions all around, right? And I think the revelation of the romantic interest Tom’s death late in the film made up for a lot of the issues I had with the believability of the film’s central romance, (see below). By that, I mean that if Tom seemed too good to be true from a boyfriend perspective, it’s because he was. He literally existed as an idealized projection in protagonist Kate’s head the entire time. I will add that I was glad Kate didn’t end up with the young man she befriended working at the shelter. That would have happened way too fast for my liking, feel-good holiday flick or not.
Emilia Clarke can SING
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Mother of Dragons apparently possesses a voice that my shower-screeching self can only dream of. Who knew?
That’s all.
That TWIST Though
I thought Last Christmas was a rom com. A. COMEDY. And in movies of that particular genera, I expect to be able to more or less predict the general course of events. What I was NOT prepared for was for Last Christmas to go all Sixth Sense on me as far as Tom was concerned.
Although, in retrospect, maybe I should have seen it coming. The man constantly “disappears.” No one seems to really know who he is. He doesn’t have a phone and can’t seem to retrieve it from its place in the cupboard. We never actually see Tom interact with any character other than Kate, and he only approaches her when she’s alone. While the film had its fair share of inconsistencies and questions left unanswered, Tom’s imaginary status actually makes sense in a heartbreaking kind of way.
It Opened the Waterworks
Look, I cry embarrassingly easily during movies. Maybe it’s a genetic condition, or maybe I just get too attached to characters. I don’t know. What I do know is that the scene in Tom’s apartment where Kate somehow realizes his identity as her heart donor made me more than a little weepy, however unrealistic it was. And I absolutely adored the use of the titular “Last Christmas” at the end of the movie. Perfect.
What I didn’t Like:
I’m not sure I understand the logistics of kissing someone who doesn’t exist…?
Okay, explain to me how you can have not one, not two, but three separate make-out sessions with someone who doesn’t actually exist and not start to get just a little bit suspicious. Now, the one where Kate is drunk and half-asleep, maybe I understand. She could have been dreaming. But the later scene where she “kisses” Tom before proceeding to (loudly) “break up” with him on a public park bench? Not sure how she didn’t incur at least some concern for her mental health from an onlooker. And for that matter, where did Kate magically get ice skates when she and Tom break into the rink? How did he “catch” her from falling?
I know I’m being a bit unreasonable poking at plot holes in a movie about a woman who basically falls in love with a ghost, but some of what happened seemed really far-fetched, even if I liked the concept.
Too Many Messages
As you might know from my previous review of Amazon’s Carnival Row, I do appreciate a little social commentary every once in a while. The problem here was that Last Christmas had all that and a whole lot more. The film touched on Brexit, the immigration crisis, homelessness, family issues, mental health, recovery from serious physical illness, and the list goes on. And this was all while also trying to be a comedy, and a romance, and a film about the holidays at the same time.
The end result was that Last Christmas resides in a kind of grey area where I’m not sure it really accomplished any of what it set out to do. Even though I liked the movie as a whole and the story ended on a high note, I found myself uncertain of what to take away from it. Sometimes, it’s better to say a lot about a few things than to say a little about a lot.
So What’s the Verdict?
This is another one that probably deserves slightly better than it got from critics. While it certainly had its thematic flaws and inconsistencies, Last Christmas represented a supremely original, fresh take on your classic Christmas flick. Definitely worth watching during the holiday season.
I would give Last Christmas a 7/10.