Holy crap.
I admit that I can be a bit emotional at times during shows like This Is Us and movies like Love, Simon. None, however, have made me ugly cry quite like this one.
SYNOPSIS: Recently engaged couple Abbie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Sam (Michiel Huisman) find their dreams for the future shattered when she receives a terminal-cancer diagnosis. Abbie copes with the news by attending a support group, and by trying to plan the details of Sam’s life after she’s gone — which includes finding him a new partner.
IRREPLACEABLE YOU is a bit predictable in the sense that the main characters, Abbie and Sam, discover her diagnosis so early in the film, but the way it’s handled is heartbreaking and lovely all at the same time. I also feel like it was a bit sugar-coated because we never saw Abbie get extremely sick the way that we know cancer can play out — but I’m kind of thankful for that. We know what’s happening, we don’t necessarily have to witness every detail. In that respect, I also think it’s very telling that you’re able to be so emotionally invested in this couple despite not seeing the very worst of this horrible disease. It says a lot about the actors in each scene.
The performances by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Michiel Huisman were very sweet and raw. You really felt the love they had for each other, which made the outcome even more beautiful and heartbreaking. With that being said, even though the ending is predictable, watching it play out in such a way had me hooked. It was also fun to see Christopher Walken play a friend to Abbie throughout the film and, ultimately, being the person who made her look at her life differently.
My only complaint is that we didn’t get enough scenes with Kate McKinnon in them! Aside from that, this was a great little movie. One of the moments that really got me was when Abbie tells Sam that she thought planning his future would hurt less than her accepting that she won’t be around to see it. UGHHHHHHH. If you like the odd concoction of sad, romantic and funny movies, I definitely recommend this one.
Side note: I absolutely loved Sam’s dimples in the movie, and I was absolutely SHOOK to discover that he played Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones! Yes, the one that hooked up with Khaleesi and got dumped! Funny what a pair of glasses and a shave could do!