Starring Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Paddy Considine, Dominic Cooper; directed by Catherine Hardwicke; 102 minutes; PG-13 for thematic content, sexual material and some language.

Female friendship fable “Miss You Already” presents itself as a sort of “Beaches” for the 21st century, announcing its tearjerking intentions right there in the title. If this is your kind of thing, you may have already bought your tickets to enjoy a slice of friendship fantasy and a good cry. The presence of beloved actresses Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette also sweetens the pot. But in endeavoring to deliver buckets of tearful catharsis, the efforts of “Miss You Already” are so conspicuous and unabashed that it only achieves a strange sense of emotional detachment.

The film follows lifelong best friends Jess (Barrymore) and Milly (Collette), during Milly’s battle with cancer. As a child, American Jess was transplanted to London, where she befriended the sassy Milly, and where they still reside. Where Jess is soft and grounded, Milly is wild and carefree, married to the young, hot rocker type Kit (Dominic Cooper). What was an unplanned pregnancy with a roadie turns into domestic bliss in a gorgeous home, with all the financial success one could want.

It’s a charmed life, until Milly is diagnosed with breast cancer. In the march to the end, “Miss You Already” grinds its gears through the late stages of cancer, following a predictable and cliche path. Each scene is a yank on the heartstrings, a poke in the tear ducts, with its intents and machinations plainly obvious.

Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service