I will freely admit to being a fairly easy grader when it comes to sci-if movies and romantic comedies. If the dialogue is realistic and sharp and the plot doesn’t insult my intelligence, I am in.

I enjoyed Last Christmas on that basis and because of what I saw as a good group of actors. The script was co-written by Emma Thompson and her spouse, Greg Wise (Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility, also written by Thompson. Hmm.) I found Kate’s character development from being a rather selfish slacker to a decent person fairly believable as it was tackled gradually and partly based on events happening all around her, not just on her developing feelings for bike-riding Tom.

The Yugoslav family history and cultural influences felt odd and somehow not related to the plot until the midpoint or so of the movie, where it gradually began to feel like a relevant side plot to the story. I must say that I saw the climactic plot twist revelation coming a mile away, but I do write novels in my spare time, so I tend to wonder about where a story is going rather than merely enjoying having it wash over me like I should.

This movie may not become annual holiday viewing for me, but I will definitely watch it again next Christmas and give it at least a shot of becoming a seasonal viewing ritual.