Romancemas Day 3: Last Christmas

For the third day of Christmas rom coms, we’re watching one of the last big studio rom coms to come to theaters…one that regrettably didn’t get the hype it deserved.

Up until now, we’ve watch some older holiday movies. And, considering that most new Christmas movies are made-for-TV or streaming, it’s frankly rare we get something that was meant for the theater. Alas, Last Christmas, starring Emelia Clarke and Henry Golding, didn’t get the hype it deserved–and I think I know why. Join me as we watch 2019’s Last Christmas!

Let’s react to Last Christmas!

Official day 3 accessory: A full box of tissues for the inevitable tears.

Kate is a bit of a disaster. She sucks at her job as the elf of a Christmas store. She keeps missing or totally bombing her singing auditions. She’s couch-surfing because she has no place to stay. But after she meets a handsome man on the street, Tom, she starts to take his advice to better her life. (And it doesn’t hurt that he’s super cute. We see you, Henry Golding.)

Sounds like a pretty good movie, right? It is! And yet, it came and went in theaters with very little fanfare. In fact, it has a Rotten Tomato rating of only 46%. I think you and I can agree that is a mis-read. This movie is good! And the Popcornmeter (formerly known as the Audience Score) is 81%, which is much more in line with how I feel about the movie.

So why didn’t it do well? I have a theory that it’s all thanks to the “wow, this girl is such a disaster” trope. As far as romance tropes, that kind of plot is tired. It’s something you’d see in a ’90s or early ’00s rom-com, not something for a modern audience. Aren’t we done with having a female main character who needs saving in 2019 (and 2024)? Yes.

But let’s be real for a second. This movie is still good. If it had come out decades ago, it would have been a smash hit. The acting is stellar, the soundtrack courtesy of George Michael is catchy as hell, and the heartbreaking twist ending is tear-jerking. Watching this today for the first time since seeing it in theaters five years ago, I still sobbed. And I mean sobbed. I can’t be the only one. (Although, honestly, it’s so obvious that they got the idea for the twist from the next few lines of the titular George Michael song, but I think we should let that slide.)

So sure, the writing for the main character is a little tired. And did I want to cry today? Not necessarily. But I’m the one who created the list for Romancemas, so if you’re mad at crying too, you can lodge your complaints with me.