Last Christmas (PG-13)
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This came out in 2019, but I didn't see it until 2026 (on Christmas in July). Before I watched it, I assumed I would put my review under "holiday movies", but after watching it, I don't quite think of it as a holiday movie. Most of the film has a "rom-com" feel to it, but because of a plot twist that I'm not going to spoil, I find myself incapable of thinking of it as any kind of romance story. So I was basically left with either "quirky" or "serio-comedy", and I chose the former. The movie was inspired by the song "Last Christmas", by Wham!, and the soundtrack includes a bunch of songs by both Wham! and George Michael. The movie didn't do particularly well with critics, but I mostly enjoyed it. I'm really not sure how I feel about the plot twist that comes near the end of the movie, but at least it didn't ruin the movie for me. The film was co-written by Emma Thompson, who also plays the main character's mother, Petra.

It's set in London, and follows an aspiring singer named Kate (Emilia Clarke), who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop run by a woman who calls herself "Santa" (Michelle Yeoh), though she doesn't dress like Santa, or anything. Kate doesn't really get along well with her sister, Marta, or their mother. And she crashes at a friend's apartment, but soon gets kicked out. So she reluctantly goes to stay with her parents (who are Yugoslavian immigrants). She meets a man named Tom (Henry Golding) outside the shop one day, and soon starts spending a lot of time with him. They seem to have good chemistry together, and Kate grows to like him quite a bit. She also starts to change how she lives her life because of him. This includes volunteering at a homeless shelter where Tom said he worked, though she never sees him there. She also plays matchmaker for Santa and a customer at the Christmas shop, as the two of them obviously develop instant feelings for each other, but are both too nervous to say so. Kate also makes amends with Marta, after having outed her as a lesbian to their parents. And she organizes a Christmas talent show to benefit the homeless shelter, where she sings "Last Christmas".

That's pretty much all I want to say about the plot, but there is that major plot twist that changes everything, in a sort of Shyamalan-esque way. The twist is both sweet and ridiculous, both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Yep, it sure has a lot of heart. And... that's all I'm gonna say.