Movie Review: Me Before You (2016)

Synopsis: Needing money to help her parents, outgoing but unambitious Lou Clark takes a job as an assistant to wealthy banker who recently became paralyzed after being struck by a motorcycle. As she begins to develop feelings for him, she learns he has made plans to go to Switzerland so he can end his life and she begins working in earnest to change his mind.

Who's in it? The movie stars Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman, Charles Dance and Janet McTeer.


Review: I'm not a big fan of tear-jerker movies like this one and usually do my best to avoid watching them. But, my wife loves them and, because I'm a devoted husband, I will occasionally watch one with her. That was the case with this film, which we watched last night after she borrowed it from our local library.

When I first started watching this with her, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it because, at least at first glance, it looked like it would have the same basic plot movies like this usually have. And, to be fair, some parts of this movie were kind of predictable, especially the fact Lou (Clarke) ultimately falls in love with the handsome and rich (it's always one, the other or both) Will Traynor (Claflin).

Despite that, the movie did prove to be something I actually enjoyed watching. This is because, even though parts of the plot aren't overly different from other films in this genre, the fact he wants to commit doctor-assisted suicide did wind up keeping the overall movie interesting.

One thing in particular that kept me interested was his feelings for Lou. It was obvious he loved her. But, he was more interested in encouraging her to spread her wings and go on adventures than convincing her to stay with him. This lack of selfishness on his part did make me wonder how the movie was going to end. Was she going to save his life only to have to care for him for most of hers? Would he go through with the suicide? Or, would there be some other "happy" ending that left him alive and her exploring the world.

Heck, at one point, I started to wonder if maybe she would end up in a relationship with Will's medical attendant (Stephen Peacocke), who seemed like a great fit for her too considering they both cared about Will and he was (of course) handsome/rich enough to qualify. Plus, since Will seemed to like both of them, it would be a relationship I could see him approving of.

Final Opinion: This isn't the type of movie I spend a good chunk of my time watching. However, it proved to be much better than I was expecting it to be and, mostly because it wasn't as predictable as I was expecting, I ended up enjoying it as a result. It's worth taking the time to watch.

My Grade: A

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