me before you   4.0**** (based upon overall technical matters it may not be 4***, but for sheer enjoyment and

                                                        inspiration  I’m giving it 4***…GO SEE IT)

       I had thought about seeing this movie from the time I first saw the previews but kept putting it off. I was expecting it to be the usual Rom-Com… a chick flick with tears.  I finally decided to take my wife, Sara to see it…… she’s big on chick flicks. Well, as it turns out,  that's not what this film is… a little bit maybe but a whole lot more.  What a wonderful, moving beautiful movie and love story.  My heart broke where it needed to break, and it laughed where it needed to laugh. And throughout most of the movie I was smiling and/or simply enjoying a well done movie

It all starts with our male lead, 31-year-old William (Will) Traynor, played by Sam Claflin, who is living the great, very active life of water skiing and sky-diving. But then disaster strikes in the blink of an eye: he is struck by a  motorcycle, and he becomes a permanent quadriplegic ( paralyzed from the neck down with loss of bladder and bowel control, potential for bed sores and blood clots, respiratory problems and muscle spasms among others) It is a very very limiting condition that binds you to a wheelchair and forces you to rely on others for aid in all the big and little things. Fortunately he and his family are rich,

Two years later  a new caretaker enters the picture. Will seems to be okay living in his own apartment with a medical assistant , but he needs someone else to help during the day  with minor tasks such as eating and getting medications. Her name is Louisa Clark, played by Emilia Clarke. Louisa is 26 and  delightfully quirky, chatty and absolutely zany in her dress style….she wears a different unusual outfit for each scene. If you enjoy “outside the box” colorful fashions, it’s worth seeing this movie just for that.

One of  the film's greatest strengths is the way the relationship between these two is developed. Both players are beyond exceptional in their roles. Emilia puts on the sweetest, most adorable facial expressions—watching her wide smile and nervous eyebrows will leave you with a smile. Sam isn't as strong as his co-lead, but he beautifully contrasts from her lively, exotic personality with his slow,  downer attitude which gradually opens up more as he becomes more comfortable with her.

I won't reveal how the movie ends, however I will tell you  there are certain themes in the movie that you should be aware of. Without exposing too much, the issue of euthanasia crops up and becomes an ongoing, ever looming possibility . While euthanasia is  a difficult polarizing topic, I think the film deals with it in a very fair and two-sided way. Both sides of the argument are fairly presented but it's a very complex matter that doesn't have a simple answer. The BIG TIME critics seized on this and came down rather negative on the movie. BOO HISS on those critics. This is a delightful, feel-good movie that I highly recommend ( Sara really enjoyed it too).  It’s no longer in the theaters so find it on Netflix, Red Box or other streaming channels or On Demand,,, but find it… I promise you’ll be glad you did.

Clark