Categories: EntertainmentTV

Last Christmas review – Holiday story that resonates well

With Christmas rapidly in our sights comes Paul Feig’s cheery, sweetly conceived Last Christmas, a production saturated in sentimentality.

Emilia Clarke, one of the shining lights in Game of Thrones, has put her dragons aside to embrace a holiday story that will resonate with many people looking for an uplifting slice of candyfloss cinema.

The narrative is set in London with the build-up to Christmas and focuses on a dysfunctional young woman Katerina (Clarke) trying desperately to find her place in the world.

Emilia Clarke in ‘Last Christmas’. Photo: Universal Pictures

She has recovered fully from a heart transplant, and is engaged as an “elf” who works in a shop selling year-round Christmas gimmicks.

She is a massive George Michael fan and the music of the late star dominates the film’s soundtrack. One of the songs provides the film’s title.

The numbers are a spot-on accompaniment for the turmoil in Katerina’s life.

She’s a 26-year-old aspiring singer who enjoys binge-drinking, one-night stands, self-pity and displays a boorish behaviour that has left her estranged from her sister.

Henry Golding and Emilia Clarke in ‘Last Christmas’. Photo: Universal Pictures

She is also in danger of losing her day job, and is a persona non grata with most of her friends.

She needs to become a better, more responsible person and her life changes when she encounters Henry Golding’s mysterious Tom Webster.

He’s a dashing and infectiously upbeat individual with a penchant for breaking into brief dances routines as if he’s hearing a Gene Kelly musical in his head.

Last Christmas manages to rise above your average romantic comedy, serving up a resounding story.

Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding in ‘Last Christmas’. Photo: Universal Pictures

Info

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Cast: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson
Director: Paul Feig
Classification: 13 LP

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.

For more news your way

Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.

Published by
By Peter Feldman
Read more on these topics: Movie reviews