[yasr_overall_rating]
A teenage filmmaker befriends a classmate with cancer.
Get your tissue and just hold it! The crazy thing about this film is that you know from the beginning that it isn’t going to end well, and when you’re told it’s not what you think, you believe it, and just as soon as your emotions are tied into it, the worst happens and you’re sad, not because of what happens, but because you were sucker-punched. This film is about being hit with the truths of life and finding amazing ways to soften every single blow.
Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) is an oddball high school student who has dissected every student at school into subgroups. Instead of throwing a pity party because he doesn’t fit into any of the groups, he makes it his duty to become a silent partner in every group. His childhood friend Earl (Ronald Cyler II), is lovingly referred to as his co-worker because of the many films they have produced together as misfits. The relationship between Greg and Earl is the foundation of human frailty that builds this film up and breaks it right back down.
Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke) is the dying girl (Jewish subgroup) who has been diagnosed with Leukemia. The moment Greg’s mother (Connie Britton) and father (Nick Offerman) relay the information to their son, is the moment you realize he never had a chance in hell at being a normal kid. When the demand from his mom to spend time with Rachel to make her feel better appears to backfire due to Rachel’s opposition, Greg pleads with Rachel to allow him to appease her just one day in order for his mother who is the “Lebron James of nagging” to get off his back.
While very awkward at the beginning, the relationship between Greg and Rachel slowly develops into a unique friendship that thrives in the confines of her bedroom and extends to circumvent the relationship between Greg and Earl. In the midst of getting totally engrossed in Rachel and her illness, Greg neglects his schoolwork and loses the opportunity to go to college.
When Rachel decides she no longer wants to receive treatment, their blow–by-blow argument reveals a deeper bond and raw emotional attachment that doesn’t leave a dry eye in the theater. Having revealed that Earl had also exposed the secret of their making a film about Rachel, Greg cuts ties with both as he tries to deal with the emotions. Rachel’s impending death brings about an entire new set of emotions that brings everyone back together and revives the filmmaking project, as well as the college offer.
Having received the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award is no surprise as this film provided an excellent display of human nature at its best and worst. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon should be proud of his work. Don’t miss this opportunity to see this excellent adaptation of Jessie Andrews’ well written story.
In theaters June 19th
