Miss You Already

Stars: Toni Collette, Drew Barrymore, Dominic Cooper, Paddy Considine, Jacqueline Bisset, Tyson Ritter

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

A triple-handkerchief weepie with echoes of the classic Beaches: two childhood pals remain best friends in adult life, sailing through trials and tribulations until one is diagnosed with what could be a terminal illness.

And, like Beaches, the film has a strong vein of humour, much needed towards the end as you grope for another tissue.

The protagonists in these films almost always seem to be female (cf the excellent Me & Earl & the Dying Girl), although in this case that's inevitable since the illness in question is breast cancer.

Mind you, probably not many sufferers would follow Collette's lead, going so far off the rails as to flee from husband Cooper and two feisty kids straight out of Outnumbered and lay the nearest hunky barman (US pop star Ritter).

Obviously, love means never having to say you're sorry, as Collette then decamps her own birthday party to drive hundreds of miles to Yorkshire (with a pregnant Barrymore in tow) to bed the same barman. At least this livens things up a bit, and fortunately Morwenna Banks' script is blessed with a liberal ration of bon mots, as well as dedicated performances from the stars, with the personable Collette in particular suffering memorably for her art.

Cooper and Considine (as Barrymore's husband) are also good, unselfishly handing the limelight to the female leads. And there's a notably understated contribution from former superstar Bisset as Collette's mother.

David Quinlan

UK 2015. UK Distributor: EntertainmentOne. Colour by Panalux.
112 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 2, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 20 Sep 2015