Me Before You (2016)

[Athena]

Directed by Thea Sharrock and adapted by Jojo Moyes from her 2012 novel of the same name. The film stars Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman, Charles Dance, Matthew Lewis, Ben Lloyd-Hughes and Janet McTeer. The film is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. on June 3, 2016.

Please put major book spoilers behind tags. Thank you.

[methodwriter85]

They really looked like they nailed the tone of the book, and Lou and Will's relationship. I am seriously excited. I was scared that it was going to be turned into some teenaged romance but I was wrong. Thank god.

[Athena]

The reviews are coming out mixed for this, but this is not really the kind of movie I'd watch for the reviews any way. It's a book adaptation, but I'm still looking forward to seeing Emilia Clarke elevate the material. I think her natural charisma fits with Lou and it does seem they have made everyone from the books more likeable.

[twoods]

Haven't seen this movie yet but it did great at the box office. I thought the trailer was perfect, from the scenes depicted to the Ed Sheeran song. It made me cry, and judging by the almost 19 million it made this weekend, others were intrigued by it as well.

[Rilla-my-Rilla]

I went and saw it this morning. I had to drive a bit to go to a different city because the small city I moved to a year ago suuuuucks! (They have 2 - 3 screen theaters and both are playing X-men and Ninja Turtles. Why? Seriously. Only one even played Star Wars. I think I'm being punked)

Anyway, I really liked it. They stayed true to the book I thought while streamlining the story. I think they improved on Lou's family. Maybe it was because not as much time was spent with them, but I liked them more in the movie than I did in the book. I remember feeling like they would just shit on Lou constantly. They left a fair amount of the side stories out, but that makes sense. I don't feel like anything was taking away from the story by that though.

I technically made it out without crying..... I teared up 3 times and had some serious sniffles though. They were close to spilling over! I cried once reading the book and I even knew how it ended.

[purplemouth]

Saw this today without having read the book and enjoyed it. I thought I would have appreciated some of the early scenes more had I read the book, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything. 

Like The Fault in Our Stars, I wish I had waited to watch this at home so I could really sob.

Very strange to see Tywin interacting with Daenerys. I initially thought he was either going to hit on her or hate her. I'm glad I was wrong!

Edited June 6, 2016 by purplemouth
Spelling is good

[Artsda]

I saw this today, never read the book and bawled at the end. Was not expecting that going into the movie. 

All the acting was really good. Definitely not the romcom I expected. 

[Scarlett45]

I rented this on iTunes. I thought the acting was well done and Emilia Clark is especially charming. I think they made her gain 10-15lbs for the role to make her more "regular girl" and she looks so cute. 

I understand why many disability advocates had criticisms of the film, but the discourse doesn't take away from the message regarding autonomy and personal choice. I hope we can still have those discussions as a society without insinuating others should feel the same. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Son of a bitch.

"Live boldly. Push yourself. Don't settle."

Son of a bitch. Didn't see that coming at all.

[methodwriter85]

5 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Son of a bitch.

"Live boldly. Push yourself. Don't settle."

Son of a bitch. Didn't see that coming at all.

Yeah, I wonder how people who didn't read the book responded. I was still pretty shocked that he actually went through with it at the end of the book- I really thought that she had gotten through to him. I kept hoping until the very last page that he had backed out of it. It's funny- the book is set in 2009, and since there there have been a lot of breakthroughs in regards to quadriplegics. It's a testament that whenever I hear about it, I sigh a little and think about Will Traynor.

The movie has been successful enough, at least abroad-wise, to warrant a sequel adaption of After You, but if they do it...MAN I hope they

Spoiler

cut out that insufferably bratty secret teenage daughter of Will's. That they aged Will down and took out Lou's rape makes me hopeful they'll chuck that part of After You. It didn't work in the book, and I can it being even worse in a movie. Why the hell did JoJo Moyes think we'd want to read about a 28-year old single woman playing Mom to a rebellious 16-year old girl instead of her adventures traveling around the world with the money Will gave her? The funny thing is that the guy who played the nurse in this looks very close to how I pictured Lou's EMT love interest.

Although eh, it's probably a moot point because they haven't announced optioning After You, but I still wouldn't count out a sequel given that the movie did like 200 million in global box against a 20 million budget.

I didn't love the movie like I loved the book, but it was still solid. The chemistry between them was fantastic. I tend to be "meh" with Ed Sheeran, but man that dance was great.

Edited October 12, 2016 by methodwriter85

[Cobalt Stargazer]

6 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Yeah, I wonder how people who didn't read the book responded.

The book's existence had somehow blipped right past me, even though I read and loved A Fault In Our Stars. I was also shocked that Will went through with it, especially after Lou gave him that tearful "you're so selfish" speech when he told her she'd stood no chance of changing his mind even at the outset. His decision to die is troubling and yet oddly dignified, since he was so focused on the man he was before he met her that he couldn't live even after he found her. They really did a good job with the tone at the end of the move, which could have been maudlin but was hopeful instead. I'm still not sure Sam Claflin can be a leading man, since the role of Will pretty much forces him to remain in one position for the whole movie, but his chemistry with Clarke was so good that it didn't matter.

[roseslg]

Saw this last night on a flight from London, i had no expectations going into it, but loved it. I hadnt heard of the book, so thought she would convince him to live and they would be together. I teared up some at the end, but I'm blaming the pregnancy hormones!  The chemistry was fantastic!

[SnoGirl]

5 hours ago, roseslg said:

Saw this last night on a flight from London, i had no expectations going into it, but loved it. I hadnt heard of the book, so thought she would convince him to live and they would be together. I teared up some at the end, but I'm blaming the pregnancy hormones!  The chemistry was fantastic!

I just watched it on Amazon, and I could not stop the tears from the beach fight on. And I'm not pregnant. However, I was a book reader so I knew what storm was coming. And it broke my heart. I really thought they would change the movie ending, but I liked that they didn't. He was so full of life before, to be trapped letting other people change and feed him just had to be hell. I wish he had choosen Lou over death, but he did give her quite the gift.

Edited October 14, 2016 by SnoGirl

[Traveller519]

So, this was on this week when I turned the TV on one evening, and I got entranced enough that I watched On Demand (Freeview). Damn, despite being a Super Hero movie loving, oddball comedy enjoying, North American Male, I sure enjoy British Romantic movies (not sure this qualifies as a RomCom). When I first saw the trailers last summer I thought it was going to be emotional dreck, but I couldn't help myself. Emilia Clarke plays the townie pretty well! And the film was honest, and wouldn't have played out that way as an American production.

The only down part for me was Patrick, who was so painfully comic relief-y, he was pretty distracting