Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler, Katherine C Hughes, Jon Bernthal, Molly Shannon, Connie Britton, Nick Offerman, Masam Holden, Hugh Jackman
Running Time: 105 minutes
Rated: M - very mild profanity - this rating seems harsh.
This movie had me worried early on.
I like quirky movies with weird characters as much as the next guy but this film seemed to be trying a little too hard to be different and whacky.
But as is often the case it just needed time to settle in with me and it wasn't long before I was liking it.
And not much longer again until I was loving it.
The premise is so fiercely Indie Flick that it could be used within the dictionary definition of "Sundance Festival Movie".
Greg and Earl make movie parodies - titles like A 'Sockwork Orange', '2:48pm Cowboy' and 'Mono Rash' instead of 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'Rashomon'.
And of course my favourite - 'Pooping Tom' complete with Michael Powell first-person view with plunger instead of sharpened tripod!
Greg's Mother informs him that a girl he barely knows has been diagnosed with Leukemia and that he must spend time with her.
Narrated by Greg with the aid of some titles that say things like "Day 8 of the doomed friendship' we follow the trio as they deal with Rachel's illness, the pressures of high school and of growing up generally.
Yep - it really is a Sundance darling!
If that description puts you off there is a good chance that it shouldn't.
Steadily and very effectively this movie gets its claws into you and it will not let go until the credits roll.
The cast has a lot to do with this.
The supporting roles are played by the likes of Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton and Jon Bernthal and as you would expect they are great (Bernthal in particular) but it is the leads that really sell this story.
Thomas Mann has carved a career based on being an awkward sidekick in movies like "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters", "Project X" and "Beautiful Creatures" (an underrated movie) and he is not a million miles from the same here.
He does it very well and with the added benefit of some odd character traits and a genuinely emotional arc this counts as the best performance that I have seen from him,
Compared to Mann RJ Cyler is a novice with only one credit to his name before this movie.
I wouldn't have picked it.
As Earl he delivers a charismatic, confident performance.
The dynamic between Earl and Greg is the centre of the film and the duo nail it.
But it is Olivia Cooke as Rachel who steals the show.
A talented, utterly adorable actress she brings to mind a young Rose Byrne with perhaps a dash of Christina Ricci.
Rachel doesn't have a lot of dialogue and is sick for much of the movie but Cooke does plenty with what she is given.
In one scene late in the movie she is startlingly effective in a moment that stopped me in my tracks.
Whatever emotional impact this movie has much of it is down to Cooke's performance.
It is not hard to see why she is reportedly being pursued for a role in Rian Johnson's Star Wars Episode VIII.
I was shocked to discover that she is from Manchester, England - her American accent is flawless.
Another shock was the realisation that other than an abundance of second unit work for Nora Ephron and one for Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon only has one poorly received horror movie to his credit ("The Town That Feared Sundown").
Dedicated to his Father this movie is clearly a passion project for him and the love and care shows.
He expertly uses music (some courtesy of Brian Eno) often in place of dialogue.
It adds just the right tone to some key scenes.
And by carefully holding back the big moments until they will make the biggest mark Gomez-Rejon makes this movie genuinely touching and hugely satisfying.
Nothing is as it seems and it is testament to the directors skill that there is an almost complete lack of predictability to this movie.
I am keen to see it again to see how it holds up because the first viewing was as rewarding an emotional rollercoaster as I have seen on screen for some time.
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is a movie best enjoyed with as little knowledge of it as possible.
I wish I could say more, rant more and implore you to see this more but this movie needs to be enjoyed and to do that you need to let it slowly pour its secrets out.
It bothers me that on opening night there were three people in my session and that no one else I have spoken to outside of hardcore movie nuts has heard of it.
It should be seen by all ages and is worth ten Nicholas Sparks movies.
Yes- it is desperate to be loved and manipulative as all hell but it worked on me.
RATING: 80/ 100
CONCLUSION: Loaded with fine performances from an excellent cast this movie packs an emotional wallop that is unlikely to be topped this year - hell, maybe for several years.
Running Time: 105 minutes
Rated: M - very mild profanity - this rating seems harsh.
This movie had me worried early on.
I like quirky movies with weird characters as much as the next guy but this film seemed to be trying a little too hard to be different and whacky.
But as is often the case it just needed time to settle in with me and it wasn't long before I was liking it.
And not much longer again until I was loving it.
The premise is so fiercely Indie Flick that it could be used within the dictionary definition of "Sundance Festival Movie".
Greg and Earl make movie parodies - titles like A 'Sockwork Orange', '2:48pm Cowboy' and 'Mono Rash' instead of 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'Rashomon'.
And of course my favourite - 'Pooping Tom' complete with Michael Powell first-person view with plunger instead of sharpened tripod!
Greg's Mother informs him that a girl he barely knows has been diagnosed with Leukemia and that he must spend time with her.
Narrated by Greg with the aid of some titles that say things like "Day 8 of the doomed friendship' we follow the trio as they deal with Rachel's illness, the pressures of high school and of growing up generally.
Yep - it really is a Sundance darling!
If that description puts you off there is a good chance that it shouldn't.
Steadily and very effectively this movie gets its claws into you and it will not let go until the credits roll.
The cast has a lot to do with this.
The supporting roles are played by the likes of Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton and Jon Bernthal and as you would expect they are great (Bernthal in particular) but it is the leads that really sell this story.
Thomas Mann has carved a career based on being an awkward sidekick in movies like "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters", "Project X" and "Beautiful Creatures" (an underrated movie) and he is not a million miles from the same here.
He does it very well and with the added benefit of some odd character traits and a genuinely emotional arc this counts as the best performance that I have seen from him,
Compared to Mann RJ Cyler is a novice with only one credit to his name before this movie.
I wouldn't have picked it.
As Earl he delivers a charismatic, confident performance.
The dynamic between Earl and Greg is the centre of the film and the duo nail it.
 |
| (left) Thomas Mann & Olivia Cooke (centre) Cooke and RJ Cyler and (right) the three leads together |
A talented, utterly adorable actress she brings to mind a young Rose Byrne with perhaps a dash of Christina Ricci.
Rachel doesn't have a lot of dialogue and is sick for much of the movie but Cooke does plenty with what she is given.
In one scene late in the movie she is startlingly effective in a moment that stopped me in my tracks.
Whatever emotional impact this movie has much of it is down to Cooke's performance.
It is not hard to see why she is reportedly being pursued for a role in Rian Johnson's Star Wars Episode VIII.
I was shocked to discover that she is from Manchester, England - her American accent is flawless.
 |
| The excellent supporting cast includes Jon Bernthal, Molly Shannon, Connie Britton and Nick Offerman |
Dedicated to his Father this movie is clearly a passion project for him and the love and care shows.
He expertly uses music (some courtesy of Brian Eno) often in place of dialogue.
It adds just the right tone to some key scenes.
And by carefully holding back the big moments until they will make the biggest mark Gomez-Rejon makes this movie genuinely touching and hugely satisfying.
Nothing is as it seems and it is testament to the directors skill that there is an almost complete lack of predictability to this movie.
I am keen to see it again to see how it holds up because the first viewing was as rewarding an emotional rollercoaster as I have seen on screen for some time.
 |
| Quirky shot and captioning are well used |
I wish I could say more, rant more and implore you to see this more but this movie needs to be enjoyed and to do that you need to let it slowly pour its secrets out.
It bothers me that on opening night there were three people in my session and that no one else I have spoken to outside of hardcore movie nuts has heard of it.
It should be seen by all ages and is worth ten Nicholas Sparks movies.
Yes- it is desperate to be loved and manipulative as all hell but it worked on me.
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