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| Courtesy of Fox Searchlight |
Imagine
Wes Anderson turning a Nicholas Sparks novel into a movie and you’ve got a
pretty good idea of what to expect from this charming, offbeat dramedy. Some
might consider that an absolutely dreadful way to spend 105 minutes, but it’s
actually a (mostly) successful combination thanks to magnetic performances from
the film’s three leads, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s confident direction and Jesse
Andrews’ simple yet powerful story.
Greg
(Thomas Mann) – the “Me” in the movie’s title – is an introverted kid who works
really hard to be invisible at his high school. His only friend is Earl (RJ
Cyler), who’s more outgoing but inhabits a similar rung on the social ladder.
The two spend most of their time making terrible parodies of classic movies
(such as Senior Citizen Kane and My Dinner with Andre the Giant), but that changes
when Greg’s mother (Connie Britton) guilt trips him into hanging out with
Rachel (Olivia Cooke), a girl from his school who was recently diagnosed with
leukemia.
Greg,
Earl and Rachel quickly establish an odd, beautiful bond, even though – as the
title suggests – there’s a good chance it could be short-lived. But the sharp,
pop culture-savvy teens’ story isn’t mopey and depressing. Their oddball
personalities make the movie heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny.
Well,
it was funny and heartwarming to me. Your mileage may vary, depending on your
sense of humor and tolerance for eccentric characters. Me and Earl and the
Dying Girl has already divided critics, and I expect it to do the same to
general audiences. Gomez-Rejon’s offbeat direction and Andrews’ unapologetic
quirkiness will be a dealbreaker for some.
I,
however, cackled with glee at every creatively awful movie title. I smiled at
the guys’ cautious friendship (Greg calls Earl his co-worker because he can’t
bear growing close to someone) and I grew more unsettled every time Greg’s
narration promised everything would end happily, despite all evidence to the
contrary. That element might feel like a bait-and-switch to many viewers, but
only if they’re not paying attention to the narrative breadcrumbs.
Mann
does solid work as the lead, masking Greg’s massive inferiority complex with a
dry, biting sense of humor. Cyler is also strong as Earl, despite the
screenplay’s unfortunate tendency to sideline the character and saddle him with
some problematic traits. But Cooke is the real standout, keeping Rachel from
coming across as “the girl with cancer everyone feels sorry for.” The actress (who
eerily resembles Rose Byrne) instills Rachel with a distinct personality and
makes her so interesting that I was disappointed when the movie’s focus
constantly shifted back to Greg.
And
that’s the biggest problem: the main character is the least interesting person
in the entire movie. Greg narrates the story, but by making everyone’s problems
point to things he learns about himself, he does a huge disservice to other, far
more compelling plotlines. Even the adults in the movie (wonderfully played by
Britton, Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon and Jon Bernthal) seem to lead more
interesting lives, even though we learn very little about them.
Expect
to hear lots of chatter about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl as a refreshing
alternative to big summer blockbusters, which I’ll contribute to. The film has
problems, but at least it’s got a personality.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug material, language and some thematic elements.
Grade:
B+
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