Now Is Good

Despite his terrific cast and decent production values, writer/director Ol Parker fumbles the potential of Jenny Downham's young adult novel Before I Die in this overlong, meandering mush of a movie. Dakota Fanning's cut-glass accent never slips as the American plays the glazed-over English teenager who's dying from leukemia but chooses to do so on her own terms. Paddy Considine and Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) turn in solid performances as her concerned father and her fledgeling boyfriend, but their scenes are sandwiched between a seemingly endless succession of clichéd moments. This mopey soap may find an audience with young teens and fans of weepies, but everyone else may find it all a bit cringe-making.