Emelia Clark is probably best known by audiences as the Dragon Queen on Game of Thrones. It might seem odd to place her in the lead of a romantic comedy set at Christmas to some, but Last Christmas isn’t your average Christmas movie and Emelia Clark isn’t your average young actress. Anyone seeing her personal appearances know she is NOTHING like her GOT character, yet this character she plays here is far bleaker than one would expect in a holiday based romp.

Last Christmas was helmed by Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters (2016) director, Paul Feig, who really didn’t want to take the position based on a past Christmas based failure on his resume (Unaccompanied Minors). He was directing from a script by Emma Thompson, who cowrote with her husband over the course of many years, and is a literal translation of the famous Wham! song. Wham! songs pepper the soundtrack throughout, so don’t worry about them just playing the one song over and over…like every mall in the country is playing this time of year.

In front of the lens, Henry Golding from Crazy, Rich Asians feels much more at home in a rom-com. Also playing parts was movie scribe Emma Thompson and Michelle Yeoh in a role as a “crazy” boss. Crazy, because she doesn’t fire Emelia’s character within the first five minutes of the movie.

Emelia’s character had a disease (I won’t spoil any of this, since I heard the trailer does and I’m glad I didn’t see it) and she has been a mess since beating it. She’s drinking too much. She’s always late. And her legs just won’t stay together.

This is what I mean about steering clear of Christmas conventions. Her character is a mess…more on the street with Nightmare Alley than Miracle on 34^th Street. Frankly, if it was shot in black and white, it resembles a film noir more than any Christmas movie ever should. It is also light on the mirth. It’s just a little cold and aloof…much like the characters Emma Thompson typically plays.This all leads to either a shocking reveal or a ridiculous plot twist in the final 30 minutes of the film that either makes or breaks the movie for many. I liked it and it brought out a sweetness in the performance that had been missing during the early going of the film. It’s worth catching Last Christmas this Christmas but expect, at least a little, heartbreak. It could have been something special.

Grade: B

Last Christmas (2019)