Checked out the new Christmas romantic comedy Last Christmas (which is not a post-apocalyptic nightmare-fueled descent into madness set on December 30th). This is the newest movie from Paul Fieg starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. And the pop songs of one George Michaels… hence the name of the movie (and it ultimately ain’t subtle about that).
So the film stars Clarke as a hot mess who has recently survived a major health crisis and is trying to deal with her emotional meltdowns, keep her job, and find a place to live. She works at a year-round Christmas shop run by Michelle Yeoh but keeps getting kicked out of houses due to her careless ineptitude… but she’s not homeless because she can always move back in with her Yugoslavian immigrants parents. Oh, and Brexit and anti-immigrant sentiment. And Henry Golding wanders into her life and it’s a kind of romantic comedy. But, really, it’s more a character piece about this girl who’s just trying to get her life together.
Ehhhh…. this movie isn’t bad. I kept hoping it’d be better but it never rose to that level. It’s certainly occasionally funny and it’s certainly occasionally charming and it’s certainly occasionally sweet and romantic, sure. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a warm cuddly Christmas movie or romantic comedy.
For some reason, it’s full of George Michael songs. Maybe I missed that bus though. I don’t hate him – I dig his songs well enough… but not sure what inspired his songs to comment and follow along in this movie. Maybe he’s a bigger hit in the UK where this was filmed. Or maybe I’m just a grumpy gus who never gave him time. Either way, his songs are peppered throughout this movie. Merry Christmas!
And…. that’s about all I want to say about it. There’s some twists and turns in the flick but best leave those as surprises. Some amusing song and dance numbers too. It’s mostly a harmless bit of puffery.
Score: 80