In certain situations it’s hilariously dark, leading one to wonder if there was a darker comedy in the vein of A Simple Favor in the offing.
What little humor is present in the narrative is incredibly muted or comes from out of nowhere. This is a chronic problem that runs throughout the entirety of Last Christmas: the navigation of tone and delving beyond the incredibly trite gimmick. Though it’s said that Kate’s penchant for irresponsibility is new, the movie’s grand redemption is that she volunteers at a local homeless shelter and realizes life could be worse? She’s still homeless, but at least she realizes there’s no reason to turn down a free bed? Kate also deserves demerits for assuming her boss, played wonderfully by Michelle Yeoh, is actually named Santa. The problem is the script never seems to understand Kate’s problems beyond the George Michael song that inspired it. What should be a celebratory time of year, for Kate, ends up being a reminder that she’s done nothing with her life and, if anything, feels pressure to do more because she’s been deemed “lucky.” Clarke captures all the facets of Kate’s personality, from her shame at her family to her ability to flirt on command with any man who crosses her path. Kate, a Yugoslavian refugee ashamed of her heritage who has shortened her name from Katarina, had a heart transplant and nearly died.
Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings’ script casts Clarke as the stereotypical Christmas curmudgeon but with a credible reason. She works in a year-round holiday store named Yuletide but couldn’t care less about the season let alone the other 363 days out of the year. Taking place in 2017 purely so it can bring up Brexit every now and again, our leading lady is Kate (Clarke), a selfish woman prone to drinking, casual sex, and glamorous homelessness (for a girl with no place to stay she always has great hair and makeup). Despite a cast comprised of Emma Thompson, last year’s breakout star Henry Golding, and Game of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke, they all flounder in this sedate, uninteresting, unfunny, and downright unromantic Christmas tragedy. Make no mistake, if you think you know what Last Christmas is about, you’re probably right or you’ve come up with a better narrative than what the finished product actually contains. With an inordinately long runtime for what is essentially a commercial, audiences also deduced that the twist was openly revealed….which it is. Many will recall where they were when they saw the Last Christmas trailer for the first time. Last Christmas will make you want to ignore the holiday altogether with its trite script and third-act twist you’ll deduce in 10 minutes. We heated Charlie up and popped him into bed beside him.By Kristen Lopez 2 years ago Follow Tweet He has already come in very useful when Jake had a cold. The mum-of-two said: “Jake was so excited when he unwrapped Charlie - he wrapped him up in his blanket straightaway. Karen describes the moment Jake was given his 'Charlie bear' and how much comfort it brings him, thanking the charity.
To sort of make them smile again."Ĭancer Support UK is asking people to donate £10 to help send 1,500 special teddies to hospitals and hospices across the UK, to give children – like Jake – who are being treated for cancer, something to smile about. He didn't really have the energy to do anything, but they tried their best. "When you are going through even that first part of chemo, Jake was so ill. They dress up - just to sort of make everyone laugh. Trying to keep everyone busy and their spirits high. Jake and his sister Emelia (Image: Submitted)