Review of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) by Brad S — 22 Dec 2016

Although "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" had a few emotional moments and a likable cast, its direction is often unclear, and its motives don't always seem to be consistent.

So I know that plenty of people were really high on this movie, so going into this, I was actually pretty excited for what I was about to watch. Sadly, although I wasn't head over heels for this movie, I'm not saying that it was bad, but it just wasn't what I wanted it to be.

Now, the thing I liked most about this movie were the characters. Although they weren't really unique or special, I was still fond of them. Thomas Mann gives his character plenty of depth, and I was actually blown away by his performance. He was able to bring the character to life, and his character by far was the most interesting. He was this kid who was always the outsider and the awkward one, and you learn so much about him throughout the film. He was given plenty of depth, and I would actually watch the movie again just to watch his character again. I actually didn't find much interest in Olivia Cooke and her character Rachel. Considering I had recently watched two other movies about cancer in the past couple of months that I really liked, I was expecting something a bit better. Although she is a great actress, I felt like she was just a plot device. I mean, yeah, she's the one who helps open up Greg's life and she has a huge impact on him throughout the movie, but I was never overly attached to her. Earl was also a great part of the film, and he added a great blend of comedy to everything. Nick Offerman played Greg's dad, and I actually didn't find the use in him. Nick Offerman pretty much plays the same role in every movie he's in, and I found his character to be awkward and out of place. For the most part though, the character study in this film was great, and I was impressed with the performances.

I actually wasn't really on board with the direction and tone of this movie. It felt like this movie wanted to be something so unique and so different, that it often tried to hard and it overdid many moments. I didn't really like the voice over aspect that was repeated throughout the film, and there were plenty of moments where they skipped through large chunks of time. The tone was kind of awkward because since they skipped through much of Greg and Rachel's friendship, it just felt weird and unreal. I really didn't buy the premise, and although the movie makes an attempt at being different, I just wasn't hooked.

I actually noticed that some of the camera work was lousy at times, and that the placement of the camera was not always used to its maximum potential. Again, with the style that this movie was going for, I wasn't really on board with it, and the camera was often placed in weird angles or poor lighting, which didn't always work. Although many casual movie goers won't be overly-bothered by this, it's just something that bothered me particularly.

It's hard to watch another cancer movie like this without comparing it to like-content. "The Fault in our Stars" had great dialogue and fascinating characters all around, and it was able to hit me emotionally. "50/50" was a depressing, yet real take about someone with cancer, and it was supported by great performances and some dark moments. I felt like this film pulled some of the positive elements from both those films but ultimately fell short. I'm not saying that this was a bad film, but I definitely wasn't too captivated by it.

Although this is a quality made film, I personally just did not enjoy it, even as many others have. Although I still liked it, I felt that there was a lot left to be desired, and the direction of this movie was often confusing. It seemed like the director was trying to set one tone, but ended up going in many different directions. They struggled to consistently produce, and although I'm willing to give this movie another shot sometime, it's not one I will remember for a while. Despite the negatives, this is still a good movie, and a quality made one at that, so I will still give it a fresh rating.