Review: Miss You Already BD + Screen Caps

THE MOVIE – 3.75/5

** Please note: This review contains plot spoilers so you might want to skip this section if have not seen the movie or don’t care. **

Speaking of spoilers, the back cover has a quote, from the esteemed site, Buzzfeed calling Miss You Already the “Beaches for 2015”. That right there, if you’ve seen Beaches or at least know about it, pretty much tells you what kind of movie this will be.

The film follows two life-long friends Jess (DREW BARRYMORE) and Milly (TONI COLLETTE). Since their childhood, when Jess moved from the States to England, the two were inseparable. They shared every life experience from first kisses to first loves and even marriage with Milly becoming pregnant and eventually having a shotgun wedding with rocker Kit (DOMINIC COOPER), and years later add another child, while Jess falls for construction worker Jago (PADDY CONSIDINE), though the couple is having trouble conceiving.

Life takes a turn for the worse, however, for Milly when she’s diagnosed with breast cancer and this is one of the more unique yet unsettling aspects of the film. Director Catherine Hardwicke gives us a raw look at the procedure for chemotherapy and Milly’s emotional state from diagnosis through having her hair removed and finding a wig. Further drama, the doctor recommends mastectomy to prevent further recurrence once the chemo worked.

Meanwhile, for Jess, Jago takes a much needed high paying job working on an oil rig in order to pay for in vitro fertilization, but this will keep him away from home for months with spotty reception. This puts Jess in a quandary once she is pregnant while still supporting an emotionally fractured Milly who begins to unravel; even toying with infidelity as her and Kit’s love life is all but gone.

Miss You Already is a well made and nicely balanced movie moving from drama to comedy swiftly but also effective with the predictable ending made all the better thanks to the performances, especially Toni Collette who shines in role I think any actor or actress would envy. For her part, Drew Barrymore stands up well against Collette and the pair looks like the best of friends. She has some great comedic and dramatic scenes such as confronting Milly after her affair and she shares some great moments with Paddy Considine. Equally, though taking a backseat for the most part, Dominic Cooper and Collette have nice chemistry.

The film, as mentioned before, was directed by Catherine Hardwicke who steps back to her dramatic roots following a couple fantasy flicks (Twilight, Red Riding Hood) and although it can be schmaltzy in some instances, and again you can see the ending coming before the title shot, I thought it was an effective job in conjunction with a well written screenplay from Morwenna Banks. It is at least well worth a rental.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5

This release comes with a glossy slip cover.

Audio Commentary – Director Katherine Hardwicke and Associate Producers Jeff Toye and Jamie Holt sit down for an informative and fairly light-hearted track providing some insight into how and where certain scenes were filmed.

Deleted Scenes (18:15; HD) – There are six scenes included here, some extended, that add a few more character moments but probably were removed for pacing issues; includes optional commentary.

With Love: Making Miss You Already (14:31; HD) is a behind-the-scenes making-of featurette including interviews with members of the cast and crew as they talk about the plot and characters intermixed with footage from the film.

Music Videos – “The Crazy Ones” by Paloma Faith (4:18; HD), “There’s a Place” by The All-American Rejects (4:59; HD)

On-Set Selfies (0:45; HD) are just a collection of pics taken by the cast.

Previews – Stonewall, Love & Mercy, Love the Coopers, Mr. Holmes

VIDEO – 4.5/5

AUDIO – 4.0/5

OVERALL – 3.75/5