Last Christmas

I'm certain that cynics will love to hate Last Christmas.  It's relentlessly cornball, unabashedly sweet, and even though it is set in an actual place (London), the movie itself does not exist in the real world.  It exists in a place where there are no bad people, just ones who have broken hearts and dreams that are waiting to be mended by kindly strangers.  The film is not deep, but it works.  It managed to get through my defenses, and I found myself grinning through most of it.

The movie is being advertised as a holiday romantic comedy, but I don't really think that angle clearly reflects what director Paul Feig and co-writer and actress Emma Thompson were going for when they were dreaming this up.  This is mostly a story of redemption centered on Kate (Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones), who came to London with her family from Yugoslavia after war broke out.  Kate used to have big dreams of being a singer, but those dreams faded when she developed a serious health issue that nearly took her life.  She survived, but something inside her died.  Now she halfheartedly works at a Christmas store where she's made to dress like an elf at her job, drinks too much, and basically wanders from one friend's place to another, looking for a couch to crash on or another random sexual fling.  She doesn't want anything to do with her family, especially her estranged mother (Thompson), and basically resents everyone for seemingly having life figured out.

Then she meets a handsome stranger named Tom, played by Henry Golding, who pretty much displays the exact same charm that he did in last year's Crazy Rich Asians.  Tom is an eternal optimist who takes an immediate interest in Kate, and seemingly starts showing up at various places to teach her how to look at life differently, help others, and not be so focused on herself.  Kate thinks the guy is too good to be true, and initially asks him why he doesn't just have the word "Saint"tattooed on his forehead.  But, he starts to slip through her defenses, and there's definitely a bonding going on.  Maybe it's romantic, maybe there's another reason Tom has come to her.  To say anymore would dive into spoiler territory.

What happened to me while watching Last Christmas is that I started to ignore how improbable and overly sweet the story was, and got involved.  I grew attached to the characters and the film's sense of humor.  I liked some of the oddball touches that the script occasionally threw in, such as the two bickering policewomen who show up now and then, and are constantly bantering back and forth whenever they're on screen.  I couldn't tell if their dialogue was improvised, but it was very funny.  This can be an effective comedy, but it is also a very warm movie with a genuine sweetness.  As corny as the movie can be at times, its heart and emotion seem to come from somewhere real.  This is not a smart movie, but it's made by people who know what they're doing, and convey the right feeling.

I also was largely drawn in by the warmth and the humor of the cast.  I initially thought that the character of Tom was a bit too clean cut and perfect, even for a movie like this.  But, when his place in the story is revealed, it kind of makes sense when you think back on it.  As for Emilia Clarke as Kate, she hits the right note from the moment she walks on the screen and never stops.  She's cynical and jaded, but we can sense goodness in her, just like other people around her can.  And when it does start to come out, I was happy for her.  I wanted to see her turn her life around.  That's why I know this movie works.  I knew that I was being manipulated every step of the way, but I didn't care.  I was enjoying the humor and even the sentimental nature of the film.

Look, I can understand if Last Christmas is not the movie for you.  For a little while, I wondered if it was going to work on me as well.  But, little by little, my defenses melted away, and I was taken in by it.  Usually, I can resist movies like this.  But sometimes it feels good to just come under the spell of a movie.  This is a movie with a surprisingly strong heart that overpowers any shortcomings.

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