Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Paul Feig, Perfect World Pictures and Universal, PG 103 Minutes.
The first of the year’s Christmas movies has been released, with director Paul Feig (‘A Simple Favour’) fashioning a cheerful, feel-good romantic comedy penned and produced by the celebrated Emma Thompson (‘Love Actually’).
Besides co-writing the screenplay with Bryony Kimmings, Thompson also stars as Petra the Yugoslavian mother of Kate/Katerina (Emilia Clarke of ‘Game of Thrones’), a chaotic single woman with suitcase seeking a place to stay.
Kate works as an elf in a Christmas store owned by ‘Santa’ (Michelle Yeoh of ‘Morgan’) but is keen on becoming a singer until she meets the mysterious Tom (Henry Golding of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’).
Tom’s happy temperament has an uplifting effect on Kate. She begins to be kinder to herself and those around her, especially Petra (after providing her ad hoc accommodation) and hostile sister Marta (Lydia Leonard of ‘The Fifth Estate’).
During Tom’s strange absences, Kate decides to help homeless people at a shelter (where Tom indicated he worked at as a volunteer) by arranging a special Christmas concert to funds for its many inhabitants.
On the day of the concert – with her family and long-suffering employer from the Christmas store in tow – Kate enlists her homeless crew on stage as performers while taking on the main singing role herself.
It’s only at the end of the concert that Kate learns of Tom’s real identity and his motive for initially making contact with her.
While Thompson’s script appears scrambled at times, there is no denying the poignancy of the message that Feig’s touching production emits against the backdrop of the Christmas season.
In addition to the pleasing Christmas settings shot in London, one cannot overlook the enjoyable performances of Clarke, Golding as Kate’s ‘guardian angel’ and the terrific Thompson, who rarely disappoints in any of her roles
Vic’s Verdict: 3 Stars
