Me and Earl and the Dying Girl movie quotes follow high school students who make a movie for a classmate diagnosed with cancer. Based on the book of the same name by Jesse Andrews, who also penned the screenplay, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directed the comedy-drama film. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl first premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic and the Audience Award for U.S. Drama before opening theatrically on June 12, 2015.
In Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) is an antisocial and awkward high school senior in Pennsylvania. When his parents (Connie Britton and Nick Offerman) inform him that classmate Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke) has been diagnosed with leukemia, they strongly suggest that Greg hang out with her to ease her suffering. Neither Greg or Rachel are too interested in that idea, but they do so anyway, including adding classmate Earl (Ronald Cyler II) to their crew.
So when Earl explains to Rachel that he and Greg make horrible movies, Greg and Earl embark on making a movie for Rachel. But when the movie comes out terribly, Greg focuses the failure on himself, despite others urging him to quit his self loathing when his problems pale in comparison to Rachel's. Whether he likes it or not, this forces Greg to break out of his awkward funk and look at himself honestly.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is just one of several great films opening in June 2015 alongside the likes of Jurassic World, Entourage, Spy, and San Andreas.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Movie Quotes,
Rachel's Been Diagnosed with Leukemia
Mrs. Gaines: Your father and I want to talk to you about something sad.
Greg: What? What happened?
Mrs. Gaines: Well, I just got off the phone with Denise Kushner. You know Denise?
Greg: Not really
Mrs. Gaines: You're friends with Rachel though.
Greg: Yeah, I mean, we're like acquainted.
Mrs. Gaines: Rachel's been diagnosed with leukemia. They just found out.
Greg: Oh god, is that serious?
Mrs. Gaines: They're doing all kinds of tests. They're doing everything they can. They just don't know.
Greg: Man, that sucks.
Mrs. Gaines: You're right. It sucks.
Greg: It sucks really bad.
Mr. Gaines: It sucks quite a bit.
Mrs. Gaines: You might be someone who could make Rachel feel better.
Greg's parents explain to him that his classmate Rachel has cancer, which they all agree really sucks. Also on the list of things that suck according to Greg: The fact that his folks are forcing him to hang out with her now.
I Don't Need Your Stupid Pity
Rachel: Look, I don't want you hanging out with me. I don't need your stupid pity. It's fine. You can just go.
Greg: No, hey, hey, you got it all wrong. I'm not here cause I pity you. I'm actually here cause my mom is making me.
Rachel: It's actually worse.
Greg: Yeah, I know.
Rachel: Look, it's okay. Honestly, I'm fine. Just, just go.
Greg: Rachel, just listen to me for a second. My mom is going to turn my life into a living hell if I don't hang out with you. I can't overstate how annoying she's being about this. She's basically like the LeBron James of nagging. LeBron James plays basketball.
Rachel: I know who LeBron James is.
Greg: Look, I know I'm not doing you any favors here. What I'm asking is for you to do me a favor.
Rachel: You want a favor from me?
Greg: Yes, just let me hang out with you for one day. I can tell my mom we hung out then we'll just be out of each other's lives. Deal?
Rachel: Deal.
Greg: Word!
Rachel: Is that a black power salute?
Greg: No, I was going in for a fist bump.
Rachel: I can't fist bump you from up here.
When Greg approaches Rachel to hang out in the wake of her diagnosis, neither are too interested with the idea of becoming friends. She reluctantly agrees to one day with Greg and the two begin their time together.
Enter a Subhuman State
Rachel: Everyone is going to find out sooner or later.
Greg: One thing you can do if you don't want to talk to anyone is just enter a subhuman state. Pretend you're someone annoying.
Rachel: 'Hi Rachel, I'm really sorry you have cancer.'
Greg: That's exactly what I'm talking about! [in his head] So if this was a touching romantic story, this is where our eyes would meet and we would be furiously making out with the fire of a thousand suns, but this isn't a touching romantic story. [out loud] Anyway
Rachel: Yup
When Rachel speaks about her cancer, she remarks that she doesn't want to really discuss it with anyone. Greg offers a unique way to deal with those situations as well as some steamy inner monologue.
You and Greg Are Coworkers?
Rachel: So you and Greg are coworkers?
Earl: Nah, we friends. He just hate calling people his friend. Dude's got issues.
Rachel: Yeah, he does. What's going on?
Earl: Man, I don't even know. It might be his folks. I mean, dude's mom always tell him how handsome he is, which he ain't. So now he think he can't trust anybody close to him. Dude's weird ass dad don't socialize with anybody 'cept the cat. That a role model ain't got no friends. Bottom line, dude's terrified of calling somebody his friend and they saying, 'hey bro, I'm not your friend.' Then he have to kill himself.
Rachel: But how are you coworkers?
Earl: We um, we make films.
Rachel: Movies?
Earl: Yeah, we been making them for a few years now. We have like 42 in total.
Rachel: Greg! You never told me!
Earl: Well, we never told anybody about them. They suck, I mean, they're terrible.
Rachel: I'm pretty sure they don't suck.
...
Greg: The idea behind each one was, we took a film we liked and made the title stupider and then made a new film to reflect the new title. It's a formula that only produces horrible films but for some reason we keep using it.
Earl explains to Rachel why he and Greg are coworkers in that they create terrible films. He also touches on why Greg is the way he is with friends, or lack there of.
Now Is Not the Time
Rachel: You guys are making a movie for me?
Greg: We tried a bunch of stuff and it's not that good.
...
Madison: Now is not the time for your 'I'm Greg, I suck and nothing I ever do is good' thing.
When Greg responds negatively to his film he made for Rachel, Madison attempts to get him out of his self-absorbed funk. Once of these days he needs to thing about others and Madison thinks that day is today.
I'm So Tired of You
Greg: We agreed to do a film that we have no idea what it should look like or even be. What was I thinking?
...
Earl: I'm so tired of you treating this girl like she's a burden because somebody actually cares about you. Her life is over after this!
Earl unloads on Greg in response to Greg's self loathing. He reminds Greg that Greg has his whole life ahead of him while Rachel's cancer means she likely does not have the same bright opportunities available to her.
The Story of My Senior Year
Greg: I have no idea how to tell this story, even how to start it. This is the story of my senior year of high school and how it destroyed my life. All right, this is the story of my senior year of high school and how me and Earl made a film so bad, it literally killed someone. Okay, maybe that's not what happened, but my friend Rachel did get cancer and me and Earl did make a film and none of our lives would ever be the same.
In a voice over, Greg explains his story, which is also the plot of the film. He and friend Earl made a horrible movie for fellow friend Rachel, who has cancer.