Me and Earl and The Dying Girl - Interviews with the stars and director

Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann and RJ Cyler in, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

I know it has dying girl in the title, but trust me this movie is not a downer. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl has it's tear jerker moments but what truly stands out is that it's a celebration of life and with that comes a lot of humour and humanity.

The movie was a critical success at Sundance and rightfully so.  It's a funny movie about a teenager with leukemia, which isn’t a dark comedy but a playful one, mixed in with whimsical animations and parodies of classic films.  At the Sundance Film Festival, “Me and Earl” won the grand-jury prize, the audience award and a distribution deal with Fox Searchlight for its June 12 theatrical release. The movie centers on Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann), a high-school senior and cinema buff who cultivates an arm’s-length relationship with the world through cordial nods, wisecracks and fist bumps. He even calls his childhood pal Earl (RJ Cyler) his “co-worker.” They create twisted remakes of cinephile movies, such as “A Sockwork Orange” (made with sock puppets) and “The 400 Bros.” Greg’s mother (Connie Britton) learns his classmate Rachel (Olivia Cooke) has been diagnosed with leukemia, and tells him he should spend some time with her. He is reluctant at first, but over time the two hare a unique and touching bond that will ultimately change their lives forever.

First-time scriptwriter Jesse Andrews adapted the screenplay from his 2012 first novel of the same name. That mix of comedy and tragedy distinguishes “Me and Earl” from “The Fault in Our Stars,” about a teenage girl and boy who both have cancer. “Fault” opened a year ago while “Me and Earl” was in production.

I spoke with the three very talented and deightful stars of the film, Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke and R.J. Cyler as well as director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, a Texas native who has worked mostly in television (“American Horror Story” and “Glee.”)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is in theatres June 12th.