Me Before You

Starring: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer, Charles Dance
Directed by: Thea Sharrock
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Romance
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A girl (Emilia Clarke) takes a job as a helper for a paralyzed man (Sam Claflin) and the two form an unlikely bond.

Review:

Tim: I wanted to like Me Before You more than I did. This is a perfectly fine romantic drama, but I couldn't quite get myself to really like it. I'm a big fan of Emilia Clarke from "Game of Thrones" and Sam Claflin was good as Finnick in The Hunger Games movies, so I was ready to watch. I understand I'm not the target demographic, so I'd never fault anyone for loving this film. I thought it was decent.

I'm kind of surprised that Clarke was one of my biggest issues with the film. She's incredible in "Game of Thrones", but to be honest, she doesn't have to do a whole lot most of the time. Here, I think she was miscast in this role. I never believed her as this kooky, eccentric girl. The clothes, the outlook on life, none of it seemed authentic. It seemed like Clarke was trying so, so hard to be this character, rather than actually embodying her. It felt like a massive amount of effort from her, when it needed to appear effortless. I didn't care for her performance at all and it undermined much of the movie. I was never able to get past the "Clarke is acting" phase, which pulled me completely out of the film. That was disappointing to me. Sam Claflin was better. He seemed to get the character and was able to bring him to life. I believed his performance more than I did Clarke's. I do actually like the pairing of these two- I'd watch them together on screen again. The casting of the two leads was well done. I always like seeing Charles Dance. He doesn't have a great deal to do here, but his presence is welcome.

The story itself is fine, but it's all a bit predictable. The film is a bit weepy, occasionally melodramatic. I appreciated that this was a love story about a paraplegic- it's not like you get those very often in Hollywood. It took some level of courage to make this movie (although the popular book undoubtedly helped). Still, I give the film credit for that- I can see a dimwitted studio executive asking, "But does he need to be paralyzed?" So yes, while much of this film follows the tried-and-true romantic drama philosophy, the fact that one of the romantic leads is in a wheelchair helped differentiate this film.

The film does have some controversial moments, but I don't really want to get into that side of it. I'm not the kind of person who would protest a film like this' message. It's interesting to see some of the choices characters make and I understand why that might upset some people, but honestly, I don't really care. This is a work of fiction and it makes you think.

I wish I had more to say about this movie. While the leads are likeable, their performances didn't live up to the hype. The movie itself unfolds pretty much like you would expect. There's laughs, love, and tears. The characters are fine. The story is fine. This is a perfectly decent little movie. I had no real faults with it, although I didn't thoroughly enjoy it, either. Director Thea Sharrock did a decent job, but it's not surprising that this is her feature film directorial debut. This feels like a movie from someone without a lot of experience. That's not necessarily good or bad, but it will limit the film's effectiveness. Me Before You is a decent movie, but we get a lot of decent movies every year.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
My Left Foot, My Girl