The Director: Paul Feig
The Cast:
Emilia Clarke – Kate
Henry Golding – Tom
Emma Thompson – Petra
Boris Isakovic - Ivan
Michelle Yeoh – Santa
Lydia Leonard – Marta
Peter Mygind – The Dane AKA ‘Boy’
Certificate: 12
Released: 15th November 2019
Kate (Clarke, Game of Thrones) is desperately trying
to keep it together after life-saving surgery. She works as one of Santa’s
elves in a Christmas shop where she meets Tom (Golding, Crazy Rich Asians).
He is charming in a weird sort of way, but he lives by the mantra “Look Up.” With
that in mind, Kate’s life begins to change, but is Tom too good to be true?
The Review:
As the title suggests, Last Christmas borrows its
score from the songs of George Michael and Wham! Don’t expect it to be a
musical, however, nor are the songs played for long. With that in mind, I would
love to know where writers Emma Thompson and Greg Wise found their ideas. I doubt
many people would think of a Yugoslavian family, making a life for themselves
in London when they think of Wham!
Emilia Clarke is as charming as ever, making her troubled
character likeable and, above all, believable, and Golding is an amiable
mystery right to the very end. I guarantee the twist will knock you for six.
The scene-stealers are Yeoh (Kung Fu Panda 2) as Kate’s boss, and Thompson
as her mother. The growing relationship between Santa and her Danish ‘Boy’ (so-called
because she can’t pronounce his real name) should be a film in itself.
Likewise, I wanted to know more about what it was like for Kate and her family
before her surgery. Was it better then? We get glimpses of how things are now,
with news reports of Brexit protests and a thug on a bus demanding a Polish
couple to “go home.” Kate was a lot happier in her job, selling kitsch
Christmas decorations, but now she is cynical and depressed. It begs the
question of how many scenes were taken out to make the finished film.
With the third
anniversary of George Michael’s death fast approaching, I expected more of a
tribute. Kate has posters of him in her childhood bedrooms and stickers on her
suitcase, and it took some digging to find out that he volunteered at a
homeless shelter, like Kate, which was a nice touch. The final performance of
the song, ‘Last Christmas,’ was a particular highlight, topping off a Christmas
film that is sometimes whimsical, sometimes funny and leaves you with a smile
on your face. Like every Christmas film should do.
The Verdict: 3 STARS OUT OF 5 ***
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