Dying Young

After she discovers that her boyfriend has betrayed her, Hilary O'Neil is looking for a new start and a new job. She begins to work as a private nurse for a young man suffering from blood cancer. Slowly, they fall in love, but they always know their love cannot last because he is destined to die.

Critics broadly found the central romance inert, overly self-pitying, and emotionally ineffective despite the leads’ appeal.

• Hilary and Victor fall in love while recognizing that Victor’s blood cancer threatens the future of their relationship.
• Hilary enters Victor’s wealthy world as a private nurse while beginning a relationship with him.
• Hilary’s work as Victor’s nurse gradually develops into romantic devotion.
• The central love story is continuously framed by Victor’s leukemia and the expectation of loss.

• Love Storyterminal illness romance, emotional melodrama, and doomed intimacy
• The Fault in Our Starsromantic drama centered on illness, caregiving, and impending loss
• Sweet Novemberweepie romance combining class differences, devotion, and mortality

Director

Joel Schumacher

Release Date

1991-06-20

Runtime

111 min

Rating

6.7 / 10 (504)

What is Dying Young about?

A newly hired private nurse and a wealthy young leukemia patient fall into an intense romance haunted by the limits of his illness.

What is Dying Young like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dying Young as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.

Is Dying Young violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Dying Young.

What did critics think of Dying Young?

Critics broadly found the central romance inert, overly self-pitying, and emotionally ineffective despite the leads’ appeal.

Which films are like Dying Young?

Films with a similar feel include Love Story, The Fault in Our Stars, and Sweet November.

How long is Dying Young?

Dying Young runs 111 minutes.