Lifelong friendship, life-threatening illness, sex and babies.
Miss You Already, the latest feature by director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Twilight, Red Riding Hood) and writer Morwenna Banks, blends all the ingredients of a classic weepie into a cocktail that will appeal to those with a very sweet tooth.
It tells the story of two women in their late 30s who have been “besties” since childhood after young American Jess (Drew Barrymore) moved to England and found a friend in the outgoing Milly (Toni Collette), daughter of an actress.
They grow up. Jess, in floaty floral dresses and Birkenstocks, lives a peaceful life on a houseboat with her oil-rig-worker boyfriend. In a contrast that could not be any starker, selfie-obsessed Milly strides around in sky-high heels while juggling a PR career, two young children and a hip, sexy husband. In this case, opposites obviously attract.
It’s not giving anything away to say the action centres on the strain experienced when Milly’s diagnosis of breast cancer coincides with a long-awaited pregnancy for Jess. There’s crying and shouting, plenty of serious visits to hospitals, and a mad midnight jaunt, plus the obligatory drunken singalong during one not-so-convincing plot thread.
To lighten the gloom there are some cute quips from the kids but most of the attempts at humour come across as forced.
When Jess uncovers Milly’s real reason for dragging her halfway across the countryside, we see the first truly believable moments of the film. They’re a long time coming.
Milly’s just not a nice person, and despite a late-stage (not very credible) redemption, the bond between the two women seems inexplicable. Miss You Already is a fairly standard chick flick, so if that’s your thing then you won’t be disappointed. If, however, you’re after something deeper, then you’ll have to look hard to spot many signs of real life.
There are some big names in the cast. In supporting roles, Dominic Cooper does a fair job as Kit, Milly’s husband, and Jacqueline Bisset is perfect as Milly’s under-appreciated mother Miranda. She’s one of the film’s most believable characters.
Collette’s energetic portrayal of the egotistical Milly, on the other hand, is exhausting to watch, and not helped by the fact that her character is loud, self-obsessed and hard to warm to. Barrymore gives a much more relaxed and natural performance. She’s the core of this film, and her quiet strength as doormat Jess holds the whole thing together and stops it from becoming a complete cheesefest.
Minuses? It’s easy to wonder why this film was made, as it’s a tale that feels so familiar. There is an overuse of close-ups and jerky camera work. This may have been an attempt to be edgy or add a touch of reality but the result is nausea-inducing and tends towards the contrived.
Pluses? Great styling, an excellent soundtrack and some magnificent scenery during the brief (but cathartic) trip to the moors. There are a couple of good laughs and a splash of genuine emotion but definitely no surprises. Rating? 2.5 tissues out of five.
