'Me and Earl and The Dying Girl" (movie critique)

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
movie poster

Recently The Travelling Toe and a friend viewed  the new flick called "Me and Earl and The Dying Girl".

The movie centers on Greg Gaines, played by Thomas Mann, a high school senior who is just trying to make it through each day without being beat up or put down by fellow students.  He has learned how to socialize with all the groups and cliques in high school, even the outcast ones, without being a member of any of them.   

Thomas Man

During the film Greg serves as narrator and tells the story about  himself and his best friend Earl, (Ronald Cyler II). The two boys have been friends since kindergarden.  They share a love of classic films and began making parodies of them using their own take of the story and giving it a close, but not quite, same name.  A few of "their movies" are shown and they are super clever and often hilarious. 

Ronald Cyler II

Side Note: The Travelling Toe, in super stealth mode, was able to locate a list of the the 40 some odd movies that Greg and Earl "made" together. The list is at the bottom of the post.

Greg lives with his unglamorous mother (Connie Britton) and hippie dad played by Nick Offerman. Upon meeting them in the movie you will understand why Greg is a bit on the unusual side.

Connie Britton

Nick Offerman

Greg's mother tells him that another childhood friend, Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke), has been diagnosed with a form of leukemia.  His mother talks him into going over to see her to try to cheer her up. Rachel's mother (Molly Shannon) stays pretty sloshed much of the time and is not a lot of help or comfort to her daughter.   Rachel first rebuffs Greg's visit but he decides to stay and starts a conversion with Rachel by complimenting  her on her room and the large collection of pillows that she has. One furry pillow in particular catches his imagination.  The Travelling Toe will not tell you what that is as just think about it - a young boy with a very fuzzy pillow! Hmmmm!  Rachel beings to warm up to him and he starts dropping by to see her on a regular basis.

Olivia Cooke

Molly Shannon

On one visit he brings Earl along to meet Rachel and they start talking about their latest film.   Rachel is very intrigued and wants to see all their films. Greg does not want anyone else to see them, but Earl talks him into sharing them with her, using the dying girl guilt trip ticket.

As the seasons change and the year passes by, we learn that Greg is spending less time at school and more time with Rachel.  A mutual friend suggests that Greg and Earl make a film for Rachel.  At first Greg does not want to do it but Earl convinces him that they should.  As the movie takes up more of Greg's time he seldom attends school and certainly blows off any assignments required for him to graduate.

Dear Readers, The Travelling Toe will leave the narrative here just in case you want to see this movie and I do not want to spoil the ending for you.

Yes, this movie is about teen-age angst and dealing with a life threatening illness as well as dysfunctional parents, and other life lessons. This movie has been compared to a previous movie about teenagers struggling with  terminal illness and friendship, "The Fault In Our Stars" . However each film has it's own strengths and weaknesses.

This movie is based on the book of the same name by author Jesse Andrews who also wrote the screenplay.   It was directed by Alonso Gomez-Rejon.

Jesse Andrews

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe up and 1 pinky toe up with a box of  tissues.



Disclaimer:  The Travelling Toe is not a professional critic and any opinions expressed are for entertainment purposes only.


Below is a list of all the movies that Greg and Earl "made".
 Edward Bursch and Nathan O Marsh received credit for these fake films.

Anatomy of a Burger = Anatomy of a Murder (1959), dir. Otto Preminger (title sequence by Saul Bass)

Ate 1/2 (of My Lunch) = 8 1/2 (1963), dir. Federico Fellini

A Box O’ Lips, Wow = Apocalypse Now  (1979), dir. Francis Ford Coppola

The Battle of All Deer = The Battle of Algiers (1966), dir. Gillo Pontecorvo

Breathe Less = Breathless (1960), dir. Jean-Luc Godard

Brew Vervet = Blue Velvet (1986), dir. David Lynch

Burden of Screams = Burden of Dreams (1982), dir. Les Blank

Can’t Tempt  = Contempt  (1963), dir. Jean-Luc Godard

Crouching Housecat Hidden Housecat = Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), dir. Ang Lee

Death in Tennis = Death in Venice (1971), dir. Luchino Visconti

My Dinner with Andre the Giant = My Dinner with Andre (1981), dir. Louis Malle

Don’t Look Now Because a Creepy Ass Dwarf is About to Kill You!! Damn!!!  = Don’t Look Now (1973), dir. Nicolas Roeg

Eyes Wide Butt = Eyes Wide Shut (1999), dir. Stanley Kubrick

Hairy, Old and Mod = Harold and Maude (1971), dir. Hal Ashby

La Gelee = La Jetée (1962), dir. Chris Marker

Gone with My Wind = Gone with the Wind (1939), dir. Victor Fleming

Gross Encounters of the Turd Kind = Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), dir. Steven Spielberg

Grumpy Cul-de-Sacs = Mean Streets (1973), dir. Martin Scorsese

It's a Punderful Life = It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Frank Capra

The Janitor of Oz = The Wizard of Oz (1939), dir. Victor Fleming

The Lady Manishness = The Lady Vanishes (1938), dir. Alfred Hitchcock

Monorash = Rashomon (1950), dir. Akira Kurosawa

My Best Actor Is Also a Dangerous Lunatic = My Best Friend (1999), dir. Werner Herzog

Nose Ferret 2 = Nosferatu (1922), dir. F.W. Murnau

Pittsburghasqatsi = Koyaanisqatsi (1982), dir. Godfrey Reggio

Pooping Tom = Peeping Tom (1960), dir. Michael Powell

The Prunes of Wrath = The Grapes of Wrath (1940), dir. John Ford

Raging Bullsh*t = Raging Bull (1980), dir. Martin Scorsese

Rear Wind = Rear Window (1954), dir. Alfred Hitchcock

Rosemary Baby Carrots = Rosemary’s Baby (1968), dir. Roman Polanski

Scabface = Scarface (1932), dir. Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson

Second (Helpings of Dinner) = Seconds (1966), dir. John Frankenheimer (title sequence by Elaine & Saul Bass)

Senior Citizen Cane = Citizen Kane (1941), dir. Orson Welles

The Seven Seals = The Seventh Seal (1957), dir. Ingmar Bergman

A Sockwork Orange = A Clockwork Orange (1971), dir. Stanley Kubrick

The Complete Lack of Conversation = The Conversation (1974), dir. Francis Ford Coppola

The Last Crustacean of Christ = The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), dir. Martin Scorsese

The Rad Shoes = The Red Shoes (1948), dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

The Turd Man = The Third Man (1949), dir. Carol Reed

The 400 Bros = The 400 Blows (1959), dir. Francois Truffaut

Um = M (1931), dir. Fritz Lang

Vere’d He Go? = Vertigo (1958), dir. Alfred Hitchcock (title sequence by Saul Bass)

Wages for Beer = The Wages of Fear (1953), dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot

Yellow Submarine Sandwich = Yellow Submarine (1968), dir. George Dunning

ZZZ = Z (1969), dir. Costa-Gavras

2:48 PM Cowboy = Midnight Cowboy (1969), dir. John Schlessinger

49th Parallelogram = 49th Parallel (1941), Michael Powell

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015), dir. Greg Gaines and Earl Jackson


List found on the following blog:
caramiezone.blogspot.ca