It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances and chemistry of Clarke and Golding, but criticised the screenplay and story.
She works a dead-end job in Central London as an elf at a year-round Christmas shop, whose strict but good-hearted owner calls herself "Santa".
Kate spends more time with Tom, who makes deliveries on a bike and volunteers at a homeless shelter, which she initially mocks.
Finally, wanting to make amends with Tom, she returns to his apartment only to meet an estate agent who is holding open house viewings.
After some initial confusion, he reveals that the previous owner was killed in a bicycle accident last Christmas, and Kate realises that Tom was the organ donor whose heart she received.
On Christmas Eve, Kate organises a show utilising the talents of the people at the shelter and invites her friends and family, including Santa and her Danish admirer, along with the real estate agent she met at Tom’s apartment.
The Christmas celebration transitions to summer, where a visibly healthier Kate is seen writing in her diary on Tom’s memorial bench in the garden.
In addition, Andrew Ridgeley, from the duo Wham!, whose song "Last Christmas" is instrumental to the plot, has an uncredited cameo appearance in the audience at the end of the film.
[5] In October, it was announced that Thompson would star as well, and that the film would feature the music of the late singer George Michael (who died in 2016), including "Last Christmas", and previously unreleased tracks.
[13] An official soundtrack album was released by Legacy Recordings on CD, two-disc vinyl, and digital formats on 8 November 2019.
[22] Last Christmas was released on Digital HD from Amazon Prime Video and iTunes on 21 January 2020, and on DVD and Blu-ray on 4 February 2020.
[2] In the United States and Canada, Last Christmas was released alongside Doctor Sleep, Midway, and Playing with Fire, and was projected to gross $13–19 million from 3,448 theatres in its opening weekend.
The website's critics consensus reads, "Likable leads, terrific behind-the-scenes talent, and an intriguing musical hook aren't enough to save Last Christmas from its poorly conceived story.
"[30] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called it a misfire, however adding, "it earns some warm feelings for its determination not to be like anything else currently in circulation.
"[32] Hadley Freeman in The Guardian contrasted Emma Thompson's 1995 high quality adaptation of Sense and Sensibility to Last Christmas describing it as "second-rate, absurd, [and] inexplicable".
He praised Clarke for her performance, saying "she succeeds in the only real meaningful test of rom-com skill, in that she makes us want her to be happy.