Me Before You

Based on the book by Jojo Moyes, Me Before You follows quirky twentysomething Louisa Clark (Emilia Clarke) as she takes on a job as a minder for a recently-injured quadriplegic (Sam Claflin’s Will Traynor) – with the narrative detailing the pair’s relationship and its inevitable progression from disdain to mutual respect. There’s little within Me Before You that one hasn’t seen countless times before in other films, and yet the movie is, for the most part, a fairly engrossing little drama that benefits substantially from strong performances and a palpable chemistry between stars Clarke and Claflin. The actors’ compelling work generally proves effective at compensating for the less-than-subtle bent of Moyes’ screenplay, with, likewise, filmmaker Thea Sharrock’s movie-of-the-week sensibilities generally allayed by a smattering of unexpectedly emotional interludes. It’s in terms of the latter that Me Before You ultimately succeeds, as the film accumulates an emotional momentum that grows more and more difficult to resist – with the second half containing one heartbreaking, sob-inducing sequence after another (eg Louise and Will attend a classical-music concert, Will surprises Louisa with a thoughtful birthday gift, etc, etc). It is, in the end, clear that Me Before You stands as one of the most effective (and affecting) tearjerkers to come around in quite some time, with the somewhat hackneyed material and execution ultimately rendered moot in the face of a seriously moving (if unabashedly manipulative) story.

***1/2 out of ****