An adaptation of a young adult novel based around the teenager dying of cancer? It may look like Fault in Our Stars redux, but Me and Earl and the Dying Girl certainly treads a different path. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Jesse Andrews‘ script (based on his own book) blends a love for classic cinema with a certain charm, matched by stylish direction by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and today brings the first trailer.
We said in our review out of Sundance that it’s director “with remarkable control, creativity and fervor,” a film that is “equal parts a homage to classic cinema and a heart-wrenching romantic comedy with earned emotion.” Starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, and Molly Shannon, check out the first trailer below ahead of a June release.
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.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl opens on June 12th.