Starring: Thomas Mann, R.J. Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Jon Bernthal
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Rating: 4.5/5
Every year, Sundance Film Festival unearths a gem of a movie and gives it a platform to go on and enjoy success when it is released. In 2015, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is that gem of a film that won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and the Audience Award for U.S. Drama at the festival.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is one of the Sundance movies that everyone is still talking about and it finally hits the big screen today... it really does look set to be one of the indie film of the autumn that's not to be missed and lives up to all of the festival hype that has been coming its way so far this year.
Me And Earl And The Dying Girl is a uniquely funny and moving story about Greg, a high school senior who avoids deep human relationships as a way to safely navigate the social mine field that is teenage life. In fact he describes his best friend Earl, with whom he makes short-film parodies of classic movies, as being 'more like a co-worker'. But when Greg's mum insists he spends time with Rachel - a girl in his class who has just been diagnosed with cancer- Greg discovers just how powerful and important true friendship can be.
What I love about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is that this is not your typical and average teen/high school movie. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has delivered a movie that has something to say about loss and, at times, that message is incredibly powerful and poignant.
It is this main theme of loss and that of unconventional friendship that really does set it apart from any other movie in this genre so far this year. However, this is not a movie that is all doom and gloom - far from it - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a movie that is charming and funny and there's something about it that is just so full of life.
Thomas Mann, R.J. Cyler, and Olivia Cooke take on the central roles of Greg, Earl and Rachel and the trio of actors really do deliver career defining performances. Mann, Cyler, and Cooke have been making a name for themselves in recent years and this film really does look set to send their stars rocketing.
Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, and Jon Bernthal are the more established stars offering great supporting performances, but it is the trio of youngsters that really shine and turn this little indie film into the gem that it is.
The movie is based on the book of the same name by Jesse Andrews and it is Andrews who has adapted his own work into the film's screenplay. He has delivered a script that is sharply written and has created interesting characters who are trying to find their way and place in the world - something that we can all relate to.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a movie about loss, but it is also a film about friendship and self-worth and these big themes are explored in an intimate and touching way. There is something incredibly honest about the way the story has been told and I found that to be totally refreshing.
It's no surprise that Me and Earl and the Dying Girl whipped up such a storm at Sundance earlier this year as it is a beautiful movie that does live up to all of the hype. If you are an indie film fan then Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is one that is not to be missed this weekend.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is out now.