ME BEFORE YOU (2016)

Thea Shamrock’s film based on a screenplay by Jojo Moyes which in turn was based on her book of the same name will please the many readers of her book. Though at first I thought I was watching a remake of DYING YOUNG with Julia Roberts and indeed there are many similarities, it manages to tackle the topic of euthanasia in a compassionate and reasonable way, though troubling many of the characters throughout the course of the story. This is not a film with an agenda since the better majority of everyone in this picture wants the character in question to live and do everything in their power to reverse his most disturbing decision. Well cast with a bevy of England’s finest actors which included Emilia Clarke (GAME OF THRONES), Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer, Charles Dance, Brendan Coyle (DOWNTON ABBEY), Matthew Lewis and Ben Lloyd Hughes among many others. Though I felt that Emilia Clarke overacted in many scenes, particularly in the first 30 minutes, the character seems to tone down her reactions as the film progresses. Frankly since films are shot out of sequence I don’t know if she was instructed to act this way or her idea of acting ill at ease (as her character is at the beginning) is to overact as her way of interpreting the character (she certainly does not do this when playing Daenerys Targaryen on GAME OF THRONES). Nevertheless you grow with her as the film progresses and she is quite disarming and lovable as the story moves forward. If you liked LOVE STORY (Ali McGraw & Ryan O’Neil) you’ll probably enjoy (or love) this film enough to want to bring extra tissues with you to the theatre.