The 2016 film, "Me Before You," directed by Thea Starrock stars "Game of Thrones" Emilia Clarke as Louisa Clark and "The Hunger Games" Sam Claflin as Will Traynor. In this book to film adaptation, it tells the story of Will Traynor, a once successful man who becomes paralyzed and develops a relationship with his whimsical caretaker. While not every movie can stay 100% faithful to the book, this movie does an excellent job of portraying the book's major scenes. Partly it could be because the author of the novel, Jojo Moyes, was deeply involved in writing the screenplay and making sure everything stayed as close as possible to the book. Although the major scenes got portrayed well, I felt the movie lacked a strong relationship between the primary characters. Unlike the book, events and time seemed rushed and at times the interaction between characters felt forced.
Emilia Clarke was perfectly cast to play Louisa. Her quirky and whimsical facial expressions were how I imagined Louisa to be. Clarke brought with her laughter and joy and added a lighter air to what would have been a serious film. Her reactions and expressions felt natural and eased. Overall, great theatrical performance by Clarke. For Sam Claflin, well, where do I begin with him? He perfectly executed his character, Will Traynor. For some, it may be difficult to portray a quadriplegic, especially when they are an able person, but Claflin was able to make it seem as if he had always been in a wheelchair. He never moved a muscle besides the small movement his character had in his hand and above the neck. Claflin, overall, deserves an award for his perfect portrayal of a paraplegic and execution of a snarky, sharp and witty Will Traynor.
Besides the acting of the main characters, which was overall great, the movie left out some things which I felt could have changed the tone of the film. Spoilers are coming your way so continue to read at your own risk!
In the book, Will has a sister named Georgina. While a minor character — she's not very present throughout the novel — I feel she is still necessary. Her presence at the beginning of the book when she comes to visit her family shows the distaste that Georgina and her mother first share towards Louisa. Georgina feels that Louisa is taking advantage of her family, especially when she proposes her travel plans for Will. But at the end of the book, we also see that while she still feels distaste for Louisa, the reader gets a sense of gratefulness — gratefulness for her attempt to change her brother's perspective on life. Georgina has to be dragged out of the room in Switzerland, but only because she wishes to spend more time with her brother, who only wants to spend time with Louisa. The sisterly figure would have made the family dynamic more comforting and the audience would have perhaps felt a bit eased knowing the Traynors wouldn't be okay. The movie also fails to mention that Mr. Traynor, Will's dad, has a mistress. She's not a typical character in the book but to me, she is very significant. The fact that Mr. Traynor is cheating on his wife and his family is aware of it changes the family dynamic of the Traynors. In the book, there are about two chapters from his perspective and in them, we find out that if it weren't for Will's accident, he would have divorced his wife long ago. Knowing that he has a mistress helps clarify why Louisa's father was offered a job as a maintenance man for the Castle under Mr. Traynor's supervision. In the movie, they leave out the mistress aspect and the fact that Louisa saw Mr. Traynor with his mistress and the following evening her dad was offered the job. The phone call to Will about the job has a different air in the movie than in the book because, in the book, Louisa is secretly trying to disinter if her father received the job because she was aware that Mr. Traynor had a mistress. In the movie, they also fail to leave out what happened to the Traynors after Will's death. The book tells us what occurred: Mr. Traynor leaves his family, unlike in the film.
I believe overall that books tend to be better than movies because one can feel a deeper connection to characters and events. However, I also believe that at times, movies can be better than the book. Personally, I felt a deeper connection to the characters in the book rather than the film. The book allowed them to develop further rather than the movie where interactions felt rushed. While many cried in the movie, I did not. No, I am not a heartless person. I just didn't feel the strong connection. Yes, there were times when certain scenes tugged at my heart strings, but I didn't feel the need to sob uncontrollably. On the other hand, in the book the final scenes and that romantic beach scene in Mauritius had me crying because I felt the strong connection to the characters and I knew the reasons behind their words and actions. At the end of the day, everyone has their own opinion, so I leave it to you, my readers, to go form your own opinions. Hope you enjoy the movie and to those few that enjoy reading, hope you enjoy Jojo Moyes book, "Me Before You."
