Last Christmas (film)



Last Christmas is a 2019 romantic comedy film directed by Paul Feig and written by Bryony Kimmings and Emma Thompson, who co-wrote the story with her husband, Greg Wise. It stars Emilia Clarke as a cynical Christmas store worker who keeps running into an overly-cheerful man (Henry Golding) and begins to fall for him; Thompson and Michelle Yeoh also star.

The film was theatrically released in the United States on 8 November 2019 and will be in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2019 by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances and chemistry of Clarke and Golding but criticised the screenplay and clichés, and has grossed $14 million worldwide.

Premise
A young woman named Kate (Clarke) has been continuously unlucky, leading a life that is on the verge of falling apart. When she accepts a job dressing as an elf at a year-round Christmas store owned by "Santa" (Yeoh), she randomly meets Tom (Golding) and her life takes an unexpected turn. He sees through Kate's misfortunes and personal failings, offering unsolicited life lessons. Tom shows up whenever she needs him, eventually helping Kate break her bad habits and get her life back on track.

Cast

 * Emilia Clarke as Kate
 * Madison Ingoldsby as Young Kate
 * Henry Golding as Tom
 * Michelle Yeoh as "Santa"
 * Emma Thompson as Petra
 * Rebecca Root as Dr. Addis
 * Lydia Leonard as Marta
 * Lucy Miller as Young Marta
 * Patti LuPone as Joyce
 * Ingrid Oliver as Police Woman Crowley
 * Rob Delaney as Theater Director
 * Peter Serafinowicz as Theater Producer
 * Peter Mygind as "Boy"

Production
In September 2018, it was reported that Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding would star in a London-set romantic comedy taking place at Christmas. Paul Feig was announced to direct, with Emma Thompson co-writing the screenplay. In October it was announced that Thompson would be starring and that the film would feature the music of singer George Michael, including "Last Christmas" and previously unreleased tracks. In November 2018, Michelle Yeoh joined the cast of the film. Theodore Shapiro would compose the film's score.

Filming began on 26 November 2018 through February 2019. Filming locations included West London Film Studios.

On 31 October 2019, Thompson and Wise published a collection of personal essays about the meaning of Christmas in a book also called Last Christmas. Contributors include Andy Serkis, Caitlin Moran, Olivia Colman and Emily Watson. The proceeds from the book went to two charities, Crisis and The Refugee Council.

Release
The film was due for release on 15 November 2019 but was moved up a week to 8 November in the United States. The film is still scheduled to release on 15 November 2019 in the United Kingdom.

Box office
, Last Christmas has grossed $11.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $3.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $14.7 million.

In the United States and Canada, Last Christmas was released alongside Doctor Sleep, Midway, and Playing with Fire, and was projected to gross $13–19 million from 3,448 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $4.1 million on its first day, including $575,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $11.6 million, finishing fourth behind its fellow newcomers.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 49% based on 105 reviews, with an average rating of 5.48/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Likable leads, terrific behind-the-scenes talent, and an intriguing musical hook aren't enough to save Last Christmas from its poorly conceived story." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an average 3 out of 5 stars.

Variety's Owen Gleiberman gave the film a negative review and wrote: "It's twee, it's precious, it's forced. And it's light on true romance, maybe because the movie itself is a little too in love with itself." John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called it a misfire "but it earns some warm feelings for its determination not to be like anything else currently in circulation." Alonso Duralde of TheWrap compared the film to a Christmas album, and said it was not as good as Paul Feig's best work "but it fulfills a craving for sticky Christmas pudding".

Charles Bramesco of The A.V. Club called the film "a guilty pleasure" but criticized the predictable plot twist. He praised Clarke for her performance saying "she succeeds in the only real meaningful test of rom-com skill, in that she makes us want her to be happy."