''You're Not You'' is a 2014 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
George C. Wolfe and written by
Shana Feste and
Jordan Roberts, based on the 2006
novel of the same name by Michelle Wildgen. The film stars
Hilary Swank,
Emmy Rossum
Emmanuelle Grey Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. The accolades she has received include a Saturn Award and Critics' Choice Movie Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award, an Independ ...
and
Josh Duhamel.
The film was released on October 10, 2014.
Plot
Kate Parker is a classical pianist who is diagnosed with
ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...
. Her husband Evan finds out one morning that his wife has fired her previous caregiver, Mrs. Trotter, and is looking for a replacement.
Bec Cartwell, a wild college student who parties a lot, applies for the job despite her lack of experience - apart from having volunteered at her grandmother's nursing home during her high school years. Kate sees something special in Bec despite her slightly vulgar language and poor housekeeping skills. Yet, despite all the mayhem Bec has caused at home, from messing up the kitchen by starting the blender without putting on the lid to dropping Kate in the bathroom, Kate maintains a calm and positive demeanor which confuses Bec.
One night, Kate has her friends over and finds out that Evan is having drinks instead of dinner, as he told her. Later that night, Kate convinces Bec to access Evan's laptop and they find out that Evan had an affair with his secretary, Cynthia. Distraught, Kate tells Bec to leave, however Bec comes rushing over to Kate's during a night out in a bar when she gets a text from her.
Bec finds Kate at the top of the stairs after a suicide attempt, where Kate had almost let herself fall down a flight of stairs. Kate then asks Bec to get her away from home. They end up staying the night.
In the morning Kate asks Bec to take her to an assisted living home, but refuses to leave her there. She is furious that she blames herself for ruining Evan's life with her ALS. Eventually, Kate splits up with Evan due to his brief affair, as well as her wanting not to be invisible after receiving a brief and angry pep talk by Bec.
Bec and Kate have a couple of adventures, including going to a club, meeting another couple where the wife Marilyn has ALS and trying "herbal therapy." They eventually go to a party for Kate's friend's daughter. Kate asks to hold the baby, but has a coughing fit and almost drops her.
While Bec is taking care of Kate inside, Evan appears so Kate has Bec tell him her true motivation for leaving, that it was a result of him making her feel invisible. The wife from the couple they met earlier has a complication due to her condition and is hospitalized. It scares Kate to see first-hand what eventually happens to all ALS patients.
Bec briefly talks to Kate's "best friends" who ask her to tell Kate that they love, miss and are there for her. Evan visits the house again, but Kate and Bec turn him away again. Bec's parents visit for Christmas and a conversation with her Mom, overheard by Kate, causes her to fire Bec as she believes her illness is ruining Bec's life just like it did with Evan.
Kate goes to her parents' house and attends a Christmas party with Evan, hinting that they are together again. Eventually, Bec receives news that Marilyn has died. She drops off a letter with Evan for Kate that Marilyn sent to some of her friends.
Kate becomes hospitalized shortly after and it is discovered that Bec was given medical authority over her. Even though Kate's mother begs her to put Kate on a ventilator, Bec refuses and instead takes her home with Evan. Bec helps Kate play her favorite Chopin piece on the piano again.
After Evan professes his love for her, Kate and Bec lie in bed, where Kate makes her promise not to call for help tonight and to find someone for herself who can see her. Bec agrees, on the condition that Kate promises to accept a compliment. So, Bec thanks her for the Manolos they shared, teaching her how to cook, and letting her experience this with Kate and not letting her mess up this job.
Kate dies that night and Bec, unable to stay in the other room, holds her while she takes her last breaths. The movie ends with Bec finally meeting with Will, a nice boy who has been pursuing her, and performing at the club without suffering from stage fright.
Cast
Release
The film was distributed in North America by
Entertainment One Films
Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series.
The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
and released on October 10, 2014, in limited release, grossing $11,486 from 5 screens.
It was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on April 13, 2015.
The film opened in Italy on August 27, 2015, debuting in fifth place with a total gross of $153,892 in its opening weekend.
The film grossed $11,486 during its limited release, and $894,964 worldwide.
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 52% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despite the best efforts of its two talented female leads, ''You're Not You'' is not a consistently satisfying adaptation of its source material".
On
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Background and dedication
The idea for the film came from producer
Alison Greenspan, whose father Stephen Greenspan, former vice president of data carrier manufacturer
Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology Holdings plc is an American Computer data storage, data storage company. It was incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology and commenced business in 1979. Since 2010, the company has been incorporated in Dublin, Ireland, with ...
, himself contracted ALS in 2004 and died in 2009, as did Alison Greenspan's aunt Marilyn in 2011. Therefore, Alison Greenspan dedicated this film in the credits to her father, Stephen, who died from ALS.
References
External links
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{{Shana Feste
2014 films
2014 drama films
2010s American films
2010s English-language films
American drama films
Lionsgate Canada films
Films about diseases and disorders
Films about disability in the United States
Films based on American novels
Films directed by George C. Wolfe
Films produced by Denise Di Novi
Films scored by Jeanine Tesori
Films shot in Los Angeles
Films with screenplays by Jordan Roberts (writer)