Before You ask, it’s so romantic
Talented stars’ charm carries trad love story
GET your hankies at the ready for this modern old-fashioned romantic weepie.
Me Before You, based on Jojo Moyes’ bestselling book, is sentimental, unoriginal and lacks subtlety. But it is effective.
Two fabulously attractive young people are brought together by tragedy. Once they’ve fallen in love the same circumstance tears them apart. Sporty banker William, played by Sam Claflin, lost the use of his arms and legs in a motorcycle accident. Waitress Louisa, Emilia Clarke, has lost her job. Their fates collide when she becomes his carer.
Engaging Clarke and Claflin have great chemistry and the film succeeds because of their charm and talent.
Clarke’s incredibly expressive eyebrows and puppyish enthusiasm contrast nicely with Claflin’s remarkable stillness. William teaches Louisa culture and she helps him lighten up. But his strong views on his condition threaten to cast a shadow on their potential happiness. It seems a fairytale world. A snow-clad castle dominates the chocolate box scenery as they visit the races and a classical music concert. Me Before You doesn’t pretend or aspire to be a film with a social conscience. There is no ambition beyond making you smile through a bucket of tears and on that score it’s an undoubted success.
Charles Dance and Janet McTeer provide gravitas as William’s parents and Doctor Who’s Jenna Coleman plays Louisa’s single parent sister.
Joanna Lumley breezes fragrantly through as a wedding guest.
Clarke is famed for her frequent nudity on TV’s Game of Thrones but here keeps her curves under wraps.
This tearjerker is unlikely to be the last time Clarke has her fans sobbing into their tissues.