[yasr_overall_rating]
The friendship between two life-long girlfriends is put to the test when one starts a family and the other falls ill.
Be prepared to either be crying or having to suffer the whimpers and uncontrollable crying (and subsequent “snotting”) of moviegoers in this heavy cancer drama, “Miss You Already.” This drama features Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette as best friends both struggling with their rebellious bodies as well as their lovingly comical but strained relationship. Going into this, I didn’t expect there to be a heaviness in my chest or lone tears streaming down my face for 90% of the movie. I guess my mental record of Drew Barrymore flicks convinced me this would be a lighthearted funny film only poking mildly at more serious issues. I guessed wrong and glad I did.
Jess (Barrymore) and Milly (Collette) are inseparable, sharing almost all of life’s milestone experiences, including a first kiss, virginity loss, pregnancy and marriage. Milly is synonymous with drama, and Jess often tags along for the ride, even if it’s against her better judgment. It’s the way it has always been until now. Milly has been diagnosed with breast cancer and the diagnosis takes their relationship to uncharted territory. Jess is dedicated to being there for her best friend in spite of her own goal and struggle to get pregnant, ultimately causing a strain in her relationship with her husband Jago (Paddy Considine).
Director Catherine Hardwicke’s and writer Morwenna Bank’s “Miss You Already,” balances the weight of cancer, sturdiness of true friendship, and a few far-fetched situations with relative ease. While dancing on the Moors to R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion, may seem as far-fetched as it gets (but admittedly a favorite scene), Milly’s battle with cancer is undeniably cruel to watch as she struggles with the effects of chemotherapy, fear, and alienation within herself and her husband Kit (Dominic Cooper). Toni Collette as the vain, confident and successful modern business woman and mother Milly portrays the imminent breakdown of a woman who faces death, in an unending series of blows, with a frantic intensity. Barrymore, on the other hand, brings forth warmth and clarity with a biting calmness, as she narrates the story of their friendship.
If you can get over the awkwardness of Barrymore’s dialogue that’s scattered with bits of British colloquialisms, that are glaringly unnatural, then you may find this to be a gut-wrenchingly phenomenal film with a performance by Toni Collette that is en pointe. That is not to say that Barrymore’s performance is completely lacking or unessential, but simply pales in comparison to Collette.
In select theaters now
