Me Without You (film)

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

Next-door neighbours and best friends Holly and Marina are growing up together on the Isle of Wight in 1973. Holly is the child of supportive if stuffy Jewish parents, while Marina's mother is fixated on her looks and sexuality, while her father is almost never around. Holly develops a crush on Marina's older brother, Nat.

In their teens in 1978, Marina convinces Holly to crash a party that Nat's girlfriend, Carolyn, is having, hoping that a friend of his will introduce them to members of The Clash. The party turns out to be sparsely attended by older kids abusing heroin. Marina eagerly tries it, while Holly declines. Carolyn leaves, and while Marina is shooting up, Holly and Nat kiss, and the two end up sleeping together, with Holly losing her virginity. At the same time, the boy who gave Marina the heroine coerces her into sex which leaves her upset afterward, worsened after she sees Holly and Nat together.

Marina lashes out at Holly, saying Nat only had sex with her because he was high and probably did not even recognize her. Nat wakes Marina the next morning before leaving for a trip with Carolyn and asks her to give Holly a note from him. Still reeling from the rape, Marina reads the note to Holly, in which Nat has called their night together beautiful and expresses hope of developing a relationship in the future, and bitterly rips it up. When Holly asks Marina if Nat said anything about the night before, Marina lies that he did not, but reassures Holly that they will always have each other.

By 1982, Holly and Marina are attending university together, where Holly becomes attracted to their tutor, Daniel. Noticing Holly's interest, and the way Daniel is drawn to her for their shared intellectual interests and religious background, Marina attempts to seduce him. Daniel carries on two-timing both of them, although his bond with Holly begins to grow stronger than his mainly sexual relationship with Marina. Nat comes to visit, and he and Holly's feelings for each other are rekindled. However, when she goes to Daniel's place to break things off with him to be with Nat, she sees him with Marina. She runs back to Nat, devastated by the betrayal, and pushes him away. Holly soon confronts Marina, and the two fight. Marina vindictively ruins things between Holly and Nat by telling them both that the other one left without saying anything.

Marina and Nat's mother overdoses and they rush home to see her. Holly's parents invite Marina to stay at their house rather than be alone. She cries while reading Holly's diary about their childhood days and Holly's father comes to comfort her, but is repulsed when she tries to return a goodnight kiss on the head with one which is inappropriately sexual. The neighbors are reunited at a New Year's Eve gathering, at which Nat announces his intention to marry his French girlfriend Isabel.

1989, Holly is a writer, dating a man Marina has chosen for her. Marina is dating a Jewish doctor. Nat comes over to Holly's place and tells her he talks to her in his head all the time. They are interrupted by Holly's boyfriend returning, at which point she tells Nat to leave. Shortly thereafter, she decides she wants to go to America, but Marina tries to stop her by telling her she is pregnant.

Some time later, the characters are reunited at another New Year's Eve party. While playing "Guess Who?", Nat begins to describe someone in a very deep way. Holly guesses Isabel, but Isabel claims it's Holly. Marina says she's bored with this game and they should play sardines. As they wander through the dark house, Marina begins to kiss Holly's boyfriend. Holly and Nat then find each other, however, and Holly tells him she also talks to him all the time in her head. When Holly's boyfriend refuses her advances, Marina freaks out and runs outside. Holly confronts her, and tells her they have to stop being friends. Marina tells her "there's no me without you!" Holly tells her there is. As Holly walks away, Nat catches up to her and asks if he can come. The two take a bus together.

2001, Nat and Holly have a daughter, and Marina has a daughter and a son. Marina and Holly do not appear as close as they once were, although each accepts the other's presence for the sake of their two young daughters, who appear to be best friends.

• Anna Friel as Marina
  • Anna Popplewell as Young Marina
• Michelle Williams as Holly Rossman
  • Ella Jones as Young Holly Rossman
• Kyle MacLachlan as Daniel
• Oliver Milburn as Nat
  • Cameron Powrie as Young Nat
• Trudie Styler as Linda
• Marianne Denicourt as Isabel
• Adrian Lukis as Leo
• Steve John Shepherd as Carl
• Allan Corduner as Max
• Nicky Henson as Ray

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 65 reviews.^[3] On Metacritic the film has a score of 67% based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[4]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 and a half stars and said the film "has a bracing truth that's refreshing after the phoniness of female-bonding pictures like Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." He said that the film's treatment of character of Daniel was "rare" for a film of this sort in that had a "depth" "instead of simply being used as a plot ploy." He called Williams' performance a "surprise" for having a "perfectly convincing British accent, and is cuddly and smart both at once."^[5][6] Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote: "Under its drab contemporary trappings, the movie, is really a Jane Austen–like moral parable in which goodness is rewarded and selfishness punished."^[2] Lou Carlozo of the Chicago Tribune praised the on screen chemistry between Friel and Williams.^[7]

Critic Richard Nilsen, said "Although the film deserves some points for trying to describe the intensity of best-friendship between girls, it fails to make them interesting people."^{[8][better source needed]}