Me Before You is predictable, but will still make you cry

Movie Title:       Me Before You

  

Grade:   B

Rating:   PG-13, 1 hour 50 minutes

In a Nutshell:    Adapted by Jojo Moyes from her popular 2012 novel of the same name, this predictable RomCom (romantic comedy) will still make you cry.

Uplifting theme: 

•  “Live boldly.  Push yourself.” – William Traynor
• “Live well.  Just live.” – William Traynor
• “There really isn’t much that can’t be solved by a cup of tea.” – Louisa
• “You can’t change how people are.” – Bernard Clark

“Then what can you do?” – Louisa

“Love them.” – Bernard Clark

• Start working on your Bucket List today.  You never know how much time you have left on this earth.
• “You need to widen your horizons, Clark.  You only get one life to live.” – William
• You love whom you serve.

Things I liked:

• Emilia Clarke is charming as Louisa Clark.  Her quirky fashion sense had the audience full of girls and women giggling every time she donned a new outfit with fuzzy sweater, brightly-colored shoes, and crazy tights.  Her boyfriend, Patrick, tells her she looks like a leprechaun drag queen. I don’t watch the porn-filled Game of Thrones TV show, but fans will almost not recognize Emilia Clarke in this Chick Flick.
• Sam Clafflin plays the handsome, rich William Traynor.  Who wouldn’t fall in love with that irresistible combination?  We’ve seen him before as Finnick in The Hunger Games.
• Louisa’s sister’s name is Treena.  I spell mine “Trina”.  Still, we’re almost related.
• Filming was done mostly at Pembroke Castle in Wales.  I saw some of the coolest castles in Wales last summer when I traveled through the UK.  Beautiful landscapes and scenery are layered in the movie.
• Louisa is a real woman, nothing fake or phony about her.  I laughed out loud when she was running and holding her chest, explaining that she had worn the wrong bra.  Been there.  Men will never understand the woes of womanhood.
• Louisa is embarrassed to wear her mother’s black & white checkered jacket to her job interview because it was from the 1980’s.  I actually liked it!  Of course, I was a teenager in the 80’s, so I guess that makes sense.  Ha ha
• It’s really fun to see Matthew Lewis all grown up.  Most of us know him as the shy, insecure Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films.  In this movie, he plays a self-centered runner who is super fit and trim, yet a bit insensitive.
• Louisa & William’s first kiss was extremely slow and delicate.  Kind of refreshing from some of the attack-mode kisses we usually see on the Big Screen lately.
• As a movie critic, I loved the discussion Louisa and William had about movies with subtitles.  Sure, it's a lot of work in the beginning, but a great foreign film will sweep you away to a far away land and envelope you in the story so much that you won't even remember you're reading.  One of the best foreign films I ever saw was "Life is Beautiful."  At the very end of the movie, you actually hear Americans speaking English.  I was so engrossed in the movie that the English actually startled me and broke the trance.  I HIGHLY recommend that movie!

Things I didn’t like:

• If you have estrogen, you’re probably going to cry.
• It’s pretty predictable.

Funny lines:

•  “You know, Sharon…you can stick your premier badge right up your relaxed dining area.” – Louisa
• “A wind concerto?” – William

“I’ve been assured it doesn’t involve farting.” - Louisa

• “You’ll think I’m insane!” – Louisa

“That ship has sailed, Clark.” – William
*  "Every time I say something, he looks at me like I'm stupid." - Louisa
    "You are stupid." - Treena
    "Yeah, but he doesn't know that." - Louisa

Did you notice?

• Louisa’s headboard matches her quilted bedspread.
• Fans of British comedy will get a kick out of seeing beloved comedienne Joanna Lumley who plays William’s drunk godmother at a wedding.  Joanna was often seen playing a drunk character in her smash hit “Absolutely Fabulous.”
• William’s old girlfriend says “You know, you can only help somebody who wants to be helped.”   Do you think that’s true?  Not necessarily true?
•  

Romantic lines:

•  All the women in the audience swooned when William said “You know, Clark, you are pretty much the only thing that makes me want to get up in the mornings.”
• “I don’t want to go in yet.  I just want to be a man who’s been to a concert with a girl in a red dress.” – William
• “I have become a whole new person because of you.” - Louisa

Tips for parents:   

• Pre-marital sex.  Discussion about positions during sex.
• There is a lot of discussion about assisted suicide, which is a very complicated, sensitive subject.
• William was in a motorcycle accident that left him as a quadriplegic. You may want to talk to kids about what exactly that means.
• Some profanity.
• There is a discussion about “Wellies”, which is a British word for rain boots.