Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – Film Review by Frances Winston.

Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Writers: Jesse Andrews (novel), Jesse Andrews (screenplay)
Stars: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name as the title suggests this isn’t a light-hearted comedy with the Me of the title, Greg Gaines (Mann) telling the tale of his friendship with Rachel (Cooke) and how his friend Earl (Cyler II) fits into the picture.

A high school misfit Gaines spends his time trying to fit in by remaining on the periphery of all the various cliques in his school. When Rachel is diagnosed with cancer his mother (Britton) guilt trips him into visiting her. Initially reluctant the pair soon begin to bond and when he introduces her to his friend Earl they start showing her their cheesy homemade remakes of classic movies. So bad that they are good they help her through her treatment and dark days. However when Gaines and Earl are persuaded to make a movie especially for Rachel it proves more challenging than they expected. As they struggle with creating a masterpiece for their dying friend their own relationship becomes strained and it looks increasingly unlikely that Rachel will ever get to see her tribute film.

Although this appears to be aimed at a tween audience it actually has incredibly broad appeal. Very few people won’t be able to relate to the awkwardness of those final years in school with college looming on the horizon. There are also very few people who won’t have known someone who suffered a serious illness so this will definitely strike a chord. They never over sentimentalise the core subject matter and despite the serious themes this has a huge amount of humour and heart.

This is thanks in no small part to the chemistry of the three leads who all give outstanding performances. In fact, all the cast do a great job here and resist the temptation to pile on the schmaltz. Even the secondary characters, so often overlooked in these types of films, are quirky and well developed. The script is wonderful – always just the right side of cheesy – and it is beautifully shot never forsaking gritty reality for beauty.

As the tale builds to its inevitable crescendo (hardly a spoiler – the clue is in the title) you will find yourself carried along on a tide of emotion. There is not one single character here that you don’t root for and that engagement means the conclusion is heart-breaking even though you know it is coming.

This received a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival and it’s easy to see why. It is moving without being schmaltzy, funny without being cheesy and the themes resonate with pretty much everybody. The kind of film that requires a tissue or two this is head and shoulders above some of its flashier counterparts with huge name casts. It  will tug at your heart strings and you will feel all the feels and actually leave the cinema grateful for it!