Review: Me AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

​I know what you’re thinking: “Another cancer movie. Great.” Read on, and you’ll see just how different this one is — and how it’s so much better.

If you’re a fan of indie movies, then you’re probably familiar with the Sundance Film Festival. Winning the Grand Jury Prize award, this movie is a must watch for fans of the Young Adult genre.

​So, what can you look forward to? Imagine an awkward and way-too-truthful Augustus Waters minus the popularity and good looks, and you’ve got Greg, a highschooler forced to befriend his neighbour Rachel in an attempt to cheer her up when she gets diagnosed with leukemia. Along the course of their friendship, they discover prom, pillows, and the importance of low-quality filmmaking — not necessarily in that order. 

The minute I watched the trailer, I thought of how this would be one of “those” movies. You know, the one where the boy and the girl fall in love in the end, because that’s always what happens. The one where we cry when one of them dies. 

Ten minutes into the movie, maybe less, I was laughing — and continued to do so constantly until the end, triggered by the movie’s witty humor and cringe-worthy movie name puns that you just can’t hate (A Sockwork Orange? Come on). Thomas Mann and Olivia Cooke show great chemistry on-screen as Greg and Rachel, and well-known cameos like Nick Offerman and Hugh Jackman (it’s easy to miss the latter, but it’ll make you laugh, I promise) help them build the basis for a movie you truly will enjoy.
​
It’s honest without ever being too mean. It’s funny in that witty, sometimes sarcastic way. It’s a comedic tearjerker; the kind you wouldn’t mind your heart breaking over every time you watched it, because at the same time it’s kind of uplifting. It’s Me, and Earl, and the Dying Girl. 

BY ALISYA REZA