Okay, first thing’s first: Mr. Henry Golding, I never knew you could get more charming than you already are.
“Last Christmas” doesn’t just help this actor go past the one-movie stint tag, it solidifies his status as a leading man. Here Golding plays another good guy, Tom Webster. There’s just something so real and moving about his kindness and chivalrous ways that feel so genuine. Genuine enough to lend itself to the characters he portrays and gives these personalities more clarity.
Thanks to Golding, Webster is suspiciously too perfect. He’s equal parts handsome and mysterious, showing his different perspectives on the mundane. There probably wasn’t a moment Golding’s face was flashed on the big screen that I didn’t gush over—and you can’t blame me. While Tom is disconnected from the rest of the world (he keeps his phone in the cupboard), he does show up randomly to create moments worth remembering.
While the Golding and Emilia Clarke tandem didn’t really seem to have much chemistry to get a romantic film going, these two rom-com leads make it work. In a surprisingly heartwarming portrayal of two star-crossed lovers, they fashion “Last Christmas” as no other than the season’s must-see film.
