Me Before You - directed by Thea Sharrock
Screenplay: Jojo Moyes
Music Score by: Craig Armstrong
Cinematography: Remi Adefarasin
Edited by: John Wilson
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rated: PG - Themes and mild sexual references
I'm going to put my hand up here and confess that the only reason I went to see this movie was because I had to see for myself exactly how adorable Emilia Clarke is capable of being.
Well, it would seem her dials go up to 11 because thanks to her irresistible performance it is hard not to get swept up in this story of a quadriplegic man and the woman hired to care for him.
If you've seen the trailer you'll know what I refer to when I mention the adorability factor.
Cuteness fairly drips down the screen in this one.
It has resulted in a measure of controversy with some claiming that the movie is just the story of a woman who grows thanks to the condition of a disabled man.
I don't have the perspective of someone in a wheelchair but I can't see any validity in the charge and anyway- are people not supposed to learn anything from interactions with disabled people?
All controversy aside this is a pretty simple story of a small town, a young woman in need of a job and a wealthy man confined to a wheelchair in need of someone to care for him.
Will Traynor (Claflin) is used to leading a life of adventure sports and high finance.
We first meet him in bed with his pretty girlfriend but shortly after leaving their apartment he is struck by a motorcycle and rendered paralised from the chest down.
Flash forward some months and Lou Clark (Clarke) loses her job at a local cafe as it is closing down.
Her Father is out of work and the family need money.
She is sent for an interview to be a carer for Will and out of desperation the family employ her.
He has gone through several people who found him difficult.
You can see where this is going of course and it isn't long before Will's blunt rudeness can no longer stand up to Lou's barrage of adorability.
It's not just that she's pretty and permanently chipper - she has odd clothes.
Yep- she's a lovable goofball.
Of course we are going to love and her so too will Will.
It may sound like I am being condescending here and I guess I am because this is all very cliched and saccharine but thanks to Emilia Clarke's performance and her inherent likeability the movie got its sugary sweet fingers around me pretty quickly.
And full credit to Claflin too as the role that he is playing is deceptively difficult.
The chemistry between he and Clarke is vital to whatever success this film has because there is a fair amount here that comes close to scuttling the whole thing.
For one there is a staggering lack of subtlety to many scenes.
A scene in which Lou shaves Will is made up of oh, so slow close up shots of whiskers and faces intently, carefully shaving and is backed by music that couldn't have been more overblown and obvious if it had the lyrics 'Oooh, look at us falling in love!' over it.
Then there is Lou's actual boyfriend Patrick (Matthew Lewis - Harry Potter's now-hunky Neville Longbottom) who is obsessed with running, cycling and fitness and obviously doesn't deserve such a top bird as Lou!
Just like Will's ex Alicia who couldn't cope with him post accident and is no set to marry his (presumably former) best friend Rupert.
Alisha comes off fairly okay to start with but the film cannot resist making it clear what a phony she is later.
So, yes- not subtle at all.
But, I did indeed get caught up in this love story and by the time the big punch comes.... I will not spoil it here in case you don't know but there is more fuel for the controversy fires in a decision that is made about half way through the film.
It's the sort of moment that requires that the audience gives a toss about the leads and I actually did.
It had been built up fairly well with a fair amount of exposition delivered care of Aussie actor Stephen Peacocke's Nathan who is Will's actual, professional nurse.
He brings a lot of charm to a role that could have merely been expository.
(Peacocke is very good in "Whiskey, Tango Foxtrot" too)
Some fairly hefty themes are looked at then but the tone is kept fairly light generally.
It may seem an uncomfortable fit and I assume that this has a fair amount to do with the criticism's that the film has received but I think that it worked.
I am not going to suggest that it is anything like a classic but there is enough chemistry between Claflin and Clarke to keep two movies going here and I can see why this film has made a decent chunk of change already ($72,000,000 to date on a $20,000,000 budget)
There may be someone else who could have played the role of Lou with the effectiveness of Clarke but I cannot think who.
There is superb support in the form of the lovely Jenna Coleman (Dr Who) as Lou's caring Sister, Janet McTeer as Will's Mother and Clarke's Game of Thrones colleague Charles Dance as his Father.
And special mention for Brendan Coyle and Samantha Spiro who are very good as Lou's parents.
This movie suckered me and I found it touching and quite moving.
I don't even feel that bad about that either.
Damned Emilia Clarke and her lovely smile and dancing eyebrows.
RATING: 75 / 100
CONCLUSION: Manipulative and totally lacking in subtlety it is still hard not get swept up in the love story of "Me Before You" thanks to the appeal and chemistry of the leads.
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, Matthew Lewis, Samantha Spiro, Brendan Coyle, Janet McTeer, Stephen Peacocke, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Alan Breck, Henri Charles, Vanessa Kirby, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Chance
Screenplay: Jojo Moyes
Music Score by: Craig Armstrong
Cinematography: Remi Adefarasin
Edited by: John Wilson
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rated: PG - Themes and mild sexual references
Well, it would seem her dials go up to 11 because thanks to her irresistible performance it is hard not to get swept up in this story of a quadriplegic man and the woman hired to care for him.
If you've seen the trailer you'll know what I refer to when I mention the adorability factor.
Cuteness fairly drips down the screen in this one.
It has resulted in a measure of controversy with some claiming that the movie is just the story of a woman who grows thanks to the condition of a disabled man.
I don't have the perspective of someone in a wheelchair but I can't see any validity in the charge and anyway- are people not supposed to learn anything from interactions with disabled people?
All controversy aside this is a pretty simple story of a small town, a young woman in need of a job and a wealthy man confined to a wheelchair in need of someone to care for him.
Will Traynor (Claflin) is used to leading a life of adventure sports and high finance.
We first meet him in bed with his pretty girlfriend but shortly after leaving their apartment he is struck by a motorcycle and rendered paralised from the chest down.
Flash forward some months and Lou Clark (Clarke) loses her job at a local cafe as it is closing down.
Her Father is out of work and the family need money.
She is sent for an interview to be a carer for Will and out of desperation the family employ her.
He has gone through several people who found him difficult.
You can see where this is going of course and it isn't long before Will's blunt rudeness can no longer stand up to Lou's barrage of adorability.
It's not just that she's pretty and permanently chipper - she has odd clothes.
Yep- she's a lovable goofball.
Of course we are going to love and her so too will Will.
 |
| Emilia Clarke as Lou and Sam Claflin as Will |
And full credit to Claflin too as the role that he is playing is deceptively difficult.
The chemistry between he and Clarke is vital to whatever success this film has because there is a fair amount here that comes close to scuttling the whole thing.
For one there is a staggering lack of subtlety to many scenes.
A scene in which Lou shaves Will is made up of oh, so slow close up shots of whiskers and faces intently, carefully shaving and is backed by music that couldn't have been more overblown and obvious if it had the lyrics 'Oooh, look at us falling in love!' over it.
Then there is Lou's actual boyfriend Patrick (Matthew Lewis - Harry Potter's now-hunky Neville Longbottom) who is obsessed with running, cycling and fitness and obviously doesn't deserve such a top bird as Lou!
Just like Will's ex Alicia who couldn't cope with him post accident and is no set to marry his (presumably former) best friend Rupert.
Alisha comes off fairly okay to start with but the film cannot resist making it clear what a phony she is later.
So, yes- not subtle at all.
 |
| Charles Dance, Janet McTeer, Jenna Coleman (with Clarke) and Stephen Peacocke |
It's the sort of moment that requires that the audience gives a toss about the leads and I actually did.
It had been built up fairly well with a fair amount of exposition delivered care of Aussie actor Stephen Peacocke's Nathan who is Will's actual, professional nurse.
He brings a lot of charm to a role that could have merely been expository.
(Peacocke is very good in "Whiskey, Tango Foxtrot" too)
Some fairly hefty themes are looked at then but the tone is kept fairly light generally.
It may seem an uncomfortable fit and I assume that this has a fair amount to do with the criticism's that the film has received but I think that it worked.
I am not going to suggest that it is anything like a classic but there is enough chemistry between Claflin and Clarke to keep two movies going here and I can see why this film has made a decent chunk of change already ($72,000,000 to date on a $20,000,000 budget)
There may be someone else who could have played the role of Lou with the effectiveness of Clarke but I cannot think who.
There is superb support in the form of the lovely Jenna Coleman (Dr Who) as Lou's caring Sister, Janet McTeer as Will's Mother and Clarke's Game of Thrones colleague Charles Dance as his Father.
And special mention for Brendan Coyle and Samantha Spiro who are very good as Lou's parents.
This movie suckered me and I found it touching and quite moving.
I don't even feel that bad about that either.
Damned Emilia Clarke and her lovely smile and dancing eyebrows.
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