Me Before You

A young woman with few work skills but a bubbly, irrepressible personality (Emilia Clarke) takes a job caring for a wealthy but morose young man (Sam Claflin) paralyzed two years earlier in a road accident. Written by Jojo Moyes (from her novel) and directed with good cheer by Thea Sharrock, the movie telegraphs every unsurprising development, but it has one priceless asset: the vivacious performance of Clarke, in a role as far from her Daenerys in Game of Thrones or Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys as anyone could imagine. She’s overdue for major stardom, and a button-pushing tearjerker like this just might do it for her. Claflin has a nice chemistry with his leading lady, and there’s a good supporting cast (Janet McTeer, Charles Dance, Brendan Coyle) but it’s Clarke’s show all the way. J.L.