Genre: Drama/ Comedy
“Miss You Already” tries to show the disease process and its impact on relationships in a raw way. Thanks to Toni Collette’s good acting as Milly, it certainly succeeds. A great moment is when Milly shows her friend the scars from the mastectomy. It is fully portrayed and that is quite shocking, but at the same time real as so many women have experienced that moment. It also tries to paint an honest picture of the relationship between best friends, who have become dependent on each other. The men in their lives sometimes seem to take second place, which is well played by male supporting roles of Dominic Cooper and Paddy Considine.
Less successful is the unsympathetic side of Milly. In the opening montage, you can see that se used to lead a free life, be a good mother and a heartthrob with whom Jess had countless great nights out. But from the moment of diagnosis and insufferable narcissist emerges, who expects her friend to constantly drop everything to be there for her. She also cheats on her husband because he has trouble dealing with her changed body (and the psychological aspects that go with it) and she is angry at everything and everyone around her. Pleasant is different and because of this you miss the connection with Milly. Not unimportant within this genre.
With many of these films you sometimes have to wipe away the tears or unexpectedly rush through a whole box of tissues, but that is not the case with “Miss You Already”. There is certainly an attempt to move the viewer, especially towards the end, but by that time you feel Milly’s death may have put an end to Jess’ life as a doormat, especially since Drew Barrymore knows how to portray the character warmly. Ultimately, this makes it really nothing more than a drama about the raw effects of getting cancer, without the much-needed heartwarming (and therefore emotional element) needed to move you.
Rating: 2,5 / 5
