The Last Christmas debuted November 8, which Mr. Paul Reig directed, starring Ms. Emilia Clarke and Mr. Henry Golding.  The love story illustrates the two main characters, Kate and Tom, as they journey through London, England and work through the obstacles they encounter.  The romantic comedy movie incorporated elements of Christmas through a Christmas shop, Yuletide, where Kate works under her boss, Santa, played by Ms. Michelle Yeoh.

The protagonist, Kate, works at Yuletide dressed in an elf costume.  Kate’s worrisome mother constantly warns her about her past illness, a heart defect.  A handsome man, Tom, catches Kate’s attention and the two suddenly start exploring the city of London.  After spending days together, the two slowly fall in love, guiding the viewers to think everything is well until the story takes an unpleasant turn.

Santa, Kate’s boss and friend, is somehow able to see and recognize Tom at the end of the film.  In reality, the movie explains that Tom is in Kate’s imagination because she lives with his heart inside her.

Toward the end of the film, when Tom is no longer in Kate’s sight, she searches for him throughout London.  Kate meets a stranger who informs her that Tom was in a bike crash many years ago and passed away. 

Due to Kate’s heart condition diagnosis, she received a donor heart from Tom during a transplant surgery.  Based on the lyrics from the song, “Last Christmas” by Wham! the film begins with the words, “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,” correlating the lyrics with the plot of the movie.  It is only at the end of the movie when the viewer recognizes that Tom’s heart is Kate’s heart.  Kate’s imagination during the film leads the viewers to believe that Tom’s physical body is still alive.

The film has a well-organized plot and the actors performed well.  However, the falsely interpreted Christmas movie was truly just another romance film.  The Last Christmas failed to incorporate the elements of holiday joy and Christmas spirit.

Featured Image by Caroline Baranello ’20