Emilia Clarke
“LAST CHRISTMAS” My rating: C-
102 minutes | MPAA rating: PG-13
Despite my general hatred of seasonally-themed romantic comedies (like chugging a gallon of eggnog), there were reasons to think “Last Christmas” might be different.
For starters, it was written by Emma Thompson (who in addition to being a great actress gave us the screenplays for “Sense and Sensibility,” “Nanny McPhee” and “Bridget Jones’ Baby”) and directed by Paul Feig of “Bridesmaids” fame.
Surely those two could provide just enough edge to make all that good cheer palatable.
If only.
“Last Christmas,” which purportedly was inspired by the George Michael song of the same name, is an unbearable mess, too dour to be truly funny and too silly to work dramatically.
Most of the film is a too-quirky dramady that botches just about everything it attempts; in its final stages the script delivers a plot twist that has been so poorly set up that it hardly makes a dent in the audience ennui.
Kate (Emilia Clark) is a mess. Though she considers herself an aspiring singer, she works in a year-round Christmas store in London where she is required to suit up as an elf — even in the summer. Her off hours are devoted to boozing and sleeping with cute strangers. At odds with her parents, she lives out of a suitcase, crashing on the couches of friends whose patience is wearing thin.
We’re supposed to find her charming in an offbeat way; mostly she’s just irritating.
Butler's Cinema Scene 