[Rainbow Christmas 2019] Last Christmas: All About Heart

Christmas has, for some years now, been a lukewarm affair in my case. Though this is not the place to pick apart the minutia of why I’m not fond of Christmas, I will provide two simple reasons: my sister is Jewish, and decorations are expensive.

Disinterest in Christmas is something I have in common with Last Christmas’ protagonist, Kate (Emilia Clarke). Hers is far more tangible than mine, as she works in a Christmas shop owned by a Chinese woman, played by Michelle Yeoh, who calls herself ‘Santa.’ Kate’s job is one of the few things keeping her afloat as Christmas approaches, aside from friends and family begrudgingly letting her crash at their home to avoid homelessness.

In between this and late-night alcoholic binges, Kate meets a handsome, quirky man named Tom (Henry Golding) who encourages her to be present with the straightforward catch phrase ‘look up’ which she initially mocks. Of course, as holiday movies go, by the third act, our protagonist learns a lesson, changing for the better.

As you may have guessed by this point, Last Christmas is layered with clichés (surprising to me considering Emma Thompson wrote it) with critics saying the clichés are unbearable and the story ‘poorly conceived.’ I feel the opposite. I don’t go into a Christmas movie expecting much so, as a result, I’m far less critical of movies such as this. With that in mind, I’d recommend reading reviews, if that’s your thing, after you’ve seen the movie.

It is marketed as a romance but, in my opinion, the heart of this movie is family. A large portion of the movie is dedicated to the struggle of being immigrants living in a country, specifically England, filled with vile and often public hatred toward them. For that reason, Kate prefers to go by a nickname, afraid of the repercussions for just saying her name. She is ashamed of her name and heritage, constantly correcting her mother after she says her full name. It seems even more appropriate for the soundtrack to consist entirely of George Michael songs. He changed his name from Georgios Panayiotou, his father being a Greek immigrant to Great Britain in the 1950s.

I appreciate this choice by the writers to confront the emotional pain of immigration, albeit in a sanitized, more palatable for the general population sort of way. It is relevant given the current political debate about immigration in the United States and the U. K. No matter one’s efforts to escape politics while consuming some form of entertainment, it follows everyone everywhere.

Perhaps, if you’ve managed to read this far and you’re still not convinced, this point may aide you in your decision. Last Christmas is a fun, humorous, and emotional treat to watch alone or with your middle-aged mother addicted to tasteless Hallmark channel movies. It may be enough to break dear old Mom from her unhealthy habit (this probably says more about me than anyone else.)

Still not persuaded? Here is more incentive: Kate’s sister, Marta (Lydia Leonard), is gay and in a relationship without her parent’s knowledge. Another cliché but one that ties in with the themes of the film and is relatable to LGBT+ folks.

Go see Last Christmas in theatres and bring some tissues in case you tear up a little.