The summer of 2016 offered a strong lineup of blockbuster movies that both entertained and earned significant profits. Films like The Conjuring 2, Finding Dory, and Captain America: Civil War were big hits with audiences and performed very well financially. However, some movies sparked debate, including Warcraft, Ghostbusters, and the ending of Don’t Breathe. Surprisingly, the most controversial film wasn’t an action movie, but a romantic drama. While the film was genuinely touching and made a decent amount of money, it didn’t have lasting impact and quickly faded from memory (though the online backlash against Ghostbusters was arguably even more intense).
The film is Me Before You, featuring Emilia Clarke, known for Game of Thrones, in a leading role. It initially received poor reviews, following her previous film, Terminator Genisys, but is now gaining renewed attention thanks to being available on Netflix.
The following contains mentions of assisted suicide.
How Is Me Before You Doing on Netflix & Why Was It So Controversial?
Similar to the book it’s based on, the film Me Before You received criticism from disability rights advocates. They believed the movie suggested that life with a disability isn’t worth living. Critics also felt the film portrayed a disabled person as a burden, which was highlighted by the need for a caregiver character like Clarke.
The film faced criticism for its storyline involving assisted suicide, where Will Traynor, played by Sam Claflin, chooses to end his life, even after falling in love with Louisa, played by Clark. The author, Jojo Moyes, who also wrote the screenplay, explained that the film and book don’t endorse this choice, but simply portray one character’s difficult decision. She emphasized that no one in the story supports his decision, and it’s meant to be a personal story, not a statement about the issue. Moyes based the character of Will Traynor on a real person who sought assisted suicide with his parents’ help.
Even if parts of the story feel a little questionable, the film is beautifully made, visually stunning, and emotionally impactful. Claflin delivers a strong performance in a difficult role, and Clarke is delightfully cheerful. Plus, the cast includes Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman before her role in The Sandman, and Vanessa Kirby before joining the MCU, which adds to its appeal.
Between December 29th and January 4th, Me Before You ranked as the sixth most popular movie on Netflix worldwide. It followed Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, KPop Demon Hunters, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Goodbye June, and Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch. It was more popular than Madagascar, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Wrath of Man, and Uptown Girls during that week.
The movie was a number one hit in several countries, including Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Malta.
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2026-01-09 18:42