The time has come for that most acclaimed of British holiday rom-coms to be dethroned, and a new victor crowned the most romantic modern Christmas film. We speak of course, of Love, Actually and Last Christmas, two films that both take place in London, were released by Universal Studios, and feature the inimitable Emma Thompson. Wherein Love, Actually is a sprawling ensemble feel-good film interconnecting nine stories of love, Last Christmas is a much more intimate look at two lost souls finding self-love during the holiday season.
It takes a lot to warrant being dubbed a "Christmas classic", which is why so few seem to be made each year. Love, Actually, despite being dated in certain ways, is still held up as the gold standard for an appealing modern Christmas classic because of its storyline, acting, and emotional solicitations. Does Last Christmas measure up, and will it become the new most romantic holiday movie ever? Here's 5 reasons why, and 5 reasons why it'll always be Love, Actually.
LOVE, ACTUALLY: THE ENSEMBLE CAST
Love, Actually boasts one of the most amazing ensemble casts of all time, featuring a who's who of top British acting talent. Not only does it feature a pre-The Walking Dead Andrew Lincoln, falling for Keira Knightley smack in the middle of her Pirates of the Caribbean fame, it also includes rom-com legend Hugh Grant as a Prime Minister who's fallen for his personal assistant.
Britain's finest dramatic thespians of the screen and stage also show off their ability to combine soulful drama with romance, as in the case of the precarious marriage between Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson's characters, and the burgeoning relationship entertained by Colin Firth's character and his house keeper.
LAST CHRISTMAS: TWO LOVABLE LEADS
There's no denying that Henry Golding and Emilia Clarke are two beautiful and charismatic people. They also have an infectious energy that proves as magnetic to movie-going audiences as it does to their characters. They light up any scene they're in like plugging in Christmas tree lights.
Golding soared to popularity with a lead role in Crazy Rich Asians, and Emilia Clarke soared to popularity on top of a dragon in Game of Thrones for eight seasons. No strangers to ensemble acting, these two have a screen presence and chemistry separately that is only amplified when they're together.
LOVE, ACTUALLY: THE PHENOMENAL ACTING
Despite being a feel-good holiday movie, Love, Actually doesn't fall into the same tropes and cliches as many others. It isn't afraid to explore uncomfortable moments in between the fuzzy ones. A sterling example of this is any scene with Emma Thompson, a loving wife who begins to suspect her husband (Alan Rickman)of having an affair over the course of the film, and ultimately has to make the decision to put her family above her own needs.
Other notable actors are Laura Linney and Billy Nighy, whose storylines are uniquely touching in different ways. Orphan Linney pines for a gorgeous co-worker, but any time she finally gets to be with him, she must spend with her developmentally challenged brother. Nighy plays a self-indulgent rockstar who has a change of heart when he realizes that he's been horrible to his manager for decades, the one person who's cared about him more than himself.
LAST CHRISTMAS: IT'S MORE INTIMATE
Because the main love story is between two people, it can explore their characters in much greater depth than a huge, bombastic ensemble cast. While there were wonderful supporting characters to be found in Last Christmas, it's a truly intimate film about the bond between Kate and Tom.
The characters in Love, Actually can occasionally feel tertiary and superficial, whereas the characters in Last Christmas all feel like real people. The scale may feel smaller and less sensational, but that works for the sort of holiday film that it is, which focuses on Kate's inner journey to true happiness and self-acceptance.
LOVE, ACTUALLY: IT REDEFINES WHAT LOVE CAN MEAN
Love, Actually is so much more than a romantic comedy because it redefines what romance is. Romance is defined as a feeling of "mystery or excitement associated with love", and every character in Love, Actually experiences it in different ways.
From the love between two longtime married partners to the budding new romance between co-workers, to the love between siblings, best friends, and family, the film showcases every possible instance where the feeling could be expressed. This makes it accessible for anyone, at any age, at any stage of love.
LAST CHRISTMAS: THE GEORGE MICHAEL SOUNDTRACK
Both films have a lot of great music in them, both in the soundtracks and worked into the plot, but only one has the power and presence of George Michael. The pop icon and one half of '80s duo Wham! is all over Last Christmas with his soulful ballads and head-bobbing jams.
Not only is it appropriate to hear the title song sprinkled throughout the film, but it works as a wonderful tribute to the singer, who passed away on Christmas Day in 2016. His song "Heal the Pain", with its message of self-love, is particularly important in the film to the main character Kate as she learns to love herself despite her faults. George Michael's powerful music lends poignancy and poetry to every scene.
LOVE, ACTUALLY: ALL THE SUBPLOTS
While there are nine storylines/relationships going on in Love, Actually, some of the best ones don't involve the main cast at all. The subplots offer a goldmine of romance presented in completely unexpected ways, such as the one involving Martin Freeman and Joanna Page.
They're stand-ins for adult film stars who, while acting out fairly graphic sex scenes develop a wonderfully chaste flirtation, which culminates in one of the sweetest romances in modern romantic comedies. Then there's the not-necessarily-romantic but loving relationship between Liam Neeson's widowed father character and his step son, who's navigating first love with only one parent.
LAST CHRISTMAS: IT'LL MAKE YOU CRY
Get the Kleenex ready because Last Christmas is one rom-com that is going to make you cry (or at least complain about tiny ninjas cutting onions nearby). Because you follow the intimate journey of Kate and Tom, each bearing their souls to the other, you can't help but be invested in its outcome.
When certain realities about Kate's illness come to light, and she learns more about Tom's past, it's hard not to get a lump in your throat. You spend the entire film wanting the two to succeed, to be there for each other through thick and thin, and when the ending turns out to be different than what you expected it feels like a kick in the holly berries.
LOVE, ACTUALLY: IT MIXES FANTASY AND REALITY
For all its emphasis on love, Love, Actually doesn't deliver happy endings for all of the romantic relationships it includes. Because everyone knows love isn't often how it's portrayed in the movies, a film about modern love with all its messiness feels timeless.
There are characters who experience unrequited love, characters who experience tolerant love, and characters who experience the highest heights of love and the lowest depths. There are characters who are trapped by love, and set free by love, and the mixture of fantasy and reality makes it
LAST CHRISTMAS: IT'S MESSAGE ABOUT FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF
While Love, Actually can sometimes feel too self-indulgent, there's a difference between the gratuitous self-interest in that film and the self-love going on in Last Christmas. Kate has made a slew of bad decisions by the time we catch up with her in the film, but Tom helps her realize that she has the ability to alter her destiny by changing her outlook.
She repairs relationships with scorned loved ones because she finally cares about herself the way they always did. She finds that by being of greater service to others, she can be of greater service to herself. But the self-love doesn't stop with Kate- her no-nonsense lawyer sister becomes open about her relationship with a woman, and her immigrant mother starts to take pride in her heritage despite living in a foreign country.