"There are about four films that overcome the "visible" cynicism I have, relax my heart and make me feel really. Four can really get me. The first is Crash, the second is The Green Mile, and the third is Boyhood. Me and Earl and Dying Girl got on my little list 4th place. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's film is full of good things. It's quirky, charming, witty, moving, sombre, delicate, and utterly beautiful. This movie has Elements of six of my favorite films of all time, and the fact that it won a grand slam at Sundance doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
Greg under Thomas Mann's lens is weird. Mann paints a protagonist who would have been completely impossible to become a protagonist in rich, warm colors. So much so that when his friend Eearl explained to Rachel why Greg didn't want to be friends, we realized we always knew why. That's probably the most beautiful part of Gomez-Rejon's director, he never comes out, beats you with messages to tell you, and he gently guides you to realize it yourself. Earl, played by RJ Cyler, is an excellent supporting role, and his role is as loose as the audience expects, even a little condescending, but there is an incredible quality underneath. Olivia Cooke's quiet portrayal of a girl with leukemia makes audiences love her. All I can say is that she is the winner of my annual Patricia Arquette award for best character.
Considering that this movie might have actors I've never heard of, there's tremendous talent even in the supporting roles. John Bernthal is good at everything. Nick Provideman is amazing, Greg stays at home as an intellectual dad, and Molly Shannon steals Rachel's emotionally devastated mother's All lenses. Also look out for Matt Bennett's bizarre but hilarious Scott Mayhew.
Jesse Andrews' script strikes an incredible balance between comedy and drama. It's very easy to become frustrating and tedious for a film about a teenager with cancer, but the clever dialogue, incredible humor, and quirky characters make this film beautiful. Andrews didn't want to make any announcements, he was just telling a story about an ordinary boy forming a friendship with an ordinary girl. The dialogue is as real as any movie I've ever seen, and using minimal effects and a handheld camera really creates a sense of realism that makes me walk away feeling like I've just watched a highly personal reflection instead of A work of fiction. "
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