What to Know
- Emilia Clarke plays a singer in London.
- The film uses brand-new unreleased material from the late George Michael.
- "Last Christmas" opens Nov. 8th.
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Christmas is coming early with the release of "Last Christmas." This unique take on a Christmas rom com uses the music of the late George Michael to help tell the story. Director Paul Feig says the music is a character of its own in the film.
"It's loosely based on the song 'Last Christmas', so George's DNA is already hardwired into the film," Feig says. "The minute I started going through his whole catalog of music I realized it's so illustrative of everything we're doing in the movie."
The film stars Emilia Clarke ("Game of Thrones") as Kate, a disgruntled elf at a year-round Christmas store run by Michelle Yeoh ("Crazy Rich Asians") who plays Santa. Kate meets Tom (Henry Golding) and he seems too adorably good to be true. The two have chemistry right away, and we are all in on their journey, wherever it may lead.
While this film has all the elements of a classic rom com, Clarke says the story goes much deeper and will surprise people.
"It's a movie about accepting each other, and more importantly accepting yourself," Clarke says.
Another delightful surprise is how beautifully Clarke sings in the film. Her character is a singer, who loses her way after undergoing a heart transplant. But she finds her voice again with Tom's help.
"Last Christmas" was co-written by Greg Wise and Emma Thompson, who also stars as Kate's overbearing mother. Set in London during the 2017 holiday, the film artfully weaves in well-known songs from George Michael as well as brand-new unreleased material from the Grammy-winning artist.
Only time will tell if this film will become a Christmas classic. Time, and a little bit of faith.
"Last Christmas" opens nationwide November 8th and stars Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh and Emma Thompson.
