As I’ve already said in several of my articles on Christmas films, this year it seems there are good stories being put out during the holiday season. Last ExMas is one of the many that is a romantic love story set in the period leading up to Christmas. The movie is about two exes who run into each other as they are back in town after many years. Their reunion could be wonderful or just bad and the film expands on that. The title of the film is based on George Michael’s ultimate breakup song, “Last Christmas,” if anyone was wondering.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did Maggie and Jules break up?
Last ExMas begins with Maggie, a popular senior from high school, conversing about her plans to move to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. Everyone in the school knew she was gay, and yet she did not reveal she was dating Julianne, aka Jules, her classmate. Jules was unpopular and the exact opposite of Maggie, yet they connected. Jules, on the night of New Year’s Eve, learned that Maggie was more concerned about her image in front of her schoolmates than admitting to dating Jules. An angry Jules revealed that she was moving to New York as she had applied to a culinary school. Maggie was angry as she’d assumed she and Jules were headed to LA together. Maggie and Jules broke up that night, as the latter believed her girlfriend never wanted to include her in her inner circle. A bitter Maggie blamed her for being unpopular and constantly avoiding meeting up with her because of schoolwork. They broke up on bad terms on New Year’s eve.
Why were Maggie and Jules back in town?
Ten years later, Maggie was now an actor in Los Angeles, and she had become a town favorite since her commercial became a hit. She came back home for Christmas for the first time in a decade, and her family learned that she had broken up with her girlfriend Vivianne just days before this trip. Maggie also did not reveal that she was completely broke and out of projects to work on. She was back in town to save money and possibly work part-time to earn a little on the side. Jules, on the other hand, had become a successful chef, and her restaurant in New York had become very popular. She was also an author of a best-selling cookbook, and everyone in town was also proud of her achievements. She was back in town just like every year to celebrate Christmas with her mother.
Were Maggie and Jules bitter about the breakup?
Maggie and Jules met each other during a town event, and their interaction proved that they had not moved on from the bitter break that happened ten years ago. Maggie was still mad at Jules for calling her superficial. Jules, on the other hand, was livid at Maggie for not openly dating her back then. Since they were back in their hometown and were running into each other frequently. Hence they could not avoid meeting, and every single one ended in a war of words about the breakup they had. Jules’ best friend Lola, the local gossip queen, was trying to be a bridge between the two. Her attempts to make them talk to each other failed. Just like their families and the whole town, even Lola was not aware of the fact that they had dated for two years during their high school days. Jules, however, one night had a dream about her and Maggie kissing, but she tried to forget it after she woke up.
Did Jules let Maggie work at her mother’s diner?
Maggie, as mentioned above, was looking for a small-time job, and the only place that was hiring in town was Jules’ diner. Initially Jules was not keen on hiring her ex, but Maggie was desperate, as she mentioned she wanted this work as a part of the research for a role. Maggie and Jules were not getting along initially, but both slowly eased up and got comfortable with being around each other. Jules began to feel happy that Maggie was there, and both rekindled their friendship as well.
Did Jules and Maggie begin to date again?
One night at the diner, Maggie and Jules accidentally got stuck in the inventory room. Jules tried to tell her mother, but she was not sure if her mother heard her plea since mobile reception was bad. Since both realized they would be stuck in this place for a long time, they began to reminisce about the time back when they were dating. As they got to talking about what led to the breakup, both got overwhelmed and emotional and kissed each other. This kiss was a long time coming, as their breakup was sudden and neither got proper closure. Their kiss was interrupted when Jules’ mother got them out from the room they were stuck in. Both decided to go watch a film at a local theater at some point, and then bid each other goodbye for the night. On the night of the date, as Maggie kept waiting, Jules had to rush to the hospital as her mother had had a minor heart attack.
Who was Vivianne?
Maggie assumed she had been stood up by Jules, as she never informed her about the reason for the raincheck. Maggie, ever since she moved back home, had been getting calls from her ex-girlfriend Vivianne. Maggie had ignored all of Vivianne’s calls and messages as she was heartbroken. On the night of Jules not showing up for the film, Maggie was shocked to find Vivianne in her room apologizing for the way she’d abruptly ended the relationship. Vivianne was a lead singer of a popular band, and she claimed her relationship with Maggie was the longest she ever had. She claimed to have freaked out as things were getting serious, and that’s the reason behind the breakup. She also said she was seeking Maggie as she realized she loved her and wanted her back. An emotionally vulnerable Maggie agreed to Vivianne’s proposal and got back together with her that night. Vivianne asked Maggie to join her on a year-long tour with the band, and she agreed to it.
Was Jules jealous?
Maggie was livid at the fact that she had to hear about Jules’ mother’s condition through Lola and not her. This led to both reverting to their animosity. Jules was also jealous of the fact that Maggie was back with her ex-girlfriend, and she tried to gatecrash a date Maggie and Vivianne were on. Jules, just like Maggie, was stubborn and did not admit her mistake. Maggie felt Jules went out of her way to subconsciously sabotage any chance for their relationship to prosper. Maggie let Jules know of her plan to join Vivianne’s band on their world tour.
What happened on Christmas morning?
On Christmas morning, Jules’ and her mother were invited over by Maggie’s family. There was no clarity on why they were invited for a holiday that’s usually restricted to families. We assume it was a tradition to have them over, though maybe this was the first time Jules and her mother were asked over. Jules and Maggie went to the latter’s room as she wanted to talk about something important.
Jules confessed her love for Maggie and begged her not to do the world tour with Vivianne. Jules also admitted that she had always loved Maggie, and somehow none of her relationships ever worked after their breakup. Jules was probably scared of losing Maggie again, and that was the reason she chose to be honest about her feelings. She wanted to make sure Maggie heard her out instead of ending their relationship over a bitter argument just like last time. Maggie was also overwhelmed by the declaration of love as she was confused about what to do from this point. Vivianne was also back in her life, claiming to be in love with her, which made Maggie wonder which road to choose, as it would decide the course of her life from that point on.
Only moments later, Vivianne proposed marriage to Maggie in front of her family. Maggie was stunned, as she could not fathom such things befalling her back to back. Jules was also numb since Vivianne had pulled the marriage card, and she was aware it could be a tempting offer for Maggie. She did not respond, but it was her grandmother who stood up for her and revealed Maggie and Jules were clearly made for each other. What the grandmother meant was that Maggie and Jules had met again after a decade for a reason. The universe wanted them to be together, and she was pushing Maggie to do what was right for her instead of falling for big gestures like the one Vivianne pulled only three months into dating her. There was a jarring plot hole in the form of Maggie and Jules’ family not being shocked on knowing the girls dated each other in high school.
Did Maggie come back from Los Angeles for Jules?
An embarrassed Vivianne walked out of Maggie’s home. She was most likely going back to LA as she realized Maggie had probably never loved her. She also might have felt betrayed about not knowing what Jules meant to Maggie. Maggie chased Vivianne, and Jules chased the woman she’d confessed her love to. This was the classic point in a romantic drama where there was chaos and confusion as the person who was put in the middle of the storm would have to figure out what to do. In this case it was Maggie because at her core, she was still a people pleaser who never wanted to hurt Vivianne, although internally she knew she loved Jules.
As all three of them confront each other, Jules learns that Maggie never mentioned her to Vivianne. Vivianne was also shocked to learn that there was a painful history of a breakup that Maggie had never shared. Both of them were livid at Maggie for being dishonest and insecure throughout. Jules walked away, stating Maggie was still ashamed of making her a part of her life. This indicated Maggie had not made any progress ever since their breakup and was still not comfortable sharing the fact that she loved Jules.
Maggie was mesmerized by the fact that a popular person fell in love with her, and this was the kind of validation she’d always wanted. Vivianne learned that Maggie was dishonest from the start. This was the reason she broke up and walked away as well. Maggie, in the span of ten minutes, lost two women she deeply cared for and finally realized she was wrong in how she treated both of them. Maggie finally let her sister and her best friend know she was not sure if she would ever be forgiven.
Maggie finally wanted to apologize, but it was not made clear who she chose to be with. By the looks of it, Maggie had made up her mind, but she wanted to end things with the other person in a dignified manner. She was now an adult, and she figured she did not want to end her relationship bitterly. Maggie flew to Los Angeles, and Jules believed she had chosen to be with Vivianne, as no one had heard from her ever since she left home on Christmas Day. Jules was under the impression she’d lost the love of her life again and believed Maggie probably would choose a relationship that would suit her image.
Last ExMas ended with Maggie finally showing up only minutes before the clock struck twelve. This was cliched, but since the love shared between Maggie and Jules was genuine, this plotline of the confused lover having a clarity worked out well. Since this is a holiday movie, Last ExMas ended on a happy note. Maggie confessed to her love for Jules in front of their families and friends. She brought up an old note she had written for Jules, which seemed like a heartfelt addition to the love she was declaring. Both kissed as the clock struck twelve, and they were together right from the start of the new year. It was a cliché and implausible scenario, but it felt comforting to watch two characters deeply in love find their way back to each other. The epilogue of the film had the townspeople going back to gossiping about Maggie and Jules. Since it was a year after both got together, both families came together to celebrate Christmas the way Maggie’s family celebrated. Since it was the fun way, Jules’ mother and her new boyfriend did not mind. All was well as Jules and Maggie were back in love.
