Ich und Earl und das Mädchen

There are about four films that can overcome the "seen it" cynicism I have, unlock my heart and make me feel genuine feelings. In other films I can appreciate that the film is beautiful and emotional, but there are only four that can really get to me. The first was Crash, the second was The Green Mile and the third was Boyhood. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl just scored the fourth slot on that extremely small list. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's film is a beautiful cocktail of wonderful things. Its quirky and charming and witty and touching and somber and delicate and completely beautiful. Its got elements of about six of my favourite films of all time, and the fact that it slam dunked Sundance doesn't even surprise me a bit.

Thomas Mann's Greg is a weirdo. Imagine that Napoleon Dynamite went to Cady Heron's school from Mean Girls, hated all the clicks and became a cynic. Mann shades what could've been a completely unlikeable protagonist with wonderful colours and depth, so much so that when his friend Earl explains to Rachel why Greg is so averse to being friends, we realise we've actually known the whole time. That's probably the most beautiful part of Gomez- Rejon's direction - he never comes out and beats you with information, he leads you gently to it and makes you realise it yourself. RJ Cyler takes Earl, a generic Pedro-type sidekick and makes him just the slacker you'd expect, but with incredible qualities underneath. Olivia Cooke makes the audience love her with her quietly devastating portrayal of a girl with leukaemia. All I can say is that she is a worth recipient of my annual Patricia Arquette Award For Character I Most Want to Hug.

Considering this film has maybe one actor I'd ever heard of, there's a huge pool of talent even in the supporting cast. John Bernthal is good in everything. Nick Offerman is amazing as Greg's stay at home intellectual dad, and Molly Shannon steals every scene as Rachel's emotionally destroyed mother. Keep an eye out for Matt Bennett's utterly bizarre but hilarious Scott Mayhew as well.

Jesse Andrews' screenplay strikes an incredible balance between comedy and drama. Its very easy for a film about cancerous teens to become completely depressing and tedious, but the witty dialogue, incredible spikes of humour and quirky characters make the film beautiful. Andrews isn't trying to make a statement, he's just telling a story about a normal boy who strikes up a friendship with a normal girl. The dialogue is as real as any movie I've ever seen, and the use of minimal effects and hand-held camera really created an authenticity that made me walk away feeling like I've just watched a highly personal reflection, and not a work of fiction.

I saw Me & Earl last week at Sundance and have not stopped thinking about it. That is a long (6 day) shelf life. What more can one ask from a film? The writing and execution is elite quality. All scenes seem necessary. Parent/child relationships, peer relationships, teacher/student relationships all are captured in humorous and touching ways. Life and death realities are also visited through the lens of "kids" who make as much sense as possible when facing the grim possibilities of severe illness.

Sorry to be redundant from other reviews but this darn film has HEART and should be required viewing for anyone who sees at least one movie a year.

Thanks to the team that made this one happen.

It would be easy to criticize the fact that Me & Earl & the Dying Girl appears to have been genetically engineered to be a summer box office moneymaker (Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush have already snatched up the rights for a record- breaking $12 million). It's an adaptation of a young adult novel about adolescent friendship in the midst of terminal illness, which is hot in Hollywood right now thanks to The Fault in Our Stars. Basically, I went in to this film wanting to despise it for its utter marketability. Upon seeing it, however, I was reminded that movies can be commercially successful and good at the same time—and that's okay. The film chronicles the senior year of Greg (Thomas Mann), his friend Earl (R.J. Cyler), and Rachel (Olivia Cooke), who has been diagnosed with leukemia. Though all of the teen dramedy tropes are present—awkward parents, the teacher who gets it, the exploration of high school cliques—the excellent supporting cast keeps the narrative fresh. Greg's parents (Connie Britton and Nick Offerman) add an eccentric jolt of parental weirdness to their scenes, and The Walking Dead's Jon Bernthal takes archetypal cool teacher role into some original territory with his tattoos and battle- scholar vibe. While I found myself wanting more in regards to Rachel's character, the film's treatment of her friendship with Greg is both darkly funny and realistically somber. This is one movie that it's safe to see regardless of its soon-to-be huge commercial appeal. –Alex Springer

'ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Critically acclaimed indie comedy-drama flick; about an awkward high school teen, and his young filmmaking buddy, who befriend a sick classmate with leukemia. The film stars Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, Ronald Cyler II, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon, Katherine C. Hughes and Jon Bernthal. It was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (who's most well known for directing popular TV shows, like 'GLEE' and 'AMERICAN HORROR STORY') and it was written by first time feature film writer Jesse Andrews (and based on his book, of the same name). I absolutely love this movie!

Greg Gaines (Mann) is a senior at Schenley High School, in Pittsburgh, who's made it through school mostly unnoticed, by only slightly communicating (politely) with everyone (in every social group). He makes short film spoofs, with his best friend Earl (Cyler II); who he's known since childhood. One day, Greg's mother (Britton) informs him that another childhood friend, Rachel (Cooke), has been diagnosed with leukemia. He's then forced, by his mom, to spend time with his sick classmate; against both their wishes. A touching friendship forms.

The film is quirky and hilarious, in places. The actors are all perfectly cast and the characters are all lovable, and memorable. It's also a very touching film, and quite depressing (at times); but it's always beautiful to watch, and wonderfully moving. The cinematography is gorgeous and the score is perfectly fitting. The script is brilliant, and clever as well, and the director is definitely one to watch out for. It's sure to become a cult classic, for many years to come, and who wouldn't love that title?!

It's easy to dismiss such a quirky film as Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, the latest independent film to get a release after making quite an impression at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the drama category.

Make the film too quirky and you could alienate an audience however, a subtle amount of quirkiness combined with a good blend of comedy and drama will give you a film like Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, which ends up being both irresistible and infectious to its audience.

Greg (Thomas Mann) is a high school student who just wants to get through school without associating himself with any of the various cliques or making enemies. Along with his friend Earl (RJ Cyler), Greg spends his spare time making parodies of their favourite classic movies.

When he learns that his childhood friend, Rachel (Olivia Cooke), has been diagnosed with leukemia, he is forced by his overbearing parents to befriend her in her time of need. Through this friendship, Greg soon finds his outlook on life altered.

There is always the uneasy feeling of laughing at a film that centres around a girl suffering from cancer. There is great care taken though by director, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, in making sure that the subject gets the delicate treatment it deserves with the perfect combination of comedy and drama.

He is aided by a delightful screenplay from Jesse Andrews, the author of the book the film is adapted from, full of enough wit, charm and quirky cutaway moments, such as the feeling of when the hot girl at school talks to you, to leave you with a smile on your face.

The film is elevated to another level by the three main performances from Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Olivia Cooke, all showing fine range in both the dramatic and comedic departments. They are supported quite wonderfully by the likes of Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Jon Bernthal and Molly Shannon, and keep your ears peeled for a funny voice cameo from Hugh Jackman that fits the quirkiness of the film so well.

Critics love it and so should audiences, I'm just hoping people decide to go and see it instead of some of the inane drivel that Hollywood produces these days. It really does deserve all the success it can get.