Emilia Clarke plays a woman who has made bad choices and gets into trouble after agreeing to work as Santa’s elf at a department store. That’s the setup for “Last Christmas,” and the film never quite figures out what to do with it.
Paul Feig directs from a script by Bryony Kimmings, Emma Thompson and Greg Wise, based on the 1984 Wham! song of the same name. The film follows Kate Andrich, a young woman who drifts between friends’ homes and works a dead-end job at a year-round Christmas shop. When she meets Tom Webster, a cycle courier, her life changes course. The movie wants to be a romance about second chances, but the story keeps getting in its own way.
Trailer, via Universal Pictures.
Kate and Tom
Clarke plays Kate as a woman who has lost hope in her own life. She works at the Christmas shop, run by a strict but good-hearted owner who calls herself “Santa.” After a failed singing audition, Kate walks with Tom, who charms her with his odd observations of London. Their scenes together have genuine warmth, and Clarke and Henry Golding share a real chemistry. They feel like two people who were meant to meet, even if the film around them can’t keep up.
Tom volunteers at a homeless shelter, which Kate mocks at first. He often disappears for days, saying he keeps his phone in a cupboard. Clarke’s performance grows as Kate becomes more involved in the shelter, taking small steps to help others. The film’s best moments happen when Kate stops thinking about herself and starts paying attention to those around her.
“Who doesn’t have a little Christmas baggage?”
That line, used as the film’s tagline, sums up the problem. Kate’s baggage is real. She has a heart transplant, a troubled family history, and a sense that she isn’t good enough to make it as a singer. The film understands this on a surface level but struggles to dig deeper.
The Family Problem
Kate’s home life is a constant weight. Her parents, Ivan and Petra Andrich, are Yugoslavian immigrants. Ivan, once a lawyer, now drives a minicab. Petra has depression. Kate feels suffocated by her mother, who dotes on her while neglecting Kate’s older sister, Marta, a successful lawyer who hides her sexuality from their parents. Marta is a lesbian, and Kate eventually outs her sister to their parents during a celebration for Marta’s promotion.
The family drama is meant to add stakes, but it feels like filler. Marta’s storyline exists mostly to give Kate something to apologize for later. Michelle Yeoh plays Santa with a warm presence, and Emma Thompson plays Petra with a controlled sadness. Lydia Leonard plays Marta, and Boris Isaković plays Ivan. Rebecca Root plays Dr. Addis, Ingrid Oliver plays Police Woman Crowley, Laura Evelyn plays Police Woman Churchill, Patti LuPone plays Joyce, Calvin Demba plays Nathan, and Ritu Arya plays Jenna.
Andrew Ridgeley, from the duo Wham!, appears in the audience at the end of the film. His cameo is uncredited, and it lands as a wink rather than a payoff.
The Screenplay Problem
The film’s central weakness is its script. Kimmings, Thompson and Wise co-developed the story concept with Thompson’s husband, Greg Wise, but the final product feels thin. Kate’s journey from broken to hopeful is predictable, and the film never fully explains why Tom behaves the way he does. His disappearances and his habit of hiding his phone suggest a pattern, but the film never commits to what that pattern means.
The film also leans too heavily on coincidence. Kate keeps running into Tom, and the universe keeps arranging meetings at just the right moment. This could work in a lighter romantic comedy, but “Last Christmas” is pitched as a drama with serious emotional weight. The coincidence undermines that weight.
Performance and Chemistry
The performances are strong across the board. Clarke is the engine of the film, carrying Kate through her lowest moments with a mix of despair and determination. Golding is a solid foil, playing Tom with a quiet intensity that matches Clarke’s energy. Their scenes together are the film’s high points.
Michelle Yeoh brings warmth to her role as Santa, and Emma Thompson delivers a restrained performance as Petra. Lydia Leonard plays Marta with a quiet dignity that makes her betrayal sting more than it otherwise would. Boris Isaković plays Ivan with a weary patience. Rebecca Root, Ingrid Oliver, Laura Evelyn, Patti LuPone, Calvin Demba and Ritu Arya fill out the world around Kate without overshadowing her.
A Mixed Reception
“Last Christmas” was released in the United States on 8 November 2019 and in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2019 by Universal Pictures. Critics were mixed. The praise centered on Clarke and Golding’s chemistry, while the complaints targeted the screenplay and the story itself. The film grossed $123 million worldwide.
The film’s marketing leaned hard on its romantic premise, promising a holiday romance with real stakes. What it delivered was a story that kept circling the same ideas without ever landing. The result is a film that feels less like a Christmas story and more like a missed opportunity.
“Last Christmas” is a film with a good heart and a weak script. Clarke and Golding make the story work when the film lets them, but the writing keeps pulling the rug out from under them. The family drama adds noise rather than depth. The film’s tagline promises Christmas baggage, but it never fully unpacks it.
The film is currently available to stream.
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