Hollywood has produced a plethora of romantic comedies and dramas since films have existed. And with this aspect, they are typically the most formulaic and predictable of the genres. Don't get me wrong, there have been some interesting films of this genre that have surprised me after I've viewed them, but not too many. As I was watching "Last Christmas", I thought this was going to be yet another dry rom-com until the tables were turned and then actually surprised me.
Kate (Emilia Clarke) harrumphs around London, a bundle of bad decisions accompanied by the jangle of bells on her shoes, another irritating consequence from her job as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop owned by Santa/Huang (Michelle Yeoh). Tom Webster (Henry Golding) seems too good to be true when he inadvertently walks into her life and starts to see through so many of Kate's barriers. As London transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, nothing should work for these two. Nothing seems to be working between Kate and her family, her mom, Petra (Emma Thompson), dad (Boris Isakovic) and sister Marta (Lydia Leonard), but Tom, as he and Kate are getting to know one another, seems to be the only stable ground for Kate. But even with the problems in her life, sometimes, you gotta let the snow fall where it may, you gotta listen to your heart...and you gotta have faith.
Others to round out the cast are Patti LuPone as Joyce, Peter Mygind as The Dane aka 'Boy', Ben Owen-Jones as Danny, Calvin Demba as Nathan, David Hargreaves as Arthur, Ritu Arya as Jenna, Ansu Kabia as Rufus, Fabien Frankel as Fabien, Rob Delaney as Theater Director and Jade Anouka as Alba.
This was wittily directed by veteran Paul Feig ("Life Sold Separately" '97, "I Am David" '03, "Bridesmaids" '11, "The Heat" '13, "Spy" '15, "Ghostbusters" '16, "A Simple Favor" '18) plus TV and shorts. Whether one loves or hates this director's brand of comedy, he is incredibly prolific. in this, he knows how to get his actors to extract the correct emotion at the right time. Certainly being an actor himself gives him certain insight of what it takes to be directed. It was cleverly written by Emma Thompson ("Sense and Sensibility" '95, "Wit" (TV movie) '01, "Nanny McPhee" '05, "Nanny McPhee Returns" '10, "Effie Gray' '14, "Bridget Jones' Baby" '16) plus TV, and Bryony Kimmings, based on a story by Thompson and Greg Wise. I knew that Thompson had written some films before, however I that no idea how long she had been writing them and the number in which she has been in this endeavor. This writer is a veteran and she has proven herself many times over including with this film. I actually found this somewhat predictable and slow as it was unfolding, but then the story simply turned on a dime and went from slow and predictable to quicker and original. I won't say how this originality came across lest it would ruin it for the filmgoer, but suffice it so say that it certainly gave its audience some freshness it sorely needed. Also it had a great message nearing the end, and even though other rom-coms can and do have messages, the way this storyline played out, it made the message that much more poignant. Even though Kimmings has only this film to her credit, she certainly had a pivotal amount of input to this script.
If you like rom-coms or dramedies you'll love this, but even if you don't, this truly turned around and became the film I believe most filmgoers were hoping it would be. I typically do not like this particular genre, however all of a sudden this story picked up and then I really started appreciating it. You've gotta have patience with this story, because it will create the interest you're looking for.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 103mins.
No comments:
Post a Comment