I am so sick of movies trying to be so hip and cool and clever but in the process, making the movie completely unbelievable. This is by far the biggest issue with Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Many of the characters, especially the adults, are just so ridiculous it's annoying. Other than the over the top hipster elements, I quite enjoyed it but it could have been something really special. Olivia Cooke was absolutely sensational here and the direction is very good, especially with an emotional scene that was filmed all in one take. I didn't want the scene to end because it really showed the potential of the movie. Still, it was enjoyable and I do recommend it but I don't get the overwhelming praise.

B

A few things I didn't like but overall I loved this. Terrific ensemble, great dialogue and genuine emotion runs throughout the movie which is nice to see. The projection of the movie made for Rachel and the tour of her room definitely made me cry.

This is a charming and, in the end, incredibly sad coming-of-age film. It is, however, burdened and undermined to a certain degree by its tendency toward being—choose your adjective—adorable, chic, fashionable, stylish. It tells the story of withdrawn Pittsburgh high-school senior Greg (Thomas Mann), his best friend Earl (RJ Cyler), and their entry into the life of another student, Rachel (Olivia Cooke), as she fights cancer. The trio of leads are easy to warm to, and the film puts forth a heartfelt, minor-key variation on teen-movie clichés, such as a faux-anthropological grouping of cafeteria-table cliques. The wheel is not reinvented, but it is spun well. There is, though, a self-conscious veneer of Wes Anderson-lite idiosyncrasy (scenes, for example, are introduced with verbose "This Is the Part Where..." chapter titles), and it distracts and detracts rather than enhances. Content and form intertwine perfectly in the best Anderson films (could a gem such as The Grand Budapest play any other way?), but the gulf is never perfectly bridged in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I still cried a lot, though.

B

publicenemy#1, I agree re: saying Rachel will survive. A bit of an ugly move. And then they try to pretend it is because he thought she would survive at the time when the narration is clearly always coming from a Greg in the future who knows how everything turns out.

Also, to blindly segue into uncomfortable racial territory, I am surprised the portrayal of Earl's "bad neighborhood" (and his brother with his big-balled pit bull) has not angered anyone. Very broad, isn't it?

This was used beautifully in the film, was surprised to see it was from the 70s and not an original piece lol.

Another Green World is a great album in general.

"The Big Ship" is also used in The Lovely Bones, if I remember correctly. It is becoming the dead-girl theme.

I think this would have honestly benefited from being maybe 20 minutes longer. Something about it felt rushed to me and it lessened the emotional impact to a certain degree. That being said for the most part I highly enjoyed this and found the characters likable and relatable. The best scene in the movie hands-down, and one of the best scenes of the year, is the sequence between Rachel and Greg near the middle of the movie. It is emotionally raw and powerful and the only scene here that made me cry. Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann and Ronald Cyler III were all great and I loved the supporting work from a hilarious Molly Shannon and the ever-reliable Connie Britton, Nick Offerman and Jon Bernthal. This won't reinvent the wheel on teen movies but it's sensitive, clever and heartfelt - and more than worth checking out. B+

I was unimpressed with this. The screenplay felt like the writer took Quirky Independent Screenplays 101 and was checking off boxes. It also focused on the wrong person, in my opinion. Thomas Mann gives a solid performance, but I kept feeling like I didn't really care about Greg. Rachel and Earl are more interesting but sadly have nowhere near as much depth. I was also strangely unmoved by the film's ending. It was certainly sad, but I just didn't connect. C

I saw it Wednesday. Wonderful movie! Hilarious and heartbreaking. I laughed out loud a lot but cried like a baby as well. Thomas Mann and Olivia Cooke are terrific. There's this scene that's shot in one take and the acting in that scene is so damn good.

I wish this movie were doing better at the Box Office. It deserves to find an audience. One of my favorites so far this year.

9/10 (A)

Really enjoyed it. It has its heart in the right place without being overly dramatic. The performances across the board are great (Mann has a complete 180 from Project X).

Sidenote: Cooke is cute but Katherine Hughes (Madison) = smokeshow

This movie wishes it had half of the heart as Inside Out. I was watching bits and pieces of it again today at work and I just think so much of it doesn't work because of the ridiculous characters. It works best when it is between the two main characters for sure. I stand by the fact that the scene where she tells him she is stopping treatment is a fucking fantastic scene. I wish the rest of the movie was like that.

I went in not expecting much. I came out almost loving it. It's a little too precious at times, and there's something about that hospital scene...should've hit harder. What the hell did she see in that movie? It might have been a cheat to not show any of the completed movie, but I think a slow zoom on her up to her face would've worked much better. The reaction shots of her face (and those eyes) are ultimately why that scene worked in the long run. But the real killer scenes are when she "gives up" and Greg finding the squirrels. Best acting so far this year.

Speaking of acting, Thomas Mann is really good here, but Olivia Cooke is going to be the one to watch. Those eyes (and her performance here) are going to make her a star. Can't wait to see more from her.

**** (A-)

I've honestly felt Cooke was something special just from the first season of Bates Motel. She deserves better than crap like Ouija and The Quiet Ones. I'm glad she got a chance to show off how talented she is with this movie.

Let's not forget that piece of music in the hospital scene. All of it together definitely had me in tears and I actually thought it was a great scene. But not nearly as great as the one between her and Greg where she tells him she's quitting chemo. This scene was very powerful and made me ugly cry . Great acting there. One of my favorite scenes of the year so far.

Why is Olivia Cooke always dying?