Me Before You
“Me Before You” is a film adapted from a bestselling novel by JoJo Moyes and directed by Thea Sharrock. Louisa Clark (Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones”) is a small town English girl, who is content with simple life, but is in need of a job to help her family make ends meet. She is employed by the extremely wealthy Traynor family to care for quadriplegic, Will Traynor (Sam Claflin “The Hunger Games”).
As most romantic comedies go, we are presented with two very different characters, from two totally different walks of life. Will is very indifferent and icy towards Louisa, who is extremely bubbly, happy and quirky- always wearing some crazy bright outfits with a mix mosh of patterns and textures. Lou is really only hired to be a friend to Will who initially wants nothing to do with her. Two years prior, he was a big city business man who traveled the world and participated in every type of sport and activity until he was hit by a motorcycle and paralyzed.
When Lou discovers that Will has tried to commit suicide and is planning to end his life by euthanasia, she is determined to find ways to show Will there are reasons to live and be happy. The two (and sometimes three when Will’s actual Nurse Nathan (Stephen Peacocke) joins them), attend horse races, classic concerts and travel the world. Will finds himself smiling and happy for the first time since the accident, while Lou finds herself falling in love with Will.
Though a predictable love story, “Me Before You” is both a fun and happy film with several great laughs together with a handful Kleenex moments too. In addition, the soundtrack is pretty great overall. Without giving too much away, I felt the ending was weak and left me with a blah feeling. I also feel it may give a poor message about people who have paralysis, in that they have nothing to live for. The opposite could also be said that Will is a character who knows what he wants in his own personal quality of life and it is not the life he is currently living.
Aside from the shortcomings, “Me Before You” is overall an entertaining movie that makes for a great “date night”. 6/10
