Mr. Movie: Claflin, Clarke are electric in ‘Me Before You’

Me Before You has Sam Claflin (The Huntsman films) as man’s man Will Traynor. He gets hit by a motorcycle and is a quadriplegic. Traynor doesn’t take it well. But who would? He’s surly, mean and unhappy until his super rich parents hire Emilia Clarke’s (Game of Thrones) Lou Clark as his companion caretaker.

After an uncomfortable couple of weeks, a deep friendship blossoms. But tragedy lurks around the corner, and Clark uses an iron will and a sweet disposition to try and head it off.

Me Before You has the potential to be a one or two hanky movie. At the screening, the studio handed out boxes of Kleenex to the crowd. For hard-hearted critics, that’s a bit of a stretch. The debate is still on about the rest of you. I contend the film does have a somewhat sad conclusion. But tear-inducing?

Nah.

Whether it’s weepy doesn’t matter. For this type of film, it is a good one. It doesn’t hurt that Claflin and Clarke are electric together. He’s a pretty good actor, but what’s going to really matter to the throngs of women rushing to this one is his hunky Hollywood heartthrob looks, killer smile and buff bod. She’s girl-next-door beautiful and makes it hard to not wish for a happy ending.

No spoilers here, so I won’t mention the film’s conflict and ultimate flaw. While first-time director Thea Sharrock and first time screenwriter Jojo Moyes — who adapts her novel for the screen — stay away from the heavy-handed manipulation that actually requires Kleenex or a hanky, they also miss an opportunity to make a film about a topic that really needs discussing.

But then — if they followed my advice — not that many people would find it interesting and would avoid it in droves.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie: Claflin, Clarke are electric in ‘Me Before You’."