Warner Bros.
The romantic tearjerker Me Before You (directed by Thea Sharrock) may be getting a lot of criticism, but don’t let the haters sway your decision to watch the movie. Yes, the ending is not like all the other romantic movies you may have seen in the past, but that’s not a bad thing.
The movie, based on the book by Jojo Moyes, who also wrote the screenplay, follows Louisa Clark (Emilia Clarke), a quirky 26-year old who, after losing her job at the local bakery, becomes the caretaker to Will Traynor (Sam Claflin). Will is a bitter, suicidal quadriplegic who resents the fact that he no longer is the adventurous, master of the universe-type he used to be prior to his accident two years ago. Louisa was hired by his parents in an effort to lift his spirits. As you may have guessed, after spending 8 hours a day together, Will and Louisa begin to fall in love – but is her love enough to convince Will that his life is worth living, even if it means spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair and dependent on others to do literally everything for him?
Having read the book beforehand, I knew what I was getting myself into before even walking into the theater. Even so, it was presumptuous of the movie theater employees to hand me a packet of tissues before heading to my seat. I was actually surprised at the light-hearted approach the director took during the majority of the movie. People around me laughed, as if on queue, at every joke, sarcastic remark and first sighting of every ridiculous outfit Louisa wore. Not to give it away, but it wasn’t until the last 15 minutes when tears threatened to escape, or maybe I’m not as sensitive as I appear.
Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin are both perfect for these roles – usually, I would find some complaint about whoever was cast to portray a character for a book adaptation, but I came up short this time. Emilia is exactly who I imagined Louisa to be, and so much more – she IS Louisa. And it doesn’t hurt that these two actually have chemistry together.
The Verdict: With a premise like this one, you don’t expect to laugh as much as you do. The movie has charm, and British people (if that’s your thing), and is definitely worth the watch.
The World According to Stephanie 