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Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) is currently in his final year at his high school in Pittsburgh and has little to show for it. He has no one who he associates as a friend – with the closest to that being his quote-unquote co-worker Earl (Roland Cyler II) - doesn't fit in with any social clique but has reached a level of acceptance with each area, and thinks very little of himself or his future; with his upcoming graduation leading to a lack of motivation towards going to college, But his life changes when his overabundant mother and cat-loving father (Connie Britton and Nick Offerman respectively) inform him that his former childhood friend Rachel (Olivia Cooke) has been diagnosed with leukaemia, and pressure him into befriending her while going through with it. Despite neither really wanting to be forced into hanging out, they do inevitably grow a good bond and meet regularly – to the delight of Rachel's mother (Molly Shannon) – to the point that he even opens up about his and Earl's amateur filmmaking. But with Rachel's sickness worsening over time, the pressure of applying to universities, being pushed into making a film for the dying girl by high school crush Madison (Katherine C. Hughes) and all manner of other things which diminishes his 'reputation', will Greg be able to keep up with it all?
While not always something noteworthy with independent films, but the direction by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon alongside the cinematography is incredibly strong here. Not only using typography for each chapter of the film like countless films before it, but just how each shot is laid out and prepared, from ongoing one shots during pivotal moments to imaginative actor placements and editing. It makes the whole thing look rather beautiful right from the get-go, and at times helps push the emotional response of audiences, especially for a scene late in the film's 105 minute runtime. Also helping sell the visually appealing picture is some brief moments of stop-motion animation to represent Greg's feelings or his manner of filmmaking (side note – very imaginative spoof films appear throughout. Often hilarious), with each appearance never being too out there or sudden.
Story-wise, you wouldn't be wrong to notice the parallels with The Fault in Our Stars. Not just with the obvious cancer-stricken female lead, but with the initial hesitance in friendship, troubled mutual friend (sorry, 'co-worker') and eerily specifics adorations. But that's where the buck stops, as outside of that comes something more. Something that isn't pandered to specific tropes and genre rule-following unless absolutely necessary. It never suffers pacing problems, and even when a possible stumbling point comes to play, such as when Greg and Earl inexplicably take drugs, it surpasses that and does well at playing it safe while still being thoroughly entertaining. Does it still follow some tropes? Yes - it's a film, after all. And when it does follow those tropes, it does elegantly and with prestige. It does sometimes leave things open-ended, such as Rachel's mother practically always being seen with a glass of wine in her hands whenever she welcomes Greg to her home, but that's just plain nitpicking.
As the lead loner Greg, Thomas Mann plays the role with relative ease, avoiding playing the character as unbearable despite his social tendencies nor makes him come across as flawless and immensely charming like countless other Young Adult adaptations. He's likable but far from perfect, and Mann encapsulates that easily. Right-hand man Roland Cyler II isn't given as much, and does fall slightly in playing a stereotype due to his character coming from a different area to Greg, but he can be occasionally funny and heart-warming with each scene he's in. Titular 'Dying Girl' Olivia Cooke is also very likeable and gets on well with both cast members, and her ongoing character change as her illness is handled rather well alongside being key to the more emotional moments. Meanwhile, Katerhine C. Hughes as the only other noteworthy high school classmate (the rest being simple representations of the cliques they're from, although a small handful to play a role in Greg's character arc) is never too grating despite her coming across as the metaphorical moose and chipmunk pairing alluded to throughout.
On the adult side, you have overly motivational teacher Mr. McCarthy (played by Jon Bernthal) who plays the Paul Rudd role from 2012's The Perks of Being a Wallflower with ease while defining the character as his own; Molly Shannon as Rachel's mother is likable despite her somewhat repetitious approach via the aforementioned drinking problem); Connie Britton as Greg's mother is both sweet and sour when the plot demands her to be (thankfully at the right moments) and Nick Offerman's slightly out-there father is usually hilarious while being very different to his infamous role on Parks and Recreation.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a film that isn't bogged down by having it follow a typical path for films of its kind. While it's not totally different, it is still a breath of fresh air and is one of the better YA adaptations out there. Often intentionally funny but most emotionally captivating, the best way to describe is by calling it what The Fault in Our Stars should have been. It's a great film and, with its lasting affect on cinemas debatable going by how small-scale it is, implore people to see it while they still can. 9/10.
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