Hokey, manipulative and overdone

Rating: 2/10 (5 June 2016)

Don't get me wrong. I like a weepy, romantic chick-flick as much as the next guy. But this one is so manipulative and over-the-top that I felt myself getting hostile about a third the way through. It took self-control not to make rude comments at the screen.
Part of the problem is Emilia Clarke. He character is modeled after the Brigit Jones style of self-consciously, klutzy, heart on her sleeve heroine that holds appeal to many viewers. Clarke's acting is filled with so many facial tics it almost becomes unintentionally comic. If you shaved Ms. Clarke's eyebrows, she'd convey no emotional range. But with them, she'd be a natural silent movie actress. Her eyebrows literally stole every scene they were in.
The music, especially the segments used between scenes goes beyond intrusive. It is downright offensive. If a character is about to die and is falling in love, do we really need an overwrought vocalist singing "Oh poor me, I'm falling in love, yet I'm about to die." This is like a Greek chorus with one eye on the AM playlist. I'm exaggerating here, but the point is real. We don't need treacly vocal music to mimic what we've just seen. Most of us got it the first time. You need a break between scenes? Instrumental segues would work just fine, thank you.
I've given this a "2" out of 10. In every way this big budget film deserves a rock bottom "1" for its manipulative and overdone approach. I've given it the extra point for the lovely location shooting. At least the castles don't have eyebrows.