Review: Me Before You
Thursday, June 2, 2016 at 4:25PM 
If you were hoping for a weepy respite to the superhero stockpile, don't expect Me Before You to be your antidote. Consider this British would-be tearjerker the date movie equivalent of Batman v Superman: both ghastly and flat, and inert when it should be its most heart-stopping moments.
Based on the popular novel by Jojo Moyes (who adapted her own work), Me Before You stars Game of Thrones ingenue Emilia Clarke as Lou, a floundering and chatty young woman who takes a job caring for a local moneybags (and recently quadriplegic) Will Trainor (Sam Clafin of The Hunger Games saga). Will's mother (a shockingly underused Janet McTeer) has more on her mind than caregiving in hiring the girl, and Lou's effervescent warmth begins to thaw the man's dejected anger. The ensuing romance is rife for hot button discussion points and earnest emoting, but its clunky beigeness fails to stir much audience response...
Had the film's approach been purely paint-by-numbers, it could have at least provided more easy swoons and swells. But there is a cold, mean-spirited point of view that borders on farce and turns the film into an wholly unpleasant experience.
Surrounded by otherwise non-descript cohabitants, Lou is treated as a twee freakshow by comparison. The film cruelly gives her more umbrellas to coordinate to her wardrobe than discernible traits, never allowing her to be more than how it presents her visually (despite the actress's sincerest effort). Emilia Clarke somehow stays afloat despite the movie continually working against her. Make no mistake: this underhanded, judgmental film is pointing its finger and laughing at Lou for her cheeriness (however cloying), even though its one of her redeeming qualities. When was the last time you watched a movie bully its lead?
Even more troublesome is the film's ambivalence about the other side of this love story. Sam Claflin isn't dynamic enough in this role but the film doesn't help, making no attempt to sell Will beyond his wealth and ailment. Any depth behind the man's chilly resolve is presented and dropped fleetingly (like his passion for film) and his softer moments of kindness are entry-level basic niceties. At least Lou has her all-caps QUIRKINESS to hang her hat cardigan on, with even Will's paralysis barely getting a passing glance in service of character depth. Will's own expressed feelings of anger or regret are limited to losing a girlfriend and his ability to play sports. The film cheapens these setbacks for the newly disabled by bringing no humanity into consideration.
While Me Before You is relentlessly shallow, it struggles to even be that in a satisfying way. This fairy tale is stooped in enormous privilege, every romantic gesture derived from some expensive extravagance and reinforced by almost no emotional pull. There are castles, exotic beaches, symphonies in churches, and set design straight from a candle store Pinterest board. Yet none of if this is charged with the kind of escapist, wish-fulfillment fantasy that could make the film a digestible treat, if still shallow. Almost every opportunity to entertain is undermined even when the film firmly sets up the the genre tropes audiences crave. Imagine watching a perfectly servicable romance on mute while listening to the same Ed Sheeran song at full blast on a loop for the film's entirety, and you'll understand the effect.
Ultimately hitting all the necessary genre story points without putting in the emotional legwork, Me Before You is heartless, crotchless, and soulless.
Grade: D+
Reader Comments (3)
Yikes. Sam Claflin was delicious as Finnick when tasked with being smarmy and flirtatious. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to be able to transfer that charisma to drama at all (including in Hunger Games' dramatic moments).
Not a watcher of GOT but Clarke seemed very winning in the trailer. Too bad nothing came together.
I really do NOT like Emilia Clarke's acting (in either GOT or Terminator) so it surprises me to read that she's the best thing about it. But still. sounds dreadful.
Nathaniel - I haven't seen Game of Thrones or that Terminator sequel, so I'm no expect on her - but being the best thing here is a low bar to clear