Book and Film Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews is the story of Greg and Earl, whom Greg refers to as his “coworker” because they make satirical and punny films together — and because he is too afraid to call anyone his friend.

The story is told looking back at when Greg’s mom forced him to be friends with a girl named Rachel, who was just diagnosed with leukemia. Greg, who has always protected himself from ever getting hurt by not having any real friends, must now befriend a girl who will inevitably hurt him. It may sound like a sad story, but it is much bigger than just a TFIOS copycat. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a concoction of awkward, quirky, hilarity that grabbed my attention from the very first page.

The book is hilarious and charming, despite the narrator’s insistence that it is horrible. Greg — the narrator and the “Me” in the title — is so self-deprecating throughout the book that he even suggests that he has a fungus eating his brain. He continues with the bit:

“Let’s just say that it would explain a lot of things if there were a fungus eating my brain. Although that fungus would have to have been eating my brain for basically my entire life. At this point it is possible that the fungus has gotten bored and left, or died from malnutrition or something.”

The book has a unique, quirky humor that not everyone enjoys, but to those who do, this book is a jackpot of real laugh-out-loud moments. Some of the book is written in script form, which not only matches perfectly with how the character of Greg would attempt to write the story — being the amateur filmmaker that he is — but it also lends itself to more hilarity.

Yes, there is a dying girl, but just as the narrator declares, it is “not a touching romantic story.” The book sticks to that declaration, and just as you feel emotions start to creep up on you, the story shifts in some way, like changing to a script format, which allows the reader to see beyond the sadness of the moment and to actually analyze what there is to learn from this story and what can be applied to our own lives. Greg is surviving life but not really living it. He messes up in a lot of ways, but he is just a boy trying to figure it all out; and, maybe through living his story with him, we can feel like we also got a second chance to truly live life.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is now a movie as well, and when you love a book, it can be scary to see it turned into a movie. In the words of Greg:

“When you convert a good book to a film, stupid things happen. God only knows what would happen if you tried to convert this unstoppable barf-fest into a film. The FBI would probably have to get involved. There’s a chance you could consider it an act of terrorism.”

This adaptation, however, is a really good one; no need to call the FBI. I found the film to be sharp and authentic to both the book and reality. As movie adaptations go, things were left out and things were changed. For instance, the ending was much more dramatic and touching than the book. But, as a visual translation of the book, I think the changes were necessary to telling the story.

It was Jesse Andrew’s screenplay that made the difference. I think the best adaptations come from the authors who wrote the original book. It is their story, so all other versions are just that: versions. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s directing gave the movie a John Hughes essence, and Thomas Mann’s portrayal of Greg echoed a young Anthony Michael Hall. I happened to meet the director and cast at a Street Food Cinema event in May.

The film has received ten awards, including The Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award and The Grand Jury Prize for Drama. The wins have some critics smelling Oscars, which may be right. Whiplash won the same two Sundance prizes last year and then went on to win three out of five Oscar nominations this year.

Whether it makes it to the Academy Awards or not, the buzz surrounding this film is getting louder. It is a hilarious, unconventional story that you should experience for yourself. So, if you haven’t already, go watch it, or read it, or both!