​Friends and geeks

Greg the loner and Rachel the dying girl

Death is an inevitability; while most of us coast through everyday life never pondering when we'll ultimately expire, unfortunately there are a rare few that will face it sooner than others. The worst part of that is being aware of the moment you will leave this world and still not be prepared for it. In Me, and Earl and the Dying Girl, Greg (Thomas Mann) is an apathetic, direction-less high school senior who spends most of his time making parody videos from famous films with his "co-worker" Earl (RJ Cyler). Greg is neither popular or involved with any of the social groups at school, but one day his mother tells him that a former childhood friend of his named Rachel (Olivia Cooke) has been diagnosed

with leukemia and obligates him to spend time with her. At first, the two don't warm up to each other but they quickly find common ground and become friends. Greg later introduces her to Earl who shows her the videos they make together, but after a while Rachel's health worsens and begins chemotherapy. Greg spends more time with Rachel in hopes that she will make a come around, but much like life in high school, things don't always go as plan as one would hope. Typically, movies dealing with the subject of cancer tends to lean towards one of two overtly used plot structures: the cheesy ending where the character in question makes a miraculous recovery and everyone gets a happy ending, or the serious ending, where the character sadly passes away at the end but not without leaving a worthwhile story about the last moments of their lives. Me, Earl and the Dying Girl doesn't fall into either the former or the latter; nor does it fall in between the two. Even though it's a story involving cancer, it's not about cancer so to speak. It's not even focused on Rachel who is the central character with cancer; it's Greg's story told from his point of view, and how Rachel changes his life. It's a non-typical approach that pays off; creating a unique amalgamation of coming-of-age, high school drama and cancer themes that comes together perfectly making it one of the hidden gems of 2015. Me, Earl and the Dying Girl accomplishes three things: it will make you care about the characters, it will make you cry, and most importantly, it will touch your heart.

​-Reviewed by Razor 11/19/15