2015 was a very good year for the Sundance, featuring a number of films that could replicate the Oscar anomaly of 2014 (“Boyhood,” “Whiplash”). A lot of films made big splashes and earned critical acclaim (“Dope,” “Brooklyn” and “End Of The Tour” being three big standouts), but the festival’s biggest breakout this year was not-so-arguably the bittersweet coming of age comedy “Me And Earl And The Dying Girl” which won the coveted Sundance audience award and the festival’s award for best dramatic feature.
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (who helmed episodes of “Glee,” “American Horror Story” and the 2014 remake of “The Town That Dreaded Sundown”), “Me And Earl And The Dying Girl” is funny, fast, cinema-obsessed and genuinely touching —it’s no wonder it’s being heralded as a new teen comedy classic and is screening in tandem with the 30th anniversary of “The Breakfast Club” (read our review from Sundance here). Here’s the synopsis
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL is the uniquely funny, moving story of Greg (Thomas Mann), a high school senior who is trying to blend in anonymously, avoiding deeper relationships as a survival strategy for navigating the social minefield that is teenage life. He even describes his constant companion Earl (RJ Cyler), with whom he makes short film parodies of classic movies, as more of a ‘co-worker’ than a best friend. But when Greg’s mom (Connie Britton) insists he spend time with Rachel (Olivia Cooke) – a girl in his class who has just been diagnosed with cancer – he slowly discovers how worthwhile the true bonds of friendship can be.
Starring Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, R.J. Cyler with Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal and Connie Britton, “Me And Earl And The Dying Girl” opens in limited release on June 12th. Check out the first trailer below.
