Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Blu-ray Movie Review

Very little fault in these stars.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 10, 2015

There have been a number of teenage themed films dotting the landscape over the past few years, at least at times with overly self aware lead characters (who sometimes narrate the proceedings), films as disparate in subject matter if at least somewhat similar in tone as The Fault in Our Stars, The Way Way Back and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. While Me and Earl and the Dying Girl may in fact seem at times like a pastiche cobbled together from various tropes lifted more or less whole cloth from some of those very aforementioned films, this sweet, touching and often very funny outing manages to carve out its own completely distinctive identity, rather in fact like its winning if troubled hero, Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann, and, no, not that one). Greg, kind of like Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is writing something as the film opens, and like several other entries in this subgenre, Greg’s voiceover continues to anchor the proceedings as the film progresses (along with some trenchant subtitles indicating various relationship progressions). In a plot gambit that will strike some as almost deliberately reminiscent of The Fault in Our Stars, Greg becomes friends with a high school girl named Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke) who has recently been diagnosed with cancer, specifically leukemia. Greg does not become friends willingly, forced to do through the nagging of his mother (Connie Britton), and it should be noted that Rachel herself is not especially excited about the relationship, either, having been coaxed into it by her mother (Molly Shannon). The film charts the course of this unlikely pairing, also working in an often hilarious sidebar that involves Greg’s lifelong buddy Earl (Ronald Cyler II), who, together with Greg, has crafted scores of “films” that are deliciously demented little parodies of iconic titles like Midnight Cowboy and A Clockwork Orange. I’ve taken a bit of heat at times (what else is new?) for not out and out loving some of these teen-centric films, but for a number of reasons Me and Earl and the Dying Girl resonated much more successfully for me personally than others in this somewhat odd stew of youth and at least the possibility of death. The film is whip smart and often laugh out loud hilarious, and it manages to tiptoe right up to the precipice of a maudlin sensibility before jerking back into a proper teenaged cynicism which strikes this father of teenagers as an absolutely accurate depiction of this roiling period in most kids’ lives, whether or not they’re confronting issues of mortality.

There’s a certain twee aspect to Me and Earl and the Dying Girl which it in fact shares with some of its other “youth and death” siblings, as evidenced by a cutaway pretty much straight out of the gate as Greg’s voiceover addresses what “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” might mean, which segues to a stop motion sequence, the first of several scattered throughout the film. It’s only a bit later that Greg’s avocation as a filmmaker and his facility with stop motion animation is actually presented to the audience, at which point this conceit at least seems a little bit more organically woven into the whole. But even this first outré trek into “Claymation” offers considerable whimsy, and when one of its chief images (a member of Pussy Riot playing a harp) manages to become a passing image in Greg’s real life, audiences should be on high alert that screenwriter Jesse Andrews (adapting his own novel) and director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon are going to be playing with the veil between illusion and reality and indeed the dialectic between a teen’s interior world and what he’s experiencing in “real life”.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is in fact a teen dramedy for adult cineastes, for it repeatedly references, both overtly and at times relatively subtly, a whole slew of different properties. Greg and Earl’s “production entity logo” bears a certain striking resemblance to a certain image appended to films by the iconic duo of Powell and Pressburger, and both Greg and Earl, as well as Greg’s professor father (Nick Offerman), are huge fans of Werner Herzog, with scenes from both Aguirre: The Wrath of God and My Best Fiend showing up at various times. Some of Greg’s “recreations” of Herzog’s inimitable patois may remind some Herzog fans of the hilarious (fake) “note to his cleaning lady” which went viral online a few years ago. These elements are not even inclusive of the many parodies of classic films that show up, at least in snippet form, as Greg convinces Rachel to let him into her life and then begins sharing his oeuvre with her.

While Me and Earl and the Dying Girl certainly plies much the same teenage angst territory as its cinematic kin, including the vagaries of surviving life in high school, the film is unexpectedly smart and moving at virtually every juncture. Things are helped enormously by extremely winning performances by its focal trio. Mann is just wonderful as the supposedly “self loathing” Greg, helped immensely by his huge doe eyes which threaten to burst into tears at any given moment. Olivia Cooke proves she’s far more than just one of the current crop of young “scream queens”, and in fact I’d place her performance squarely in competition with the critically lauded one by Shailene Woodley in The Fault in Our Stars, in what is in at least some ways much the same role. Ronald Cyler II provides quite a few laughs as Earl, even if some of them are cheap (the kid has a tendency to say “titties” at the slightest provocation). And the supporting cast is just as excellent, with Britton doing ace work as Greg’s mom, and Shannon hilariously inappropriate as Rachel’s hard drinking mother.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has a long history with some pretty iconic names in cinema, including a certain Martin Scorsese, and Gomez-Rejon's command of askew framing is one of this film's chief delights. Gomez-Rejon and cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung play with all sorts of crazy angles, as well as utilizing a variety of wide lenses (like, fisheye wide) to create hilarious visual indicators of teenage isolation. The film was shot digitally and overall boasts a sleek, sharp and clear image, one that hasn't been overly toyed with in terms of color grading. The (student) films within the film have a suitably gritty "small format" appearance, without much in the way of clarity or detail. A few wider shots lack the general levels of detail that are exhibited otherwise, and a couple of darker sequences offer only baseline shadow detail. Image stability is just fine and there are no compression issues to cause concern.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl features a workmanlike DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which springs to life in ubiquitous source cues (including winking takes on various iconic musical moments from various famous films), as well as a few nicely detailed sequences in the boisterous high school, with most of the surround activity coming courtesy of scenes placed in a chaotic lunchroom. Dialogue is delivered cleanly and clearly and there are no problems of any kind to address in this review.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 12:17) feature optional commentary by director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.


• Abstract: Movie for Rachel (1080p; 5:01) offers the complete film that Greg and Earl make for Rachel.


• This is Where You Learn How the Movie Was Made (1080p; 38:47) is a good set of featurettes that get into a number of production issues like its Pittsburgh setting and how Gomez-Rejon attempted to shoot chronologically.


• A Conversation with Martin Scorsese and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (1080p; 33:24) is a really charming conversation between the two, who have a history with each other.


• Greg's Trailer (1080p; 1:01)


• Greg Gaines and Earl Jackson Productions (1080p; 4:39) is a fun tour through the boys' oeuvre.


• The Complete Jackson/Gaines Filmography (1080p; 00:24) offers a continuing list of all of the parody titles. Have your remote pause button handy unless you're a really fast reader.


• Audio Commentary by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon


• Gallery (1080p; 6:33) offers both an Auto Advance and a Manual Advance option. The timing is for the Auto Advance option.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:27)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While Me and Earl and the Dying Girl did very well at Sundance, bringing home both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, it failed to connect at the box office as strongly as might have been, something that frankly kind of shocks me, given this film's technical expertise, strong, smart writing and pitch perfect performances. If you think you've seen all the "teen death" movies you need for one lifetime, I can't say I blame you, but take a chance on Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, especially if you're a film fan. This is a "teen death" film made for film fans (as horrible as that may sound). Technical merits are very strong, the supplementary package is excellent, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl comes Highly recommended.