Film Bite: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

 The exotic after school snacks makes for a funny bit in the movie

I’ve looked at three interviews with Jesse Andrews, the writer of both the book and screenplay of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and no where does he say that it’s based on a true story, so I assume it’s a work of fiction; however, the basis of the film seems to ring true to me. It’s easy to imagine that as a senior in high school, perhaps he was able to fly under the radar of all the cliques, by knowing at least one member of each. And that his semi-anonymous status was ruined after his mother made him befriend a neighbor’s daughter recently diagnosed with Leukemia.  Even the funny, terrible movie parodies, based on classic films with titles like Eyes Wide Butt, 2:48 Cowboy, My Dinner with Andre the Giant and A Sockwork Orange, could have been something a budding writer could have come up with as a kid…. Well, whether based on truth of fully fabricated, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s movie works on many levels: coming-of-age, buddy flick, high school movie, tearjerker, and inventive indie, all rolled into one.

Comparisons of course are being made between Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and The Fault in Our Stars (click for T&T post) They’re both books to movies aimed at a young adult audience using humor to defuse the bleakness of staring mortality in the face at such a young age.  But Fault is a straight up story about falling in love and Earl tries to pretend it’s not.

Below is a video with the young cast (Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann & RJ Cyler ) discussing their roles,working together and what they hope people will take away from the movie:

(Reel & Dine): Philly Film, Food & Events Blog