Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

[weekender]

Caught this yesterday, thought it was pretty good.  I don't usually go in for teenage 'coming of age' type stories, but this one had some good ratings and I was bored.  Plus everyone seems to be ignoring it and I like a plucky underdog.

Anyway, it's a story about a boy called Greg who has a friend called Earl, and how Greg's mother forces him to do something nice and spend some time with a girl called Rachel, who has been diagnosed with leukaemia.  Happy times.

No real spoilers will be in this post, so I won't tell you what happens.  It's not overly long, which is something I've noticed in films recently - it takes exactly the right amount of time to tell the story, there's no padding or dull moments.  There's some lovely visual gags - Greg and Earl make movies in their spare time, all of which are based on real films so you get stupid things like - and this isn't really a spoiler as such but I'll put it behind a tag anyway -

Spoiler alert

'2.48pm Cowboy', which is just Earl walking down a busy street

[close]

.  I don't think I caught all of them, but a good few raised some smiles.

Ultimately, I like the concise review from one of the song's soundtracks (which again, I'm not revealing) - it's a reminder that "life can be unfair but also beautiful", which I don't think gives anything away.  Being autistic, I don't really understand emotions, but I am led to understand that this film can be quite affecting to some people as it made some people in the cinema cry.  Sometimes a film can be incredibly mawkish when it comes to things like that, but I don't think there were any such moments in this.

Actually, having reviewed all the films I've seen this year, this one's pretty near the top.  I'd recommend it.

[Sam]

Are you actually autistic?

My wife saw this and loved it. Came back assuring me I'd like it because one of the characters did homages to 'that crazy German director you always go on about'.

[Van Dammage]

Is it a it The fault in our stars - ish?

[weekender]

Are you actually autistic?

Never been formally diagnosed, but it wouldn't surprise me.  I was the only person in the cinema not crying at certain points during the film, but that's not that surprising because there were only four other people in there and they were all teenage girls and I am a manly 'man-man' man.

Is it a it The fault in our stars - ish?

I don't know, I haven't seen that.  Would you like me to watch that tomorrow and report back with a comparison?  I'm honestly not being sarcastic, I've got tomorrow off and have found a copy of 'Stars' fairly easily, so don't really mind.

[Van Dammage]

Ah balls just saw the post now. Did you watch it on your day off?

[Noodle Lizard]

I still don't quite know what to make of Fault In Our Stars.  The first 20 minutes are unbearably smug and Juno-ish, but then it sort of goes ... somewhere.  I dunno.  It did a better job of avoiding overwrought sentimentality than I thought it would, I suppose.  Still don't know if I'd say it was "good" though, and you can definitely tell it's been adapted from a novel (weird sequences which you'd forgive in print, but are usually cut from film adaptations).

[weekender]

Ah balls just saw the post now. Did you watch it on your day off?

No, didn't get round to watching 'Fault', sorry.  I still have it to watch though, will try and do that at some point so at least I can drum up some interest in this 'Earl' film.

I still really enjoyed 'Earl', and would like to watch it again to try and pick up on things I didn't see the first time.

It may not be perfect - I think it takes some time to get going, for example - but I really think it deserves more than the ignoring that it seems to be getting.

[BritishHobo]

I've not seen the film of Fault in Our Stars, but had a major problem with the book and the unbearably twee and quirky protagonists, especially their dialogue, which felt so unnatural in its random wackiness.

While Me, Earl and the Dying Girl (saw it at Odeon's Screen Unseen) feels like it should be similarly unbearable, with the strange films and the slanted take on high school drama, the whole thing came across as far more authentic.

[confettiinmyhair]

Weekender is right, the film deserves more attention. It is pretty good. However what presents it from being the smash hit indie, a 2015 equivalent to Juno or Little Miss Sunshine, is the unremarkable performances of the supporting cast. I felt the teacher role would've been more suited to Nick Offerman, who didn't quite fit right Greg's Dad. In fact all the 'adults' in the film are pretty disappointing.

[weekender]

Is it a it The fault in our stars - ish?

I finally got round to watching Fault and whilst there are obvious similarities, I felt that Fault concentrated more on the sad part of having an illness, whereas Earl managed to focus more on the positives.

I felt more of an emotional connection with Earl than I did with Fault, but that's probably just because I found the main guy in Fault to be somewhat unlikeable.

Both are good, but I'd probably nudge Earl over Fault.

I'm not very good being a film critic, sorry.

[non capisco]

^Yes. The main guy in Me & Earl is very likeable. The main guy in A Fault In Our Stars is a total throbber. And if I saw a pair of youngsters demonstrably making it all about them in the Anne Frank house I'd give them a damn good tutting at, cancer or not.

[BritishHobo]

Don't the people in the Anne Frank House applaud them, too? Fuck off.

Not seen the film, but the lead was definitely a huge bulging knob-end in the book. Hipster quirky shit about ninjas and whatever. Prick.

[weekender]

Don't the people in the Anne Frank House applaud them, too? Fuck off.

Not seen the film, but the lead was definitely a huge bulging knob-end in the book. Hipster quirky shit about ninjas and whatever. Prick.

Assuming you're talking about 'Fault', then yes, I agree.  The applauding the kissing in the Anne Frank house was just shit, the only reason I carried on watching it was because I had a cold and could do nothing else but lie on the sofa yesterday afternoon.

If you're talking about 'Earl', then I'm not so sure.  'Earl' is different in its approach.  The 'hipster quirky shit' isn't that; it's Earl and Greg making fun movies as kids.  They're not doing it to be hipsters, or to be quirky - they do it just because they're mates and they're young.  Then they get introduced to some dying girl and the film happens.

Which is why I'm minded towards 'Earl' being a better film.  It just tells a story better.

I'm still at this position.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Am hearing this title sung to the tune of Me And You And A Dog Named Blue.

[Entropy Balsmalch]

Watched this the other night.

It'd been lurking on my hard drive for ages, but I'd got it in to my head it was going to be a wacky gross-out style thing or "Zak and Woman make a porno" affair.

It is in fact a beautiful little film.

If it's about, watch it with your eyes and ears.

And, I had a friend round, but if they hadn't been , I would've blubbed like a bastard.

[weekender]

It is in fact a beautiful little film.

Aye.

With hindsight, I think the main problem from the potential audience perspective was the title. 

I might watch it again in the near future, I remember really enjoying it, and doing that thing in the cinema where I try not to cry even though I'm actually crying through my eyes although it must be stress levels obviously.

[weekender]

With hindsight, I realise that it was hayfever season.

[Entropy Balsmalch]

I'm one of the least socially adept people you could meet (well, not, cause if you meet me I'm probably pretending to be "work" me and he's pretty charming, if peculiar) and score in the 40s on the spectrum.

I'm dreadful at picking up on the emotion of real situations, but, and certainly since I quit drinking, a well played drama about death, particularly when it's well scored, as was the case here, will set me off every time.

I think it's because, like most of responses, it's learned. It's also a sort of sign of appreciation. If a film is meant to make you sad and it's well made, then you can't applaud. Do a soggy clap with your eye flippers.

Also, it makes me think about my cat dying. Boo.

[hewantstolurkatad]

It's nowhere near as bad as some people have said (doesn't come close to those Way Way Back levels), it's not great either.

Been a while but I remember it suffering from a director trying way too hard, and having a bit too much Me and not enough of the other two (Earl in particular is a non-character).