That was an excellent one.

Simply A Masterpiece

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This is beautiful. Authors of "Me Before You" should watch this and then go to a corner to be ashamed of themselves. The ending song is really performed by Bec. Beside singing it, Emmy Rossum also wrote it. She instantly became one of my favorite actresses. However, "The Intouchables" still holds the throne on this topic.8,5/10

Classical pianist Kate (Hilary Swank) finds herself in a life-changing situation when she is diagnosed with ALS. 18 months after the diagnosis, Kate and her husband Evan (Josh Duhamel) interview college student Bec (Emily Rossum) in the hope of employing her as Kate's carer. Bec's lack of experience and poor timekeeping are of concern to Evan, but Kate sees something in her and decides to offer her the job. What follows is an employer/employee relationship that is often rocky, but one that proves unforgettable for both women.The set-up at the start is kind of a 'fish out of water' scenario; Bec is unable to perform any basic duties such as cooking and assisting Kate with her 'lavatorial duties'. This begs the question of why Kate would employ Bec, but this is a minor gripe which I'm prepared to overlook. The other segment in the early stages sets the pair up as a bit of odd couple - 2 people who are completely different spending large amounts of time in each other's company. This set up provides some amusing moments and despite Bec's incompetence and indifference at the start I still actually quite liked her character. The writers did a good job in painting Bec as a young woman lacking in direction rather than someone who was out and out bad (at least that's how I saw her). In this respect Bec's character is a little clichéd, but thankfully her character is fairly well-written and explored - the only thing that I felt could have been expanded more was her notion of becoming a singer/songwriter (this is addressed at the end, but isn't explored well during the film).Kate's character is more straight-laced; she doesn't like swearing and seems to have morals and principles. The fact that they are so different is what brings about the 'culture-clash', but this in essence is what actually helps to bring about the best in both women. Bec's strong character rubs off on Kate and makes Kate toughen up whereas Kate's strong moral stance clearly rubs off on Bec making her question some of her own life choices.Although the film is well-written and the characters were well developed these things would be nothing without the wonderful performances from Swank and Rossum. Inevitably, Swank will be the one that gets the most recognition as she had a much tougher task, but Rossum shouldn't be overlooked - she plays her role with a brash edge but there's always an underlying sensitivity with her character. I thought that Rossum's character would annoy me when I saw her in the early stages, but I ended up quite liking her!!!. The chemistry between the two women was excellent and I could see that a warm and deep bond existed between them. Although they were boss and employee at the start you got the impression that they were best friends by the end.Films of this nature can sometimes end up being a bit sappy and manipulative but I never got that feeling when watching this film. For me, it had a balanced even-handed storytelling approach that painted everyone as human beings and helped to highlight the difficulties that not only an individual suffering with ALS has to endure, but also how this affects everyone around the individual. If you have a heart or any kind of empathy in your body then this is not to be missed.

The main page for this movie shows "release dates" but no business and box office numbers, so I don't know if it ever was in theaters. I found it on Netflix streaming movies. It features an all-star cast in a story about a difficult subject, a 30-something pianist in her prime being stricken with ALS. Hilary Swank is Kate, a pianist happily married and living in Houston. (Although set in Houston, filmed elsewhere.) She and her husband have a very upscale home and entertain regularly. Her symptoms start very gradually with the occasional unexplained dropping of things. Then later, as she is playing a classical piece she plays wrong notes as her fingers seem to be trembling a bit. She is diagnosed with onset of ALS for which there is no cure, no reversal, and eventually requires a care-giver to help her get around and do even the basics, like using the toilet or taking a shower and getting dressed afterwards.Emmy Rossum (who was so good 10 years earlier in 'Phantom') is Bec, pretty much the opposite type of person. She attends college, some times, seems very unfocused, and often enjoys nights out drinking and hooking up with a stranger. She is even having an affair with one of her married professors. She has no cooking or cleaning skills, and no experience as a care-giver, but against all probabilities Kate prefers her and asks her to take the job.So most of the story is Kate trying to deal with all this and a husband who seems more and more distant, while Bec tries to get a better grip on her own life, and actually make something of herself. Maybe even re-kindle that dormant song-writing passion she used to have.Josh Duhamel is good as the husband, Evan, and Jason Ritter is good as Wil, just a genuine nice guy who can't quite figure out why Bec won't give him a chance to care about her. Pretty Ali Larter also has a nice role as Keely, one of Kate's wealthy friends.Good movie, often hard to watch, but the performances are super.

Kate is a woman who has it all -- beautiful, wealthy, a talented pianist, had a loving husband. Bec is a young woman who seemed to have everything going against her -- irresponsible college student, always drunk, sleeps around, a failed musician. But one fateful day, Kate was diagnosed with the debilitating neurologic disease called ALS, which left her progressively helpless with her personal care. When she was choosing her caretaker, Kate saw something in this mess that is Bec. From there, these two women, who are polar opposites of each other, get along, bond and help each other get through their lives. When ALS was mentioned as the diagnosis, you knew then where this film is headed. ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and its devastating consequences has been in the news very much this year because of the viral Ice Bucket Challenge. There will be no surprises what will happen anymore during the course of the story up to the predictable end. However, what will keep you glued to the screen are the performances of the two lead actresses: Hilary Swank as Kate, and Emmy Rossum as Bec. I have not seen Hilary Swank for a long time already since her two Oscar Best Actress wins in the previous decade for "Boys Don't Cry" (1999) and "Million Dollar Baby" (2004). This film is somewhat reminiscent of the second film where she played a female boxer who had a spinal cord injury that made her quadriplegic. Here in "You're Not You," the progress of the neurologic disorder is gradual, so Swank brought us on a torturous tour of how it is like to have your body deteriorate even as your brain remains completely lucid. Her character Kate remains so magnanimous throughout her ordeal, making her character likable and sympathetic even if we do not understand much of what she was saying.I have not seen Emmy Rossum in another role since her breakthrough as the ingenue Christine in the film version of the Broadway musical "The Phantom of the Opera" (2004). Her brash and slovenly character here is so different from the meek, refined Christine in Phantom. This effectively shows the wide range Ms. Rossum has gained over the years.Here we will also see the reaction of different people around them, their parents, the men in their lives, their friends, which kept things interesting. Josh Duhamel plays Kate's controlling husband Evan. Frances Fisher plays Kate's mother, while Ed Begley Jr. plays her favorite uncle. Loreta Devine plays a fellow ALS patient who becomes her friend, while Eddie Hudson plays her supportive husband. Ali Larter and Andrea Savage play her fair-weather friends. On Bec's side, we have Marcia Gay Harden who plays her cold mother. Julian McMahon plays her sleazy professor. Jason Ritter plays a dorky but persistent suitor.This film may be hard to swallow in several parts because of the intensity of the dramatic situations. The psychological reactions of the characters do not seem too typical, which is also good as it gave the material some unexpected surprises. However, the central performances of Swank and Rossum were so effective that empathetic audiences will be moved, maybe even to tears.