Director:Â Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Cast: Thomas Mann,  Olivia Cooke,  Ronald Cyler II,  Chelsea T. Zhang,  Katherine C. Hughes,  Natalie Marchelletta,  Jon Bernthal,  Nick Offerman,  Connie Britton,  Molly Shannon
Rating: 12A
Running time: 105mins
Release date:Â In cinemas now
ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL knows that it’s trapped in the ‘coming of age’ genre. It’s a genre that has been repeatedly milked for all its worth and more than often these kind of films can across as being too preachy or fall into a narcissistic trap of unlikable characters who just whine all the time. But the film avoids all this, instead making the genre feel new again with an inventive director, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and a delightful cast.
The film follows Greg, played with considerable charm and tenderness by Thomas Mann, an awkward loner who has one friend, or “co-worker” as he likes to call him. That co-worker is Earl and together the two of them make hilariously shoddy looking parodies of classic films. Greg is forced by his mum to befriend the dying girl of the title, Rachel, played by Olivia Cooke, after she finds out she has leukemia. If all this sounds particularly cliched and predictable than fear not, for ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL has been created by smart people who know exactly what you expect to happen, and half the pleasure of the film is watching it unfold as it toys with your expectations and reveals its surprises along the way.
But all of this wouldn’t work if it wasn’t for the splendid cast that have been assembled and the truly beautiful screenplay from Jesse Andrews, who adapts his own book here. This is a film that cares deeply about its characters and the interactions they have with one another. The characters talk and behave like the teenagers they are, whether it’s repeating the words “that sucks” when discussing Rachel’s cancer or just using silly, immature humor to escape from uncomfortable truths. Mann and Cooke especially deliver their best performances yet, with Mann perfect as the boy who’s too scared to make a genuine emotional connection to anyone. In fact, the whole cast make an impact, no matter how small their part. Jon Bernthal, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton and Molly Shannon all give memorable performances, no matter the size of their role. RJ Cyler is also deliciously deadpan as the titular Earl, giving the film and Greg a voice of reason and conscience.
Never once does the film step away from its own quirkiness, instead embracing every weird thing about itself and, much like Greg, the film uses its humor and weirdness to distract you from the emotional core of the film, scenes flutter from comedy to drama in an instant, all seen through the tenderness of teenagers who aren’t ready to experience such things. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon uses peculiar angles and a roaming camera to empathize the odd but charming dialogue and his often long, one take shots lets the audience stay with the characters, soaking in the conversations they have and the things they share, making you care about these people. Often hilarious, especially when it comes to the fake films that Greg and Earl make, but also touchingly sad; ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL is a wonderful achievement, bolstered by some of the best acting, writing and directing this year.
Verdict
