A Truly Dishonest Film

Rating: 3/10 (13 December 2016)

So what does the phrase "Me Before You" mean? Does it mean I will be unselfish and put myself and my wishes before yours? Not from the context of this film.
For most of this movie I tended to be with it. It was refreshing to see Emilia Clarke as a vulnerable emotional goofball. And then came the point of decision. And she pours her heart out to him, revealing the depth of her feeling for him. And yet he resolutely chooses death. And then after what seems like it might have been a chance to ruminate over the meaning of life she is convinced very easily that the most loving thing is to be by his side at his chosen end. And he dies. Plot spoiled but you really should know this now before you see it. And she gets scads of money to follow her heart and and a goodbye note telling her to forget about him. Fat chance. At the point of decision I thought to myself if he chooses life even with his pain this would be a pretty good romantic movie. But then I thought if this story takes the road chosen by the obvious media proclivities of the 21st Century he'll choose to die, but he'll give her money. Sure enough.
And the moral to the story is this. Each person lives alone. Love is figment of the moment. Nobody changes their minds and to try to do so would be morally wrong. What is most important is to follow your dreams. Any serious lessening of the ability to do that would be to live so poorly that only death is a cure. So he can no longer follow his dreams, and though his existence clearly helps and changes her life for the good, that is NOT good enough reason to live with serious pain. And since she gets to follow her dreams everything is ultimately for the best.
What utter bullshit. It is really time to start questioning the assumption that the meaning of life is to follow one's dreams, especially since it is clear that this is the fondest wish of the commercial establishment upon us. It is only the illusion of choice. "Me Before You" now seems to mean I'm before you in line and you aren't cutting in. It becomes the complete statement of selfishness.