"Me Before You," the movie that was supposedly the romance of the year. How could it not be when the British cutie, Sam Claflin and the, oh, so attractive Emilia Clark, play the leading roles. However, when I walked into the theater super excited for a heart moving, sappy romance, I was a bit disappointed.
For one thing, I was pretty dissatisfied by the ending. It’s as if the novel's writer or the producer were too lazy to think of a more innovative ending and decided to go with the most predictable one. Now don’t get me wrong, that in itself is a powerful statement. I also did not read the book so I may have a skewed understanding of the resolution. However, the ending seemed like a cop-out.
The ending's simplicity also seemed to have a completely insulting message for people with disabilities. It seems to suggest that those who are physically impaired will never live a life as fulfilling as those who are not. The disabled will never have a life worth living. I only choose to point out this darker unintended message because many people seem to be too transfixed by the unique love story rather than examining the hidden suggestions.
There are clearly wonderful positives to this love story such as Lou’s (played by Clark) quirky personality traits, like her funky style. The richness of experience Will (played by Claflin) brought to Lou’s life, showing that even though he refused to see his life had meaning, it did. The unlikelihood of Lou and Will’s relationship demonstrates the endless potential that love has.
Despite all of this I do think the majority of the movie’s success was a result of heavy marketing, attractive big name actors and a need for young adults to temporarily fill their romantic void.
