Me Before You - 3 smiles

From everything I’d read about this movie, I was expecting to be manipulated into tears. Maybe because of that expectation, I found myself not tearing up at all although there are a lot of moments in the film when the music seems to be signaling a time to cry. Didn’t work with me. Nonetheless, I did like “Me Before You,” mainly because of the two characters. Louisa is played by Emilia Clarke, known worldwide for her portrayal as the fierce would-be queen of Westeros, Daenerys Targaryen in HBO’s Game of Thrones.  Despite their vast differences in temperament and physical appearance, Clarke is able to imbue both characters with life and personality. Her Louisa is shy and flighty, a chatty young woman with a bizarre fashion sense. She’s instantly likeable and we realize that she’s also sharp, witty and courageous. Clarke’s counterpart is Sam Clafin, who played Finnick in three of the four Hunger Games. His Will is dashing and handsome, even in a wheelchair and he is more complex than Louisa. By his own admission, before his accident, he loved live and, so, by comparison, his current existence is intolerable. This movie doesn’t address the morality of assisted suicide, but given this particular situation, the choice Sam makes is understandable. “Me Before You” does have some uneven moments, when the pacing is off and Louisa seems to be trying too hard, but overall, it’s worth seeing. You might need tissue.