I finally watched this film and while many most have just been devastated by the plot twist, I can't say that I was as I predicted Tom (Henry Golding) wasn't real. I didn't exactly predict the truth, but at least I was close.
Kate (Emilia Clarke) has tossed in the towel when it comes to life. She drinks too much, has sex with near strangers and has a general disregard with other people's belongings. But because she was sick and had a heart transplant, people continue to give her a free pass.
And then she meets Tom and she finally genuinely likes someone, but Tom has some bizarre quirks, such as he doesn't carry a cell phone and he disappears at odd times. But because of him, she improves. She starts to volunteer, she starts to truly care about her job and family again, despite Tom assuring her that she can't count on him and breaking her heart.
She's on the path to improvement when we learn the truth. Tom was killed in a tragic bus accident the previous Christmas but he was an organ donor, so she got his heart. Thus, this film is sort of Seven Pounds in reverse.
Now, while it was nice for the two main characters to not end up together in a major Hollywood film, it is just weird that is the way they chose to do it, blurring the lines of reality and fiction. It is shame though that Tom, a relatively unknown and underdeveloped character, and Kate don't get their happy ending together. Tom has no ending at all, which is just a tragedy but Kate finally finds happiness again.
While it is refreshing to see that, the actors deserve better and I hope they have a second pairing which goes better than this one, but it is nice seeing a strong female lead and a diverse cast take center stage. Grade: B
Side Notes:
-Tom really does say the sweetest line perhaps of all time. After Kate sees him again after learning the truth and tells him that she has his heart, he replies, "Take care of it. It was always going to be yours, one way or the other." That made my mom nearly cry while I just thought it was rank, though to be fair, I have a very low tolerance for love, perhaps I have been unlucky IRL.
-The more comical romance is between the Christmas shop owner (Michelle Yeoh) and her boyfriend whom she nicknames Boy (Peter Mygind).
-There are also some crazy ornaments in the Christmas shop.
-Emma Thompson tries to best as the Croatian mother who lives her daughter dearly but needs to find a hobby for herself.
-For the record, Kate should have ended up with that unnamed guy who worked at the homeless shelter (Calvin Demba?). But that's just what I would have done.
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