Emilia Clarke and Michelle Yeoh’s $123 Million Hit Just Dropped on Hulu

So, Hulu just dropped a decent little surprise for anyone craving some holiday movie cheese in the middle of the year: Last Christmas, yes, that $123 million box office hit from back in 2019, is now streaming. This is the one starring Emilia Clarke (yup, Daenerys herself, still making questionable choices but at least nobody gets burned alive), and the always-superb Michelle Yeoh. If you’ve somehow managed to not get this song stuck in your head for years, brace yourself… the movie is, in fact, inspired by Wham!'s earworm classic.

The Essentials: Who Made This Thing?

Last Christmas was directed by Paul Feig, a guy who seems contractually obligated to add a sarcastic twist to pretty much every genre he touches (see: Bridesmaids, Spy), and written by none other than Emma Thompson. She co-wrote it with Bryony Kimmings, building off a story she and her husband, Greg Wise, came up with for — you guessed it — maximum holiday feels.

Plot: Low-Key Weird and Based on a Pop Song

The plot is a strange one, not gonna lie. Emilia Clarke plays Kate, a perpetually unlucky Londoner who works as an elf. Not just at Christmas, but in a shop that’s festive all year long (so, basically, an overcooked nightmare for anyone on a budget or with seasonal affective disorder). In proper holiday rom-com fashion, she meets Tom (played by Henry Golding), a too-good-to-be-true nice guy who, naturally, might not be exactly what he seems. No spoilers if you’ve somehow dodged this movie for five years, but let’s just say things get about as 'whimsical/sappy' as you’re picturing.

'Nothing seems to go right for young Kate, a frustrated Londoner who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. But things soon take a turn for the better when she meets Tom — a handsome charmer who seems too good to be true. As the city transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, Tom and Kate's growing attraction turns into the best gift of all — a Yuletide romance.'

Who Else Is in This? (And Why So Many Brits!)

The cast is stacked with more British talent than you’d probably expect for a mainstream Hollywood rom-com. Besides Clarke and Yeoh, you’ll see Emma Thompson herself (because why not, if you wrote it), Henry Golding, Patti LuPone, Boris Isaković, Maxim Baldry, Margaret Clunie, John-Luke Roberts, Fabien Frankel, Rob Delaney, Peter Serafinowicz, Ritu Arya — there’s even more, but at some point, it just feels like name-dropping.

Reception: Critic Proof, Apparently

Critics didn’t necessarily love it — reviews were all over the place. But audiences ate it up, and let’s be honest, Christmas movies get a free pass for being a bit ridiculous. It holds an 81% ‘Popcornmeter’ score on Rotten Tomatoes (translation: regular folks enjoyed it). With a worldwide haul of over $123 million, it was one of 2019’s top-grossing romantic comedies. Not too shabby for a movie based on a song where the lead lyric is about dumping your heartbroken ex at Christmas.

Quick Who’s Who (in Plain English):

• Director: Paul Feig
• Writers: Emma Thompson, Bryony Kimmings (story by Thompson & Greg Wise)
• Main Cast: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson
• Supporting Cast: Patti LuPone, Boris Isaković, Maxim Baldry, Margaret Clunie, John-Luke Roberts, Fabien Frankel, Rob Delaney, Peter Serafinowicz, Ritu Arya (& more)
• Producers: Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson, David Livingstone, Emma Thompson
• Exec Producer: Sarah Bradshaw
• Box Office: $123+ million
• Inspired by: 'Last Christmas' by Wham! (seriously, that is what kicked this all off)

So, if you somehow missed Last Christmas in theaters, or if you just want to watch Emilia Clarke sing karaoke in tinsel again, Hulu’s got you covered. Grab some cocoa, or at least something stronger — this movie’s got all the sugar and sappiness you’d expect from a plot that started as a Wham! song, and somehow got weirder from there.