Now I know what are you thinking, “Oh great, another teenage book adaption, like no one has heard of that one before.”
*scoff*
OR I might be totally off the track here, and you’re genuinely interested in the adaption because you’ve read the book. No? Oh it’s still completely alright because this is safe space where we do not judge (exceptions might be applicable). While the general description of the plot might give you ‘The fault in our stars’ vibes, this book/movie is very different in a lot of ways. But you’ll only get to know that when I stop babbling like a baboon and get on the damn point. Alright so first of all, facts: this wonderful coming of age movie was released in the year 2015, and is based on the book of the same name written by Jesse Andrews (2012). It stars Thomas Mann (Greg Gaines), RJ Cyler (Earl Jackson) and Olivia Cooke (Rachel Kushner) as the main cast. The film has received positive reviews from the audience as well as critics and has won the Sundance Film Festival Grand jury prize as well as the audience award. Boring? Never mind.
So the story is narrated by Greg Gains who claims to have mapped out the perfect plan for surviving the high school by not being a part of any of the typical high school cliques and at the same time being a part of all of them, I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense but that’s him. And while he’s a lot like our average awkward and “not like others” protagonist he’s still unique enough to leave an impact. The story begins when Greg is forced by his mom to hang out with an old friend who’s been diagnosed with leukemia, Rachel. Now while our protagonist claims to not have any friends, he would agree that Earl Jackson is the closest person to fit into the category. Now the catch, Greg and Earl have been making movies since they were 11 and by far they’ve made 42 movies in total. *gasps in theatre* But don’t put your head on the ceiling, the movies cannot be called good under any standards. Now it’s sort of obvious that no one actually knows about the movies, and no one’s allowed to watch them but an exception is made for Rachel because, C’mon she is dying (no spoilers, it’s in the title) and then somehow Greg and Earl are roped into making a movie for Rachel. I know you think that this is all so predictable and that they make a skyscraper level good movie and it’s all touching and meaningful. Well, if you actually think that, you might be in for a surprise.
While the book presents an immaculate narration which will make you cry, from laughing or from… well, the usual this-book-broke-my-heart crying, I’ll not be specifying on that. The movie unfolds in an equally interesting way, with amazing performances by the cast, there’s a fitting soundtrack and amazing direction with some crazy-creative shots (I actually have no knowledge of the technical stuff, but it’s pretty to look at). Not everything is line-to-line accurate and several improvisations have been made but it’s all for the best and I feel pretty satisfied with the movie as the person who has read the book. And truth be told, it’s going to hold a special place among my favorites and both, the movie and the book are highly recommended.
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