With the combination of Emma Thompson writing and Paul Feig directing, I had high hopes for ‘Last Christmas’. Then the reviews started coming in, all of which seem to be extremely negative. Having now seen it, it is hard to understand the hostile reaction. Of course, it is overly sentimental but it’s a Christmas movie so that’s allowed. Yes, the plot twist is, blindingly obvious to anyone who has heard the Wham festive favourite but so was the twist in ‘The Sixth Sense’ and people still fawn over that tedious film.
What I saw was a quite charming tale of a young woman, Kate (Emilia Clarke), who is making bad life choices, finding redemption and maybe love when she meets the mysterious Tom (Henry Golding). There are a number of genuinely funny moments and the chemistry between the pair is excellent. It also has things to say about the treatment of immigrants, the reasons for Brexit, and the plight of the homeless, none of which you will find on the TV channel ‘Christmas 24’ at this time of year!
Warm-hearted stuff, then. It will be interesting if the audience reacts more favourably than the critics.
Rating: 7 out of 10