Last Christmas

Seasonal rom-coms are the staple of the holidays. The formula is getting two attractive leads who cute meet while surrounded by quirky distracting characters and propelling the story to the inevitable happy ending. This film directed by Paul Feig and written by Bryony Kimmings and Emma Thompson, who co-wrote the story with her husband, Greg Wise has some Love Actually moments. The George Michael's tune Last Christmas is the sing along feel good moment that will leave one smiling at the end.

Emilia Clarke plays Kate, a self absorbed aimless want to be performer who is sleeping on friends couches to get away from her over bearing mother (Emma Thompson) who frets constantly. Kate works as an elf in a Christmas store run by Santa (Michelle Yeoh) who puts up with Kate's antics because she is good with the customers. As a child Kate was a featured lead performer in a children's choir in Yugoslavia before the family immigrated to England. A little social consciousness is briefly injected into the story with Brexit, xenophobia and homelessness. Mostly it's about how Kate is messing up her life with drinking, one night stands, and irresponsible selfishness that burn her bridges behind her. Despite her foibles, Kate still manages to be quite lovable. Just when things look like they couldn't get any worse she meets Tom Webster (Henry Golding) who is standing outside her store looking up at a bird. Kate indulges in his suggestion to look up and is rewarded with bird poop in her eye. He's peppy, silly, and mysterious. He escorts Kate around the area showing little places that she never noticed before like a little quiet park. He encourages her to always look up. For once in her life she is comfortable with their bantering. He offers her practical advise to her constant whining about her life. But she really knows nothing about him.

Tom encourages her to go back home. She calls her dad who is like an Uber/cab driver after being a lawyer in his home country. The audience is clued into why her over indulgent mom is such a chore on "Katerina". Mom has always favored her song bird over Kate's sister Marta (Lydia Leonard) who just had a promotion at her law firm. The helicopter mom had become even more hovering since Kate had been hospitalized for her heart condition. Tom helps Kate to see her parents from a different perspective. She begins to see the world outside of herself when a gentleman becomes smitten with her boss and Santa seems to become tongue tied for once. When looking for Tom at the homeless shelter, she starts to realize she could help by busking for donations.

No doubt Emilia Clark is just as cute as a button even without some fire breathing dragons. Her eyebrows do seem to have a life of their own looking like independent caterpillars. Henry Golding is just as charming as he was in Crazy Rich Asians. And Emma Thompson is a hoot as the drama queen mom. But Michelle Yeoh manages to steal the thunder as the wise cracking Christmas store boss who stocks her store with a weird collection of Chinese made ornaments like Christmas gibbons. If you haven't figured out how this whole thing turns out then you are not paying close attention. This is not Love Actually that is a must view every year. But for now, it will do.
(Review by reesa)