“I have become a whole new person because of you.” Emilia Clarke as Lou Clark, Me Before You

This movie had all the emotions that I wanted and more! Yes, I cried when I should have but I also laughed a lot more than I thought I would. Not everything was perfect but this movie was heartwarming and heartbreaking all in one. It was more fast-paced and humorous than I thought it would be but it managed to get most of the book in the movie, which is a true feat. There were a few things missing but I was on board with the changes.

SPOILER ALERT

So, this movie is a perfect example of adequately transitioning from a book to a movie even with changes, additions, and parts being removed. Was the movie an exact replica of the book? No, not at all but that’s not necessary in some transitions. Some of the notable changes were the entire maze / rape story line was not included at all, Will’s father was not having an affair (that was mentioned anyways), Lou didn’t ever move in with Patrick or to the Traynor estate, and her and her sister didn’t fight at all. I think that the point of all of these changes was simply to focus the story on Lou and Will. We saw more of their time together, including picnics and walks, that were mentioned but only briefly in the book. Again, these kinds of changes were just to keep the focus on how the two fell in love.

I was unexpectedly surprised by the humor involved in the movie. While there were funny things that  happened in the book, I didn’t find myself laughing out loud like I did in the movie. The upbeat, fast pace of the movie was an entirely new level of emotion. It was a little jarring at first just because I was ready to go cry my eyes out and ended up laughing for a good part of the movie.

SUMMARY

I’m not sure who I fell in love with more between the two leads. Sam Claflin was incredible, especially for someone who could only use facial expressions and a chair to show emotion. Emilia Clarke was incredibly charming and dorky in the best way. While there wasn’t much physical chemistry, that is to be expected in this story, but the emotional connection couldn’t be missed.

I highly recommend that you read the book and see the movie, which is rare for me. They go hand-in-hand in my opinion and both bring a new level to an amazing story.

GRADE: A