PG-13 | 1h 50min | Drama, Romance
Review - Kimberly Mungle
*In theaters June 3rd*
Synopsis: A girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she's taking care of.
Review: When
I read Me Before You it broke my heart in halfÖit made me angryÖit made
me sadÖand honestly a little depressed when I finished the last page.
I strongly believe that if a book can take you on an emotional journey
like that, itís a great story. When I heard a film adaptation was
in the works, I wasnít sure how successful it would be. I mean,
we all know, itís nearly impossible to get all the important elements
of a novel squished into 90-120 minutes of screen time.
Me
Before You is the story of Louisa Clark (portrayed by Emilia Clarke),
a girl who believes she is quite ordinary. She has ordinary jobs,
and an ordinary family, and an ordinary boyfriend. When she is let
go from yet another employer, she reluctantly takes a position as a ìcarerî
for a quadriplegic man. She is desperate to make the job work so
that she can help her family make ends meet at home.
Will
Traynor (portrayed by Sam Claflin) is anything but ordinary. He
has traveled the world over - hiked the highest mountains, skied the lowest
valleys, and swam the clearest oceans. Heís had beautiful girlfriends,
loads of friends, and a highly successful career in acquisitions. And
then he is injured in an accident and becomes paralyzed - confined to
a wheelchair with very little movement in his arms and legs. He
has no choice but to depend on others for the most basic of care. And
of course, his mother has now hired a quirky overly-positive girl to serve
as his companion.
As
Louisa and Willís relationship develops, Louisa attempts to show Will
that his life can still be great. And while Will is convinced his
life will never be as good as it was, he attempts to show Louisa that
she is the one who still has the potential to have anything but an ordinary
life. Me Before You is a beautiful and unique love story that will
reiterate the importance of living the best life you are given.
This
film is rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some suggestive material.
If you are curious about the novel/film comparison I would say it
follows fairly closely. Some details (quite a bit of Willís medical/physical
issues) are left out and some story-lines are modified slightly to make
the film work. The overall feeling of story is the same. I
would definitely say if you enjoyed the book or this genre in general,
see it! I took my 16 year old daughter (who had not read the book)
and we both enjoyed it immensely although we did go through quite a few
tissues.
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