Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin star in the new Warner Bros. drama “Me Before You.”
The movie opens with a shot of a couple making out in their bed. The sun rises and it is morning time. We see shots of Will Traynor (Claflin) dressing up in a suit and tie and putting on his dress shoes. He is off to work as a businessman. Upon crossing the street, Will is hit by a motorcycle and had to get his legs amputated. Wow! What a way to start a movie. It kept me on the edge of my seat.
Louisa Clark (played by Emilia Clarke) works in a cafeteria selling coffee and baked goods. A few minutes later, her boss turns the sign on the front door “Closed.” Then, he hands her an envelope, which turned out to be her pink slip. She was laid off because the restaurant was going out of business.
The movie started out kind of depressing. It is a drama–just so you know. However, things are about to start looking up.
Louisa went to the job center and they found her something after several weeks of not working. She was going to be a caretaker for the disabled man who got hit by a motorcycle at the beginning of the movie. Louisa was all excited to start this new opportunity. That is until she met the guy who she would be taking care of…Will.
Their relationship got off to a rocky start. Louisa was very chatty and Will told her to be quiet and leave him alone. At first, she was upset. Then, things started to improve between the two of them.
Louisa had an idea that she could help her patient enjoy life by crossing things off his bucket list. She organized a trip to watch some horse racing, do underwater scuba diving and finally a trip overseas to a place called “Paradise.” It looked kind of like Hawaii or maybe one of the Caribbean islands.
The gentleman who was sitting next to me said this movie reminded him of the popular BBC series “Downton Abbey.” I never got into that show, so I don’t know. However, I can say both this movie and the TV series were set in England.
What happens to the relationship between Emilia and Will? Does it blossom or does it all go south? That is the question you’ll be able to answer at the end of the movie.
“Me Before You” is rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some suggestive material. It is 110 minutes long. Scenes for the film were shot in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. Thea Sharrock directed the film.
I enjoyed the movie but I don’t think I’m a raving fan of it. The story was easy to follow and understand. However, it was kind of difficult to understand what the characters were saying with their British accents. The movie makes you laugh, but it also makes you cry. As a matter of fact, crew members passed out boxes of tissues as guests left the advance screening I attended.
OVERALL RATING: B
