By Shane Conto
It’s that time of year when the calendar turns to November and the world jumps right into Christmas time. What does that mean for the cinema? A fresh round of “the next great holiday classic” films of course! We all have our movies that we remember watching on a loop every holiday season. I cannot imagine going through a Christmas season without watching A Muppets Christmas Carol! But will Last Christmas have this fate of living forever on the holiday circuit? Why not? The film is filled with a soundtrack of all the best George Michael songs. The lead is our Khaleesi herself, Emilia Clarke. The talent behind the scenes is quite impressive (Emma Thompson writing is a great thing and Paul Fieg has been known to make some winners). Alas, Last Christmas does not quite meet those heights.
But why not? Honestly, the script is probably the biggest culprit which is a disappointing fact coming from the talents of Emma Thompson. The story is not a fresh one and it is not told in the most unique of ways. We have a grump of a character who slowly learns to appreciate life and find the love and connections of the holiday season. Haven’t we seen this before? Yes, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But when the story is generic and predictable as this, it does turn out to be a bad thing. The film boasts a large story move that might really surprise some in the audience (and I really hope it does) but this one seemed pretty telegraphed for me. The characters are also not the most robust in depth. Some of them are fun and quirky but honestly do not transcend those quirks. This goes for the strange man that captures Michelle Yeoh’s heart in the film. It was just…weird. Basically, our main character Katarina is the only one that really stands out as a fully fleshed out character.
Some blame for the lackluster aspects of the film definitely fall on Paul Fieg. The tone can be over the place in this one. At times quite funny (but a nice chuck of the humor falls flat), this film tries really hard to be the heartfelt film of the season but it never quite hit me where it counted. Don’t get me wrong, this film has those “feels” moments but it feels more manipulative than organic. There are some serious editing issues at times where the shots feel so choppy for no reason at all and it really distracted me from the action on screen. But the pacing was solid as you get whisked away in this fun like film. I never really felt bored as the film zipped on by anchored by the energy of Clarke’s performance.
Getting into the main positives of this film, Emilia Clarke just oozes charm throughout the film. Her energy is something to behold as she carries this film on her back. Clarke is genuinely funny (even when the material is not quite so) and she is endearing as hell. Despite the fact that her character can be quite selfish at times and abrasive, Clarke keeps her likable enough to make us want to see her grow and find happiness (if only see that infectious smile of Emilia Clarke). Henry Golding is charming as hell as well in his role as Tom. Golding’s performance is fun and lights up the screen whenever he appears. Michelle Yeoh and Emma Thompson each get some fun moments in their supporting roles. Shout outs are also in order for Laura Evelyn and Ingrid Oliver for their snappy and fun banter as a couple of cops who pop in and out during the film.
Last Christmas has a lot of fun throughout its runtime flaunting its energetic soundtrack full of George Michael himself. Is this film a bunch of fluff? It is indeed but it is the kind of fluff that is enjoyable and not too saccharine. Will you remember much about this film long after? Not quite but the lovely smile and infectious laughter of Emilia Clarke will be burned into your brain (in the best way possible).
Grade: C+
About the Author:
If the early bird gets the worm, then Shane Conto gets the “Best Ever Challenge” worm. Shane has his BEC movies picked, written, and submitted weeks in advance. If you follow him on social you’ll be shocked at the amount of movies and TV he is able to view and review consistently. His favorite movie of all time is Mad Max Fury Road and he never misses a chance to get Mad Max into the weekly BEC. When he isn’t watching movies, he is teaching college statistics. You can count on Shane for excellent movie reviews.