Movie review: You're Not You

Entertainment reviewer for NZ Herald.·Other·

4 Dec, 2014 01:30 AM3 mins to read

Hilary Swank and Emmy Rossum in a scene from You're Not You.

Cast: Hilary Swank, Emmy Rossum, Josh Duhamel
Director: George C. Wolfe
Running Time: 104 mins
Rating: M (Sex scenes, offensive language, drug use)

Verdict: Good solid performances lift this weepy, predictable drama.

Pack the tissues. Although this story of a young woman dealing with a progressive neurodegenerative disease is predictable and emotionally manipulative it's still hard to hold back the tears.

You're Not You examines the strain a fatal illness has on a marriage, family and friendships. It tells the story of Kate (Swank), an interior designer and concert pianist diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. More commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and slows the ability to control muscle movement, eventually killing the sufferer.

To emphasise how unfair life can be, Kate and husband Evan (Duhamel) are presented pre-diagnosis as the perfect couple; affluent, loving, successful and good-looking, they're the envy of their friends.

After a rather lengthy introduction, we skip ahead 18 months and find Kate's condition has deteriorated dramatically. She now requires full-time care and, as attentive as her husband is, their relationship lacks the intimacy they both crave. It's not long until an indiscretion blows their marriage apart.

At the heart of the film is the relationship between Kate and her caregiver Bec (Rossum), a brash college student and wannabe musician who, by her own admission, is a rather hopeless mess of a young woman. Like The Intouchables, this is a story about two quite different people who come together to change the other's life. Bec helps Kate loosen up and express her frustrations, while Kate helps Bec pull her life together by turning her into a caring, responsible adult.

It's not just director George C. Wolfe's approach that will have you sobbing; Swank deserves some credit. her performance is genuine, sensitive and well researched, and her portrayal of the later stages of the disease is particularly noteworthy.

Swank and Rossum work well together, even if some of the dialogue is as blunt as Bec's bedside manner. There are aspects of this story which feel a little neglected, such as Bec's aggression and anger towards her parents and those around her, and Evan's struggle to stand by his wife.

There's some balance to the misery, with a few amusing moments, and some sunshine, thanks to the delightful Loretta Devine who plays a fellow ALS sufferer. Unfortunately, for this talented cast, the base material struggles to elevate itself above disease of the week movie.