Written by Jesse Andrews, based on his novel
Starring Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler and Jon Bernthal
High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer.
A heartfelt and profound look into the mindset of a high school introvert and his interactions with his peers, the filmmaker takes a not so original concept and completely redesigns a genre with his style. The story unfolds with painfully honest performances from the young cast and the brilliantly unique cinematography.
I was transported back to my high school days through the similarities between the main characters life and my own. So perhaps the nostalgia I felt altered my opinion, but I'll be damned if this is not universally a great movie.
This is possible the first young adult/teenage drama that isn't overly melodramatic and sappy. The characters never sound off on pretentious rants of why they're smarter than the adults telling them to not do the things they should definitely not do and don't quote outdated philosophy or ideologies that don't make any sense (I'm looking at you "Paper Towns"!).
These teenage characters feel real. They feel as though they were written by someone who actually went to high school on planet Earth and aren't an alien posing as a human (John Green). And more importantly, the characters were likable (Unlike "The Fault in Our Stars"). I guess what I'm trying to say is that John Green could learn a thing or two from Jesse Andrews. Go see this movie!
My Rating: 10/10
