SPOILERS for Last Christmas.
For some reason, I didn’t even know that Last Christmas came out last Friday. I saw Emilia Clarke promoting the film everywhere, but I guess I just thought it was really advanced promotion, because why would you release a Christmas movie weeks before… Thanksgiving? Anyway, it seems like I wasn’t the only one sleeping on Last Christmas – it debuted on the weekend box office at #4, which would have been a notable bomb except that Doctor Sleep also bombed and that’s the bigger story for box office analysts. Besides, the reviews of Last Christmas were bad-to-horrendous, so no one was surprised when the film didn’t do well.
Interestingly enough, one of the other reasons why the film got such an icy reception from film-goers and critics is because… people figured out the plot twist months ago, when we first saw the trailer. Truly, people on Twitter and in blog comment sections figured it out. If you don’t want to know the big “twist,” stop reading now…
SPOILERS BELOW…
The big twist is that Emilia’s character, the recipient of a heart transplant, finds out that Henry Golding’s character is the ghost of a man who died and she has his heart. Most people figured out that he was a ghost in the very first f–king trailer. But still, Emilia Clarke is mad that people are “spoiling” the twist:
Emilia Clarke is so over spoilers. And we’re not even talking about Game of Thrones. The actress opened up to IndieWire about her irritation with the internet’s obsession with trying to guess the twist in Last Christmas. Fans began an elaborate guessing game almost as soon as the trailer debuted in August. “It’s bloody annoying. Frustrating,” Clarke said. “It’s more complicated than people are guessing.”
Clarke defends the twist, noting that there was great care and nuance put into building it into the script. “Emma [Thompson] and Greg [Wise] wrote this script together, but they sent the script to all of their friends and it was only ready when their friends didn’t see the twist coming and couldn’t guess until it happens, so that’s where it comes from,” she told IndieWire. “It’s just frustrating.”
“When it comes to signing petitions to reshoot the last season of a very popular TV show, or whether it’s spoiling a goddamn Christmas rom-com, people are able to do something about that,” she reflected to IndieWire. “Our world’s literally on fire, so I think that there’s a lot of things outside of people’s control, so when it comes to this kind of stuff, they can do something with it and want to. It’s done with so much fervor, it’s done with a huge amount of energy and all that is, is misdirected energy.”
I like her for defending her movie and defending Emma Thompson and Greg Wise’s script. But… the first line of George Michael’s “Last Christmas” is “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart.” SPOILER. I mean, it’s not Emilia’s fault. But truly, 90% of us saw this coming.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Yeah, people were predicting this when the trailer first came out. I have to say, it’s weird that the trailer makes it look like a rom-com. I kind of wonder if the reason it’s bombing is because the twist is so obvious, yet the trailer tries really hard to make it look light and fluffy and romantic. Who exactly is the target audience for this?
Anyway, Henry Golding is hot. So I’m not going to complain about seeing him in more movies.
Yeah I guessed it the minute I saw the trailer but really hoped I was wrong. I couldn’t stop laughing when I read I was right. They really went with the “ghost boyfriend” plot from one of the worst seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. Yikes.
The reviews are terrible, the box office is mediocre to disappointing… I say they should lean into it and maybe some people will go out of morbid curiosity.
Seriously as this is certainly not ‘No Way Out’. Really nice twist there
But even Emilia says it’s a rom-com, so what kind of movie is it? I don’t mean to sound snarky, I really have no idea.
To be honest I wonder if they tried to “trick” the audience into seeing the movie. “Christmas in London rom-com” is much easier to sell than “ghost boyfriend movie”.
I was so excited about this movie than figured out the twist and…Well, let’s just say that I’ve watched Grey’s Anatomy S4 and I’m not about to do it again.
See this is my problem with it – if i were to see this, i would expect fluffy holiday rom com, but instead I get ghosts? GAH. Don’t mess with my head.
I mean isn’t the movie Ghost considered a rom-com so why can’t this one?
Okay, well I didnt see that twist coming lol (I dont mind spoilers though, which is why I read the post anyway), but I figured there was something sad and tragic about the movie. I love a good Christmas movie and I dont mind tearjerkers, and I love Henry Golding, but for some reason I had no interest in seeing this movie. Maybe I’ll watch it on demand next year.
I didn’t either and I’m kind of mad even though I clicked on the spoiler post! What is wrong with me!?
I didn’t either! And I’ve seen the trailer a few times. I guess I couldn’t get past how bad the movie looks, and when I say that, I mean “bad” like cheesy. It looks like a made for tv movie or a movie within a movie. Still, I’m sure I’ll watch it at some point
Those are all the reasons I’d like this movie! I’m going to see it soon. OK, really, I’m going to see it for Henry Golding. Good lord he’s handsome! And that voice!
I just re-watched the trailer *knowing* the plot twist and still didn’t see how people got that he was a ghost. Maybe I’m just really obtuse. Oh well, will likely watch this when it gets to Netflix. Henry Golding is lovely and I have a soft spot for Emilia Clarke.
I thought he was a guardian angel or something like that. I didn’t quite think ghost of the man who donated his heart, but I guess if I had thought about the movie title and the song that goes with it, and if I had known that she specifically had heart issues instead of just vague “medical issues,” I probably would’ve figured it out. I remember seeing the trailer once and immediately knowing that he wasn’t a real, normal, human person, though.
These interview quotes are actually from IndieWire, not Entertainment Weekly. I’d know — I spoke to Emilia and wrote the piece.
Yes, it says “she told IndieWire” or some version thereof several times in the EW piece. No one is misrepresenting that, as far as I can see.
It would make a difference, however, if the link went to IW and not EW. Journalistically, it’s the best practice and it shows respect to the original source. (And, you know, the traffic boost would be nice, that’s how so much online content is measured.) CB for sure knows this.
KE,
I get why you’re miffed. Seems like that should’ve been an easy attribution…
@KE, COOL!!! I I stan writers!! How awesome 😎 great work! & congratulations 🎈🎉🍾🎊 fellow celebitch!!!!
People are crabby and “spoiling” it because the movie is badly sold.
I’m sorry, but their friends must all be pretty dim if none of them saw that twist coming. The fact that Golding is a ghost is blindingly obvious from the get go, and then all that’s left is to figure out why Clarke’s got a ghost in her life, which is again, blindingly obvious. Calling it Last Christmas was just the cherry on top.
I think it could have been a much better film if they hadn’t tried to make it a twist at all.
Honestly, they should have been promoting the ghost angle all along. I didn’t guess the twist based on the trailers because I didn’t pay any attention to them: another treacly Christmas love story with some poor sick girl…big whatever. But a love story with the ghost of your heart donor? Yeah, I’ll watch that trash, bring it on.
Your last 2 sentences made me lol! A hot ghost? Why didn’t you say sooner? Bring that sh*t on.
Same here—I ignored the trailers because it looked like another bland Xmas movie. Now that I know it’s about a cheesy romance with a hot ghost, I’m more likely to go see it 🙂
Definitely. Treacly holiday rom-com – yawn. Updated ‘Ghost and Mrs. Muir’? Bring it on!
Ha! Absolutely agree Jillian, and couldn’t have said better
I hate to break it to her, but people figured out the twist within minutes of the trailer premiering.
As they say, it ain’t rocket science.
Was thinking about seeing this movie, but now I’m not to sure. I thought is was a rom com, but now I don’t like how the movie is going.
Another thing that was holding me back from seeing it was that to me EC was coming off quite annoying and unappealing in the previews. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s very attractive, but something about her character in the previews was very unappealing to me.
I love Emilia, she’s so lovely and nice. She’s really a good person and I will see Last Christmas (sadly it will be released in December in my country)
“She’s really a good person“
Your choice, but honestly this sentiment drives me crazy. She’s not a charity. We don’t have to support garbage just because celebrities are nice. If we stop doing that, better products have to get made. We deserve quality for our money. She’s rich, she’ll be fine.
@Mia4S your comment made me snicker.
Just to be cheeky…Can we now enjoy work by people who are awful?
If it’s any comfort, the movie has very good diversity and offers interesting and funny words on Brexit, so I think it really would appeal to Celebitches for that reason. In any case, I enjoyed it.
I’m glad I read the spoiler because for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what this movie was about from the Hulu commercials.
This is like a Hallmark movie. I think I’ve seen many of them with similar plots.
I just cannot get behind her as an actress. I just don’t like her.
I like her, but do admit she isn’t the best actress…she is a name bc if GoT…
Trying to keep something public and online secret? An online secret is an oxymoron larger than jumbo shrimp. I agree with the poster suggesting going with the Christmas ghost from the start. It might have even increased sales. But alas, not my type of movie. And not my type of Christmas viewing either. We do Grinch here. Hanky the Christmas Poo, Ren and Stimpy and Stinky’s snowy adventure. And of course the classics, plus Die Hard, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings. Absolutely no romantic comedies! 😁
I watched the movie on Friday and loved it. A lovely film. Sad but joyous and they have great chemistry.
The only twist would be is she was a good actress.
Ouch!
(Nods vigorously)
Owwww the burn!! 😀
I saw this movie this weekend. I weirdly really wanted to see it. It wasn’t great and yes the spoiler was obvious. She didn’t look good in the movie either- really dirty and just not great. I mean I know that’s not really the point, i was just disappointed.
Was that supposed to be how her character looked or no?
Probably. It’s probably not a fair criticism i just kept thinking “take a shower.” I was expecting a rom com where people looked cute not super dirty. 🙂 Irrational I know.
They need to be yelling at the marketing department then, because it was pretty obvious.
A film called “Last Christmas” is obviously going to end with one or both of them dead, clue number one. It’s not a happy title. Clue number two, the lyrics in the song of the same title, which was USED IN THE TRAILER. If they wanted to keep the twist a secret, they shouldn’t have given it a name that was so on-the-nose.
Is Emilia still acting with her eyebrows?
lmfao!
I’ve never seen Game of Thrones, but of course knew who she was. As this movie being my first time seeing her act ever – you nailed it. 😀
Uh, my friend Bryony Kimmings who is a very respected playwright wrote it. Emma Thomson and Greg Wise came up with the story but Bryony wrote the actual screenplay (with input from Emma). Greg Wise wasn’t involved in writing the screenplay which is why he is only credited as “story by” and not “writer.”
Good to know. Writers tend to get shafted.
I saw an ad for the movie for the first time yesterday actually, but even I have heard of ‘the twist’ and when I told my boyfriend his response was a painful “Oh my goood”.
And [SPOILER]
… I agree tbh. Like, that movie plot is literally a comically bad pun.
I thought he was an angel, not a ghost. I got a “we’re fooling you with the fluffy Christmas in London bit because everyone dies at the end” tragic vibe from the trailer. I love Emilia, so I may buy a ticket to support her, but I’m lukewarm on the plot.
Saw Last Christmas yesterday and LOVED IT. It was amazing. Not at all the film my husband and I expected (I had been avoiding spoilers but also thought: How can *anyone* spoil a *romcom*??). But the film we got was phenomenal, so moving and yes, heartbreaking, but also heartmending. It’s one of my favorite films of the year, and maybe of all time!!
‘the first line of George Michael’s “Last Christmas” is “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart.”
So he literally gave her his heart? Ugh. What a horrible lack of subtlety in the story. Way to hit the audience over the head
The trailer looked to me like they were trying to sell it as Fleabag The Movie, which I found desperate and annoying.
Sad that Greg Wise was involved. Fella should have had a Colin Firth-level career. Instead he’s hanging out in his garden shed pub and co-writing slop like this.
He married Emma Thompson so as far as I’m concerned, he’s winning.
I didn’t know he was a ghost, but that intrigues me more! Did anyone like it this weekend?
I love her and she’s got an iconic role under her belt.
That said everything else I’ve seen her in is utter rubbish.
I saw it by myself today. Didn’t figure out the twist prior and very much enjoyed this movie. I feel like people these days are throwing around the term “bomb” very loosely. It has a great audience rating on rotten tomatoes, as does Doctor Sleep. I don’t give a shit about critics, have never found them useful. I’m quite capable of making my own mind up about something and personally just think people who criticize movies are just trying to create a job for themselves. Let’s all keep in mind that “critics” hated Star Wars when it first came out as well. Useless, the lot of them.
Honestly, ppl genuinely think any movie that isn’t Marvel and doesn’t automatically bring in a billion dollars is a bomb.
I don’t think there’s enough understanding for how bothersome it is to tick you’ve got a MOC, and Asian at that as primary love interest and oh, look, he’s actually a ghost.
Right
She’s a really bad actress. That’s all I’ve got. A lot of the straight out of drama school British ingenue types are bad though. I’m trying to think of anyone who might be good, but I can’t.
Lol, YouTube commenters already guessed it correctly way back when they released the trailer. It should not stop you from not seeing it. I thought the movie was charming.
FYI it’s only before Thanksgiving in America. I know you may find this shocking but the rest of the world watches movies.
Wonder if a lot of movie/streaming productions these days get everyone – cast, crew, extras, etc – on an email list and get them to subscribe to Google Alerts and post positive comments on blog posts, news article comment sections, and so on. Every little bit helps sell a ticket!