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Anna Friel, Michelle Williams, Kyle MacLachlan, Oliver Milburn, Trudie Styler ... see more see more... , Marianne Denicourt , Nicky Henson , Alan Corduner , Deborah Findlay , Steve John Shepherd , Ella Jones , Anna Popplewell

The joys and horrors of female friendship are explored in writer/director Sandra Goldbacher's Me Without You. Bold, brash, and fashionable Marina (played by Anna Popplewell as a child, and Anna Friel ... read more read more...as a teen and adult) comes from a broken home. Her mother, Linda (Trudie Styler, who executive produced Guy Ritchie's first two films, and is also Sting's wife) is a hip young divorcée who apologizes every time she yells at her children. Holly (Ella Jones as a child, Michelle Williams of Dawson's Creek and Dick as a teen and adult) is a timid bookworm, mildly ashamed of her Jewishness, and easily goaded into more outrageous behavior by Marina. Holly's mother (Deborah Findlay) tells her early on not to expect too much from men. She helps lower her daughter's expectations by telling her, "Some people are pretty people, and some are clever people, which is more important than looks." As girls in the early '70s, Marina and Holly form a pact to become "Harina," inseparable best friends. Next-door neighbors, they are never apart for long. But Holly harbors a secret crush on Marina's older brother, Nat (Oliver Milburn), and when the girls are teens, and Marina finds out about Holly's feelings, she does her best to keep the two apart. In college, when Holly bonds with a lit-crit professor, Daniel (Kyle Maclachlan), over Andrei Tarkovsky and Ingmar Bergman, Holly feels compelled to sabotage their budding relationship, by seducing Daniel first. Eventually, Nat, despite his lingering fondness for Holly, gets seriously involved with a French actress, Isabel (Marianne Denicourt). As the girls get older, their differences become more apparent to Holly, and she begins to question their friendship. The film covers three decades, with songs and costumes appropriate to each era. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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77% liked it

6,535 ratings

Critics

66% liked it

65 critics

R, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Sandra Goldbacher

Release Date: March 8, 2002

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DVD Release Date: June 17, 2003

Stats: 362 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (362)

  • paulsandberg
    November 25, 2010
    paulsandberg
    Needful Things... I mean, Me Without You, juggles several themes without a catastrophy - does this make for great entertainment? Not necessarily, though there is certainly enough here to mull over.

    The "story" involves two young girls; next door neighbors who probably, if the... read morey weren't next door neighbors, would not have connected.

    In one corner you have Holly, the product of a stable Jewish family, who has been told since a toddler that she has brains, not beauty.

    In the other, you have her opposite, Marina, from a broken family whose mother instills the virtue of beauty.

    Once the two main charactors are introduced you get to live with them for the next 30 years via a series of vignettes that, taken seperatly, are often flat and uninvolving, but as a whole take on new life and direction.

    While the early part of the film wallows in pathos and boredom, there is a much deeper subtext that makes this film watchable.

    I made the lil joke about needful things, because that's what all the charactors are, especially Marina. Whether it's because of her father's rejection, or her mother's teachings about beauty and attention being the true way to wealth and happiness, she not only needs the spotlight all the time, but perceives that she needs ANYTHING that anyone else might desire as well. So, she takes anything that Holly may want, including men.

    It's easy to understand why Marina needs Holly, since she's such a Diva and always needs applause and attention, but why does Holly tolerate Marina? Is it because Marina offers some sense of adventure and wonder that her own bookish life fails to provide? Or is it, in her case, a true sense of kinship and the bond formed by lonliness?

    These themes are all interesting, but it's subtext and not the crux of the film, which seriously meanders as it tells it's story of the two girls and those around them (particularly Mirina's older brother, who a young Holly has a crush on and later.... well, let's just say there's lot's going on).

    I could have done without much of the period effects - too much of the disco scene - oh, look at the gay guy doing a fan dance - and other superflous scenes drawn simply to impart a sense of the era. I also found the drug party scene to be rather pointless, except to perhaps give an underpinning to the main charactors. Further scenes also left me underimpressed, though they gave me ample time to comtemplate the underlying stuff I've already discussed.

    I also felt that the final scene where Holly has finally had enough of Marina's needs to be a bit melodramatic - not from Holly of course, but Marina's blathering soul sucking need and then her subsequent emotional breakdown... it just played slightly over the top and false.

    But then the film redeems itself with a very nice closing scene 10 years later - the girls are back together, out in the backyard watching their own two children, both girls, cavorting about. Without saying anything the film say volumes as it freeze frames on the next generation. The meaning is evident, and the cycle of need continues.
  • LWOODS04
    August 10, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Michelle Williams, Anna Friel, Oliver Milburn, Kyle MacLachlan, Trudie Styler, Marianne Denicourt, Steve John Shepherd, Allan Corduner, Nicky Henson, Deborah Findlay

    Directed by: Sandra Goldbacher

    Summary: In 1970s London, two young girls, Holly (Michelle Williams) a... read morend Marina (Anna Friel), grow up next door to each other, share intimacies and survive mutual traumas. Their lives are completely intertwined, and they make a pact of eternal friendship they don't ever plan to break. But as they progress through adolescence and young adulthood in the turbulent 1980s, their friendship and resolve are tested.

    My Thoughts: "It's really surprising how much I not only enjoyed this film, but how much I related to it. Me and my bestie have much of the same relationship as Holly and Marina. It's a gals, gals movie. Not much for the guys. But it's a great film that should be seen even if its about a couple of best-friends staring two girls. I was surprised that I liked it, because most best-friend films are full of bubblegum bullshit. This film felt like it was a very honest and real portrayal of a friendship/sisterhood. Love Michelle Williams. Her and Anna Friel where great together. Thought they were both believable as besties. Will definitely watch it again."
  • SirPant
    October 2, 2009
    SirPant
    This film drags without reaching any real conclusion. The relationships are unconvincing and the acting questionable. Michelle Williams is quite good but Anna Friel is quite annoying, although I guess her character is supposed to be to a point. 20 or so years pass within seconds ... read morewithout so much as a haircut, so it?s also a little confusing at times. Not a total waste of time but not great either.
  • dreamfaeries
    August 11, 2009
    dreamfaeries
    Total chaos. It was alright...
  • EbertsLittleApprentice
    May 30, 2010
    EbertsLittleApprentice
    Seriously? What a story! What an awfully bad execution of that story!~
  • danieljparsons
    July 3, 2007
    danieljparsons
    Proof that British cinema is capable of producing something other than stuffy romantic comedies or hackneyed Gangster flicks, Me Without You is an assured, compassionate, involving and perceptive film. The title is perfect - at once somehow ambivalent, poetic and eloquent,... read more with directing, writing and acting to match. The film tells the story from childhood, through adolescence and early adulthood of two girls who have a friendship that is supportive and strong as well as suffocating and destructive - imbued with jealousy as well as tenderness.

    Holly (Michelle Williams) is the mousy, Jewish girl with a love for brooding and inner emoting, and a mother who essentially tells her she is clever but plain. Living next door is Marina (Anna Friel), extravert, flirty, looking to experience life, and with a mother who only eats party food, drinks cocktails at all hours of the day and talks frankly about her sexual life (very similar to Rayanne's mother from TV series My So Called Life, which this films shares some similarity to). The girls admire each other, and envy each other, not just each other's characteristics but their personalities and upbringings.

    Michelle Williams (who has a not-quite-right English accent, but it's consistent and somehow suits the character) is absolutely superb as Holly. She shines in many scenes, particularly when trying, and failing, to express herself adequately - she is certainly a very gifted actress. Marina, potentially an incredibly unlikeable character, is made sympathetic and real thanks to very good writing - we can see how her manipulation is actually eating her up inside as she slowly hates herself more and more - and Anna Friel's brilliant performance highlights the truth that sometimes friends do awful things to each other.

    I was becoming exhausted emotionally near the end and was worried about how the film would wrap up, but, save for a misjudged final glimpse into the future which should have been left as a deleted scene, the film's very best sequence (involving a New Year's game) is one of the last. Very highly recommended. Oh and the soundtrack is perfect!

    "Where are you going?"
    "I don't know."
    "...Can I come?"
  • weelee18
    November 28, 2008
    weelee18
    great film.. michelle and anna are great together..
  • littlecharmer1959
    October 24, 2008
    littlecharmer1959
    An intense film about friendship. The performances are great by both Anna Friel as the controlling Marina and by Michelle Williams as her mistreated friend Holly (although that English accent slipped a few times).
    I loved how the film moves through the decades (we are treated t... read moreo a great soundtrack and a nostalgic look at the 70s/80s.) It could of done without the final scene though.
  • ileo
    September 7, 2008
    ileo
    This is an all-time favorite movie of mine! It is about a remarkable growth of friendship through time, and beautifully captured through the trials and tribulations of Holly and Marina. The two met as children living next door to each other, and quickly becoming best friends doin... read moreg just about everything together. The path into adolescence leaves the two dealing with the onset of emotional disasters in various relationships and embarking into new adventures, or lack of. Although Marina is highly self-indulgent and takes Holly's friendship for granted at every opportunity, this leaves Holly sadly living in the shadow of Marina's misadventures and pining for the love of Marina's older brother. Despite having a cruel friend, it is Holly that truly shines. As adults, Holly is fed up with all the mistreatments, past and present, she then realizes it is more than just about self-worthiness and acceptance but about separating herself from Marina altogether in order to have her own life. Great cast! Michelle Williams and Anna Friel are a great combination. Trudie Styler is brilliant. Absolutely love Oliver Milburn in this one! Phenomenal music!! Gotta love Echo & the Bunnymen, Cowboy Junkies, Depeche Mode, The Clash, etc. Definitely worthy.
  • jjb3332003
    October 6, 2011
    jjb3332003
    Another prime example of a film that builds as it progresses. What starts out as a slightly annoying teen angst movie matures into a complex entanglement of emotion. The ending, reminiscent of The Graduate, is a nice touch.

View All Me Without You Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Nilsen
September 20, 2002
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

Although the film deserves some points for trying to describe the intensity of best-friendship between girls, it fails to make them interesting people.

Michael O'Sullivan
September 13, 2002
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

Feels like a late-baby-boomer family album. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
September 13, 2002
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Both illuminating and dispiriting.

Ty Burr
August 23, 2002
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

You can't ignore the film's pungency as a cultural document and as a heartfelt testimony to the power struggles of best mates. Full Review

Roger Ebert
August 16, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Me Without You has a bracing truth that's refreshing after the phoniness of female-bonding pictures like Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Full Review

Lou Carlozo
August 15, 2002
Lou Carlozo, Chicago Tribune

There is no substitute for on-screen chemistry, and when Friel pulls the strings that make Williams sink into melancholia, the reaction in Williams is as visceral as a gut punch. Full Review

Terry Lawson
August 9, 2002
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

It is to Goldbacher's credit that the film, while hardly short on confrontation, never resorts to one of those melodramatic laundry-airings in which all resentments and betrayals can be traced back to... Full Review

Chris Vognar
August 8, 2002
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

Holly and Marina may not always be good for each other, but together they tell us a great deal about people who need each other -- a group that ultimately includes all of us. Full Review

Carla Meyer
August 2, 2002
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

Goldbacher ... is most adept at visual storytelling, capturing intimate moments with breathtaking acuity. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
July 25, 2002
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

There are several problems with the development of the narrative. Most important is the unequal allocation of audience sympathy between Marina and Holly. Full Review

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Me Without You Trivia

  • I've been in the following films: "Me without You", "Species" "Brokeback Mountain" and "Halloween H2O"....who am I?  Answer »
  • What movie is this quote from? "We need you. Hell, I need you. I'm a mess without you. I miss you so damn much. I miss being with you, I miss being near you. I miss your laugh. I miss your scent; I miss your musk. When this all gets sorted out, I think you and me should get an apartment together."  Answer »
  • Someone tried to correct another person on the spelling of Elijah Woods and they're still wrong. Go to www.imdb.com if you don't believe me.. What should it really be?  Answer »
  • In the 2001 film "Me Without You", Michelle Williams' character (Holly) is in love with:  Answer »
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