Item: Last Christmas
Rating: 7
Author: Matt Rooney

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Story: It's Christmas time in London. and one woman isn't feeling all the holiday cheer. Unable to get her life on track, she soon meets a handsome young man who — with a George Michael soundtrack in the background — begins to show her the brighter side of life and the impact that being a decent human being can have on the heart.

Review: Romantic comedies have endured for decades while refusing to ignore well-worn tropes, and all because there is inexplicable magic to some of the best entries that can make them undeniably charming in spite of their flaws. LAST CHRISTMAS, the latest entry in the holiday subgenre, embraces many of the familiarities that would make genre Grinches eye-roll, but if I may damn them to their lonely mountain, there is more than enough holiday warmth and joyful personality going on to make it a new staple in your holiday rom-com stocking.

Inspired by the song “Last Christmas” by late pop star George Michael and Wham!, this new dollop of holiday cheer follows Kate (Emilia Clarke), a young woman who – and don’t you dare stop me even if you’ve heard this one before – just can’t seem to get her life on track. Failing to get things sorted after a dangerous health scare the year before, Kate drinks heavily, shags constantly, pays little mind to her family and has a general disregard for everyone while boasting a bubbly personality that masks her inner pain through quick retorts. Just as everything seems to keep getting worse, she soon meets a man who is the physical embodiment of the word “strapping," Tom (Henry Golding), who’s also a bit plucky, but more a sheer force of positivity Kate so desperately needs.

As per the Holy Book of Rom Coms, through their time together, which mainly features magical nights in the city of London during the holiday season – plenty of landmarks and bright lights in view – Tom teaches Kate valuable lessons, in this case about the beauty of everything around her. She slowly learns to appreciate the things and people in her life, and gosh darn it, maybe even learns the meaning of Christmas at the same time. The bones of Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings’ script follow an expected formula, which would’ve made it harder to like had it not been for the exuberant energy of Clarke. A complete 180 from the stern, city-burning behavior of her character on GAME OF THRONES, Clarke gets to stretch a muscle many knew she had but has never had such a great chance to stretch. Cloaking her character’s clear emotional struggles with sarcasm and a devil-may-care attitude, she’s a wonderful presence with a wry wit perfect for chewing Thompson and Kimmings’ dialogue. She’s a far more expressive actress than past roles have allowed her to be, and it’s quite the holiday treat to finally see her be properly utilized. She makes rooting for Kate so effortless despite being such a holiday grump, and when she finally opens up a bit it's even easier to embrace her vulnerability.

If anyone could get such a performance out of her, it would be director Paul Feig. Even with his not-as-great movies Feig has proven a master and getting actors to bring out the funniest sides of themselves and their characters, pairing them with perfect counterparts. Golding, a rising star who came in like a handsome wrecking ball in last year’s CRAZY RICH ASIANS (and Feig's A SIMPLE FAVOR), gives off the same jubilant energy as Clarke, making them an undeniably sweet pair. Their chemistry is effortless and their time together on screen makes the pacing move like a breeze, and the movie never feels the needs to constantly push a “will they won’t they” vibe, or to make it seem like each and every one of their encounters needs to be bursting with over-sentimentality or struggle – leading to one of them confessing an insurmountable passion. They're simply two perfectly matched people getting the best out of each other on chilly nights in a lovely city, eventually leading to an extremely vulnerable scene where a big, grandstanding emotional speech is replaced with a quiet moment of openness.

But if the concept of even dialed down butterflies and sunshine in the stomach is enough to turn you away, keep in mind that there is an abundance of weirdness to go along with some of the hammier gags. Michelle Yeoh, the tough-but-fair boss of the Christmas store Kate works at, gets some delightfully strange moments with a Danish man (Peter Mykind), while Thompson gets a role as Kate’s Yugoslavian mother, playing the oddball mother role with total commitment and peppering in some welcome politically incorrect humor. Even by the end, and things have taken a turn towards something more fantastical and bizarre than some may like, Thompson and Kimmings are smart enough to root it with a genuine, meaningful message. Ugh, yes, it's all very tender and gross, but also very sweet.

Inspired by the music of George Michael and Wham!, there is, of course, lots and lots of Michael’s songs in the movie. While Kate, an aspiring singer, does sing some of his songs – like “Heal the Pain” and “Last Christmas” – expect to hear other hits like “Faith” and “Freedom!”. Kate is a die-hard fan of the singer’s music, plastering his posters on her wall and stamping stickers honoring him on her luggage. However, as welcome as his music is and how much its energy, charm, and honesty are welcome, there’s something that felt a bit off about how he nor his music are never really openly acknowledged. Aside from a moment at the very beginning where she quickly explains to a future conquest why she’s so much like Michael, never does Kate get into why she loves him so, or why his music has been such a big part of her life. His music is just sort of…around, all the time. For someone who wants to be a singer, and who is constantly listening to Michael, it feels off that she wouldn’t speak about him more. It’s such a key part of the movie, and yet it’s treated more like an accent piece.

On that note, it’s befitting that Michael’s music was such an inspiration for the movie and has such a strong, welcome place in it. Much like rom-coms themselves, Michael’s music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when it starts playing, there’s magical energy to it that sweeps you in, and before you know it, you’re tapping your toes with a grin on your face. Same goes for LAST CHRISTMAS, a rom-com that won't do much to change the happily converted, but has enough shine to get more than a few laughs and bubble up at least one "Aww." Yes, you may groan at the self-improvement montages in LAST CHRISTMAS (there are several), and may balk at some cheesier bits and find some pieces completely ludicrous, but it’s all done so endearingly and with such warmth and charm you may find yourself laughing and tearing up before you get to “Faith.”