Claflin and Clarke waste their talents in 'Me Before You'

Rating: 4/10 (4 July 2017)

Schlocky, sappy romantic dramas are a dime a dozen nowadays, and most of them follow a similar story line, just swapping out a few elements, circumstances and characters. In 'Me Before You,' we get to know the story of a young man named Will Trainer who loses his sense of freedom due to an accident that leaves him paralyzed (Sam Claflin), and a young unemployed woman named Lou who gets a job as his caretaker (Emilia Clarke).
As expected, 'You' is as formulaic as they come. At the outset, Will and Lou are at odds with each other, but they soon begin to tolerate and then love each other, and then a wrench gets thrown into things before everything ends melodramatically. While that is the general flow of events, there is a hope that something about the film is differentiated from the rest of what we've seen before. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
As solid as Claflin and Clarke have been in other work, they come across as hollow, wooden and appear to be less skilled actors than we all know they are. There are some supporting performances from Janet McTeer and Charles Dance that are okay, but they are nothing to really write home about. So, when the plot is below average and the acting is forgettable, it's hard for a film to be enjoyable unless there is are amazing visual effects, soundtrack, etc. While the best element of 'You' is its soundtrack, this is not enough to carry the film.
If you like film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels (and this is not one of those, but it sure feels like one), then you will probably enjoy 'Me Before You.' If not, resist the temptation to give it a chance.