A runaway success with both judges and audiences at Sundance, this film skilfully tackles heart-breaking circumstance with humour and quirky style, in a far cry from the average teen drama. The ‘me’ in the title is Greg, who narrates the story of his high school senior year and his doomed friendship with Rachel, a classmate with cancer.
Greg is a quietly self-loathing misfit who survives high school by staying invisible; on the edges of the social groups that structure American cafeterias. By avoiding making any mortal enemies, he also hasn’t made many friends. Before he starts hanging out with this girl, he’s been pretty content spending time with his ‘co-worker’ Earl and making parodies of classic films. Appallingly brilliant reimaginings, including A Sockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Butt and Gone with my Wind, that are surely a must for the DVD extras.
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's captivating adaptation of the debut novel from Jesse Andrews (who also pens the screenplay) is both a homage to classic cinema and a fresh take on the tired teen drama genre. Greg acknowledges to the audience that this isn’t a neat story of perfectly-pitched lines and the inevitably of falling in love. His conversations with Rachel have the awkward realism of not knowing what to say to someone who is terminally ill. This is reinforced when Greg and Earl are cajoled into making a film for Rachel and they struggle to something original that will capture the gravity of the situation.
With inventive camera angles and scenes of stop-motion animation, we are skilfully drawn into Greg’s world. The film is reminiscent of Juno (made by the same studio), in both style and the subject of teens attempting to cope with events beyond their emotional maturity. It also has a fitting original soundtrack by Brian Eno. My only gripe is that the stunning sets are tainted by ridiculously regular Apple product placement.
The core cast are exceptional, Thomas Mann is an expert narrator as Greg and Olivia Cooke plays Rachel’s struggle with dignity rather than despair. RJ Carter II is magnetic as Earl, and while it isn’t his friendship with Greg that’s in focus, I would have loved to have seen more of his character. The young cast are supported by recognisable comedy actors, including Nick Offerman, as Greg’s eccentric dad, and Molly Shannon, as Rachel’s love-hungry mom.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl turns the teenage coming-of-age tale on its head and takes what could have been a twee tearjerker and serves up something charming, witty and cliché-free.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl will be showing at Broadway Cinema until Thursday 17 September 2015.
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