Last Christmas is a fresh Christmas movie full of holiday cheer, humor and surprises
Christmas movies often have cheesy storylines based off of repetitive Christmas tales, which usually makes for subpar films. Last Christmas surprisingly did not con- form to the typical Christmas movie formula and excluded any reminiscent Christmas stories from its plot.
Last Christmas is filled with witty dialogue, family drama and an unexpected love story. Throughout Last Christmas, the main character, Kate (Emilia Clarke) constantly battles with her family, which affects both the happiness and the sanity of the family.
Anyone with some sort of family issue can relate to the bickering and nagging shown in the film, which only increases due to holiday season stress. Although many dark family issues are expressed throughout the film, the comedic relief balances it out flawlessly.
The film takes place in London and the banter between characters complements the nuanced English humor perfectly. Last Christmas does a wonderful job at capturing the comical miscommunications between fluent and non-fluent English speakers, something that I think any bilingual person or person with non-English-speaking family members can appreciate.
Kate and Tom (Henry Golding) have undeniable chemistry that makes you want to swoon in your theater seat. Kate’s cynical personality and Tom’s optimism are at constant war with each other, an “opposites attract” dynamic which makes for some unexpected twists and turns throughout their romance. If anything, their dynamic makes the film even funnier and more enjoyable
The music of the film is unique in the fact that primarily only one artist’s music plays throughout the entirety of the film. The late George Michael’s music sparks heartwarming feelings and captures the emotions of the scenes very well.
Using only one artist’s music for an entire film is a risky move for any type of movie, but especially for a Christmas movie. Choosing just one artist could be seen as tacky or lazy but in this case the soundtrack choice was executed well and conveyed the story properly.
Overall Last Christmas was a good film. Even if the Christmas theme was removed from the film it would still be able to hold its own. The morals of the film were touching and made you think about how to act towards others during the holidays.
The twists and turns of this film take you by surprise and leave you wanting more. Last Christmas reflected the real meaning of Christmas, which is cherishing the ones you love, helping those less fortunate than you and being grateful for what you have. The movie’s messages provide a reminder we all need, especially during this holiday season.
Filled with romantic and familial drama mixed with George Michael and British humor, Last Christmas is an entertaining film that does not have to rely on a Christmas theme to be successful.