Movie Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

 
Drama/Comedy

Rated – M

Duration – 105mins

Release – September 2015

Director – Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Cast – Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Jon Bernthal

Mr Knight

The thing you need to ask yourself when walking to the box office is “What sort of movie am I in the mood for?” If the title doesn’t say it all, then you have read it wrong. Personally I believe that is exactly what the makers of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl were looking to do. A movie that delivers a popular themed, but a little bit different

The story follows Greg (Thomas Mann), a senior high school student, who is a self-proclaimed loner, with no set school group category, who doesn’t connect with others well, who can’t stand the helplessness of his high school situation and believes he has a groundhog face.

Greg’s only two highlights for me were his unique humour and his passion to make short films with his long term friend Earl (RJ Cyler), who he refers to as his business partner, which they have made 42 of, all of which are not to be viewed by anyone else other than the two creators.

The story gets some momentum when Greg’s mum tells him that a girl from his school Rachel (Olivia Cooke), has just been diagnosed with Leukemia. Greg’s mum promptly pushes Greg to contact her for support. Greg, who has no connection with Rachel whatsoever makes awkward contact and requests she allow them to hang to keep his mother off his back. So begins a blossoming friendship.

Rachel, seemingly the only normality in Greg’s life, as his father is an oddball and his school friends consist of no one, becomes a positive influence for Greg despite the fact their friendship was solely started to give Rachel support.

Some clever jokes are spread throughout here and there and the realities and awkwardness of teenage life are re-told through Greg’s eyes and are enjoyable to watch. As Rachel gets sicker, the sense of hopelessness gets stronger and cinema goers get the opportunity to see how this teenage boy copes.

For any person who has experienced loss in their life, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl gives each viewer a moment to connect with the film and recollect their loss and what that person meant to them. The three young actors in Mann, Cyler and Cooke have promising talent and Olivia Cooke is brilliant to watch. Her delivery of a sick teenage girl really sucked me in and kept me invested in the film. The way the movie is directed was different but engaging and if you believe you’re too tough to shed a tear, then give this one a crack and find out for yourself.

Mrs Knight

Not surprisingly Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, was a sad one. I didn’t know anything about this film, other than the title, which is all you really need to know.

The story follows a 17 year old boy Greg who describes himself as fitting into every social group at school and flying under the radar. His life changes when his mum forces him to hang out with a girl named Rachel, who has just been diagnosed with leukemia.

We get a feel of the films style and pace from the very beginning. It consisted of very quirky cinematography and was broken up into chapters. It took me a while to warm to the film. While I thought the acting was incredibly convincing, I didn’t find the storyline very engaging. It was a familiar coming of age, high school story. Full of self-discovery, accidental drug taking, friendship and growing up.

I also feel I need to mention we had two beyond annoying girls seated behind us who decided to commentate throughout the whole movie. Despite me not so subtlety looking at them and sighing, they didn’t get the message. Or they did and just thought they were hilarious. I disagreed.

Anyway, back to the film. Greg and Rachel hang out more and more and their relationship develops into something real. I enjoyed watching them engage and can’t credit Olivia Cook (Rachel) enough for her performance.

For me, one of the most enjoyable parts was that Greg and his ‘business partner’ Earl make short films which were spoofs of popular titles. Their films are a part of Greg’s goofy nature, creativity and humour strung throughout the whole film. Thomas Mann who played the part of Greg was fantastic. He played the part beautifully and his character was very relatable as I’m sure we all felt a little awkward in our teenage years. I really enjoyed watching him on screen. The film also starred comedians Nick Offerman and Molly Shannon, who will make you smile.

The last third of the film had me absolutely glued. The use of music, colours and imagery combined with a phenomenal performance by the cast gave me no hope in not crying. I was practically gasping for air, as were most of the patrons in the cinema.

The heartfelt ending gave the film a strong finish. I would recommend this film, but just make sure to bring your tissues!