Pretty good movie, with occasional shots at greatness

Rating: 8/10 (2 September 2017)

"Me Before You" is a definite contender for the most known romantic drama of 2016. But first things first: This one here runs for 110 minutes and was directed by Thea Sharrock while Jojo Moyes adapted her own novel for the screen here. And the result isn't shabby at all as this one scored a decent deal of awards recognition that turned the film into by far the most known work for both writer and director. And while male lead actor Sam Claflin has already starred next to the likes of Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, Johnny Depp and other pretty big names from Hollywood, there is no denying that he plays only second fiddle here to female lead Emilia Clarke. The latter is of course known to millions, if not billions, from Game of Thrones, but good news is that thanks to the different hair color, it is very easy to not see her Daenarys character this time which may have hurt the film overall. I think she did a very good job. Her energetic, sparkling presence was one of the best aspects about the film and makes it easy to forgive her for occasional moments of "overthetopness", for example when her boyfriend arrives on her birthday and she tells everybody that somebody rang the doorbell. They also really tried to make her look not as gorgeous as she is, which was a huge challenge as even in these strange clothes she was obviously still a huge stunner. Claflin did a very good job too and he had the difficult task that really all his acting had to take place above his neck because of the character's disability. I found him memorable. Other known names include Charles Dance, Oscar nominee McTeer or Matt Lewis from Harry Potter, but honestly those were just in the shadows of the two protagonists because their material simply wasn't on the same level in terms of both quality and quantity.
As a whole, I thought this was a really good film. The writing was smart on many occasions and it is always a success for films closer to 120 minutes than to 90 minutes if they drag as little as this one here. It also manages to stay away from the pretentious side and there was the danger it could enter this area on several occasions. But it managed nicely. The film is also not trying to make any political statements as it really is all about the tragic(?) story of the two protagonists here. Some scenes stay in mind especially like when he reveals his suicide plans to her because his body was a cage. Or also the scene in which she is watching an old video of him before the accident. The film included exactly the right approach to romance too in my opinion. They did not have to go for a huge love story or anything in order to have the tragedy work here. If you enjoyed this film as much as I did, then let me recommend you "A Walk to Remember" or "Griffin and Phoenix" or "The Notebook" although I am sure you have at least seen the latter already. Back to this one here, I do share the praise and I think it is an achievement that feels both real and touching. Maybe it is generally more for women, but definitely not exclusively if you manage to open yourself up here to the fate of the two protagonists. I also quite like the title. I am not a Game of Thrones fan at all, so I guess this makes up for a slight Emilia Clarke fanboy tendency and turns me into a neutral observer. A good, no a great watch for people curious about Game of Thrones stars in other projects. And actually for everybody else too. This film is among 2016's very finest and I highly recommend checking out.