To give you an idea about what I think of this film, I'm not entirely sure why I watched it. It's not like I had anything better to do, or was stuck on my own and bored, or even that I had a particular desire to see it. I just watched it and that's that. When it comes to the films I have seen recently, I would say that I have had a run of some pretty good movies. That run well and truly came to an end with this one.
Tessa (Dakota Fanning) is like any typical teenager; desperate to experience as much as possible at any moment. She, however, has a reason to push the boundaries and attempt to rattle through her list of life experiences. She has cancer, terminal leukemia none the less. So in the few months she has left, Tessa tries to experience it all, and meets a boy along the way (Jeremy Irvine).
In case it hasn't been made obvious already, I didn't particularly enjoy this film. It wasn't the story. The story was moving and inspirational and all the typical stuff I guess you would expect from a story about a dying teenager. There was one specific problem that I have with this film that made it pretty much impossible to appreciate any other aspect of it. The acting was horrific.
Now I have seen some pretty bad acting (if you have seen any of the twilight films you will understand), but this was something else. Dakota Fanning just seemed lifeless throughout the whole film. Now I don't know if this was an artistic choice (she is supposed to be dying after all) but the whole point of the film is to emphasise the importance of experiencing life while you have the chance. Dakota Fanning just made it look like life was boring her, and I won't even start on her English accent. I don't think I have ever heard someone sound that posh in real life, except maybe the Queen. Dakota Fanning wasn't the only one who didn't manage to progress beyond a one dimensional character. Kaya Scodelario who plays the best friend (also seen in Skins) was also pretty bad, which considering she has had a lot of practice playing this kind of wayward teenager, it was surprising to see her struggle with the role. To top it all off, the actor who plays the younger brother was just as bad. I appreciate that at the age of 10 he's not expected to be the greatest actor in the world and I'm sure he was trying very hard, but it would've been nice to have not felt like I was at a primary school production every time has was on screen.
I shouldn't be so harsh. Jeremy Irvine gave a pretty decent performance as did Paddy Considine and Olivia Williams who play Tessa's parents. It's just a shame they were over shadowed by Dakota Fanning's emotionless eyes. I find it a shame that the acting was so bad as I get the impression that the story could've been really done well. The book that it was based on ('Before I Die' by Jenny Downham) is an award winning novel and I feel it was probably let down by this attempt at an adaptation.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this film. If you can watch it and get past the bad acting then good for you, you are a better person than I am. Personally, I would rather watch twilight again.
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