Greg is a senior in High School and is a social outcast with only one friend named Earl, together they film parodies of classic movies. His life is about to change when he becomes friends with Rachel a girl from his class who has cancer.
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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was a rather surprisingly sweet film, we have had many over the years addressing teenage cancer and getting the balance right where its not too tasteless is probably one of the hardest tasks. This manages to find a lovely balance and I throughly enjoyed the journey we head on with Greg and Rachel.
Greg talks to us throughout the film in voice over form and I thought that was a very good touch. Although the constant don't worry this is not one of those stories she survives was something I didn't ever believe but totally wanted to! I mean come on we were told terminal and stage four which is obviously no return, but even watching this film I did not want the death outcome. I felt that was good in terms of the manner in which everything was shown.
Greg didn't really know Rachel very well but it was his mother on finding out about the diagnosis convinced him of going to see her. The friendship is pure and they spend the majority of the time watching the films that Greg and Earl made together, something that Rachel loves. They embark on a quest to make her a film and attempt to get the school involved, although that is not something that works out very well. In spending all of his time with Rachel he neglected his school work and has his college application reversed.
The performances rom Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Olivia Cooke were all fantastic and thrived as Greg, Earl and Rachel. That was essential to create the nature that we actually cared about each of the individual characters and the many emotions that they get to go through. All working extremely well together creating a very unique and lovely film with some fantastic messages. The main message I took was that it never seems to be too late to find that one special friend who can mean everything to you and make your life better. We had to feel for Greg though as Rachel briefly came into his life and changed it, his ability to not accept what was going to happen is what we would all go through that is for sure.
I hadn't really heard too much about this film and that is a true shame, so because of that fact I am considering this as a hidden gem. Much better than other teen cancer films that I have seen and yes I was left in tears by the end, which I guess was no real shock or anything like that!