One of the more predictable films that I have seen this year, hands down, is Last Christmas. But, just because it was predictable doesn’t mean that it wasn’t enjoyable. Written by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise and directed by Paul Feig, Last Christmas is a love letter to George Michael, if there ever was one.

Look, as soon as the trailer came out, the plot twist in the film was figured out. Now, if you are one of the few who managed to avoid any and all spoilers for this film and care if you read them, click away now. The rest of you, please, keep reading.
The plot and subsequent plot twist to Last Christmas was a no-brainer, especially if you take into consideration the lyrics to the song that the title takes its name from: Kate, our main character, was the recipient of a heart transplant the previous year and, as it turns out, the ghost of the man whose heart she now has, Tom, she has started to fall for. Only, she doesn’t know that he’s dead and that she literally has his heart. But, from the beginning of the film, when you notice that Tom’s reflection does not appear in the bus, it’s clear that he’s not real. He’s there to teach her to be a better person. Or, to find her heart, really.

The script for this film felt like it needed to be rewritten once or twice more, even though Thompson and Wise had been working on it for years. I just felt that there was more that could have been known about all of the characters. They just didn’t feel like fully formed human beings to me. But, again, that may just be me.

The film almost felt like a story wanted to be told, not about the main character, Kate, but about the subplots in the film. But, an entire film based around these subplots would have been harder to get made, so they opted for a light romantic comedy with a touch of seriousness. In particular, I am talking about the immigration/Brexit subplot and Kate’s sister’s coming out (or being outed by her sister, rather, which was troubling). Last Christmas felt like three different short films pasted into one.

The film, overall, was enjoyable. It did feel as if it’s main purpose was to highlight the music of George Michael, which I literally have no problem with, whatsoever. Anyways, any excuse to watch Henry Golding on a big screen is a plus. Let’s be honest, I don’t need an excuse. The man is a good actor and one hell of an attractive man. I appreciate him very much.

So, please, watch Last Christmas and enjoy Henry Golding with me.