Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Pittsburgh high school senior Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) is a painfully shy, self-conscious kid who would rather remain invisible and eat lunch alone—or watch Werner Herzog movies in the office of his history teacher (Jon Bernthal)—than be part of any cafeteria clique. Yet, like everyone else, Greg also yearns for acceptance. Along with his best friend and fellow aspiring filmmaker Earl (RJ Cyler), Greg makes short parodies of classic and foreign films (including Senior Citizen Kane and A Sockwork Orange). Greg lives in a middle-class suburb with his eccentric professor father (Nick Offerman) and overbearing mother (Connie Britton), who forces him to befriend a neighbor's (Molly Shannon) daughter, Rachel (Olivia Cooke), who has been diagnosed with leukemia. When Rachel brusquely retorts that she doesn't want his pity, Greg bluntly tells her, “I'm not here because I pity you. I'm here because my mom is making me.” As they talk, Rachel recognizes Greg's insecurity, and a strong bond begins to grow between them. Watching Greg and Earl's silly spoofs brightens Rachel's day, particularly when her treatment gets tough. Cleverly adapted by Jesse Andrews from his 2012 YA novel and sensitively directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, this insightful, wryly inventive, coming-of-age story is one of the best films of the year. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, deleted scenes (12 min.), an “Abstract: Movie for Rachel” segment (5 min.), the brief “Greg's Trailer,” a photo gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the production featurettes “This is Where You Learn How the Movie Was Made” (39 min.), “A Conversation with Martin Scorsese and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon” (34 min.), and “Greg Gaines and Earl Jackson Productions” (5 min.), the brief “The Complete Jackson/Gaines Filmography,” and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine YA film.] (S. Granger)