Last Christmas

In a cinematic marketplace overrun by sequels and retreads, maybe Last Christmas at least deserves credit for originality. After all, its unlikely source is the song catalog of George Michael, which is definitely a first.

However, this romantic comedy doesn’t wind up spreading much holiday cheer, instead settling for predictable crowd-pleasing formula with only the slightest of twists from the norm. In other words, its uniqueness is fleeting.

The story follows Kate (Emilia Clarke), an artist and unabashed Michael fan whose lackadaisical attitude toward her job as an elf at a London store leaves her demanding boss (Michelle Yeoh) anything but merry. Things aren’t going much better at home, where her mother (Emma Thompson) — a Croatian immigrant still dealing with trauma from fleeing her war-torn homeland years ago — nags incessantly.

Kate’s relationship luck isn’t very good, either, until she encounters Tom (Henry Golding), an almost impossibly kind and handsome customer eager to overlook her flaws. It’s not long before they’re ice skating and volunteering together at the local homeless shelter. Surely this stranger is concealing some sinister secret, right? Or should Kate just set aside her skepticism and redeem herself for past wrongs?

Last Christmas certainly isn’t as edgy or subversive as you might expect for a project from director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), who specializes in mainstream female-centered comedies but seems to be on autopilot here.

Meanwhile, the cheesy screenplay by Thompson and newcomer Bryony Kimmings is only sporadically amusing or heartwarming as it charts a familiar path to redemption for Kate and those around her while the calendar counts down to Dec. 25. The primary bittersweet twist isn’t very difficult to discern in advance.

Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) generates sympathy for the bumbling millennial protagonist with a charming performance in which she shows off her vocal dexterity. Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) brings depth to an underwritten love interest.

All the while, Michael’s most popular tracks provide musical interludes in ways that neither really enhance nor supplement the story. A run-of-the-mill score could have done the trick.

The film explores deeper sociopolitical themes such as immigration and Brexit with only half-hearted sincerity. Instead, this sentimental yuletide saga feels like a Hallmark Channel refugee.

Rated PG-13, 103 minutes.