The question that “Miss You Already” poses is—is it possible to ever get too much Toni Collette? The answer is no. She is the blaze of sunlight at the center of this movie. Collette acts the hell out of the hackneyed role of a life-loving reveler with an acute case of Peter Pan syndrome who discovers she is terminally ill. At the same time, she looks fabulous in delectable fashions and lives in a world of no money troubles. Candy for the eye and heart.
Collette plays the free-wheeling half of a pair of besties opposite Drew Barrymore, who is the practical, plain anchor in a friendship which begins in grade school, extends through middle age, and into eternity. Collette draws our eye, not only because her character Milly is so vivacious, but because Collette is the better actor. Barrymore as Jess, despite her pedigree, is competent rather than brilliant. She is a fine audience surrogate and a welcome presence as a foil for Collette’s character, but she is definitely second fiddle acting-wise. (Note: Barrymore’s acting lineage goes back at least to her great-great grandparents. Most notably, her grandfather John Barrymore was a meteoric star of the stage and screen at the beginning of the 20th Century).
The other reason to watch “Miss You Already” is the glamorous presence of Jacqueline Bisset as Milly’s mother. This supporting role is large enough to remind us that Bisset is a fine actor, as well as a great beauty. The script builds a mother-daughter relationship that is as interesting as the central best friend relationship. Milly is a mirror image of her mother’s self-absorption, exhibitionism, and tender heart. So, we see the depth and genesis of Milly’s personality that we do not get with Jess.
The rest of cast (including Paddy Considine and Dominic West, as the beleaguered husbands) supply a sturdy framework for the ups and downs of Milly’s and Jess’s alternately fractious and euphoric friendship.
If you like the female friendship genre, see the seminal example “Beaches” (1988).
