Miss You Already Movie Poster Image

Miss You Already

(i)

 

Unflinching look at friendship in the face of cancer.
  • Review Date: October 30, 2015
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Drama
  • Release Year: 2015
  • Running Time: 112 minutes

What parents need to know

Positive messages

True friendship endures over time and forgives many wrongs.

Positive role models

Milly is selfish and a tad narcissistic, and Jess is passive (sometimes bordering on passive-aggressive), but at heart they're loving, caring people who value each other to the core. Milly’s husband, Kit, is loyal and forgiving, and Jago is kind and considerate. 

Violence

Huge shouting match between friends, including insults and hurtful statements. A woman throws a tantrum in front of her birthday guests and screams at her husband. Not violent, but potentially upsetting cancer-related details, including mastectomy scars, post-chemo vomiting, and the insertion of needles.

Sex

Teens are shown having sex while at a concert; no nudity, but it’s clear what they’re doing. Two people are shown in their underwear in bed. Frank talk about having sex to make a baby. A married woman is shown hooking up in the back of a bar with a man who's not her husband. 

Language

Language includes "s---t," "f--k" (sparingly), "bugger," "bloody," "bastard," "arse," "idiot," "t-ts," etc.

Consumerism

Milly likes to wear expensive clothing and fashionable shoes, including a pair of Louboutins. Also Uber and Apple.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Lots of social/celebratory drinking, sometimes to excess. Teens are shown hanging out at parties where there's alcohol.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Miss You Already traces the friendship between two women (Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette) from their childhood in England. They have many ups and downs, and their friendship and milestones are depicted frankly -- including teenage sex (no nudity shown), drinking (sometimes too much), and some arguments. One character gets cancer, and the movie fully explores this journey, showing mastectomy scars, post-chemo vomiting, the insertion of needles, and other medical details that younger viewers may find hard to stomach. Also plenty of swearing, including "bastard," "s--t," and (sparingly) "f--k."

What's the story?

Friends since childhood, Jess (Drew Barrymore) and Milly (Toni Collette) have been through many triumphs and struggles -- but the biggest of them all might just be cancer. Milly has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is crushed by the thought that she might not be there to raise her children or grow old with her husband. And, as a self-described vain person, she's afraid of losing her appeal to the opposite sex. Jess wants to be there for her lifelong friend, but she also feels guilty about good news she's received and doesn’t feel free to share. The road before the pair is rough and uneven, but they hope their friendship will allow them to overcome the worst blows.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Moving, frustrating, and ultimately affecting, Miss You Already is anchored by strong performances from Barrymore and Collette. Milly and Jess feel authentically bound to each other as best friends, even as they lurch further and further apart. But the film's biggest achievement might be reframing what it means to be a cancer patient: Collette plays Milly as refreshingly brazen and openly emotional; she's not stuck with kind of saintly cliches that have afflicted previous cinematic cancer sufferers.

Some of movie's drama borders on the melodramatic (hello, Beaches!), and at times it feels like the audience is being directed to feel something specific rather than being allowed to experience their own genuine emotions. But Miss You Already is still an engaging story about lifelong friends.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about the value of friendship. Is Miss You Already a realistic portrayal of friendship? How does getting older / growing up change the main characters' connection to each other? What makes for a good friendship? 

  • The film doesn't shy away from showing what it looks like fight cancer. Is it realistic? Is all the unvarnished detail necessary? How does it serve the film?

  • What are some other movies about friends? How are they different from/similar to movies about romantic relationships?

  • How does the movie portray sex and drinking? Are there realistic consequences?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:November 6, 2015
DVD release date:March 1, 2016
Cast:Toni Collette, Drew Barrymore
Director:Catherine Hardwicke
Studio:Embargo Films
Genre:Drama
Topics:Friendship
Run time:112 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:thematic content, sexual material and some language

This review of Miss You Already was written by

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Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging; great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging; good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging; good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging; OK learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Teen, 14 years old Written byrebo344 December 10, 2015

Just sad....

Miss You Already is an emotional ride. Drew Barrymore gives a really good performance, but Toni Colette stole the whole movie. She makes us laugh, smile and cry. Seriously, I didn't cry, but sensitive viewers will. Grade: B.
What other families should know
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Parent Written byKluc February 29, 2016

Cute

This is a beautiful story about cancer
What other families should know
Great role models

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