Hello Everyone!
Overview
I loved this book! Every minute of it and couldn’t help but find myself in hysterics during the epilogue, when Greg says that the novel should never be made into a movie. All of the love, hysterics and depth that is in the book is in the movie, and for those who do not wish to read the rest of this article with spoilers, the book is a identical to the movie except for the end. Personally, I actually find myself liking the end of the movie rather than the book. The novel is very choice. It doesn’t filter any of the language, thoughts or innuendos of a boy. The humor can work for some and not for others, which is often where reviews of the work differ. As for me, I didn’t mind it so much and found it very comical. A wonderful 5 out of 5 stars, with a 98% for this work.
****Spoliers****
This is where I am going to compare the book to the movie. I was lucky enough to see a pre-screening of the film in mid April, so I can do this review for you having seen the movie.
If you do not want to be spoiled for the book or the movie, please leave now and come back when you have read/watched it.
Below is a detailed list of all of the differences that I was able to remember/tell. However, I felt that none of these majorly changed the feel of the book or movie.
List:
The audience is introduced to Greg while he is writing the novel. His indie movie making style is mixed into the movie from this point on and actually adds a very nice touch (in my opinion). Because the film as a medium does not have chapter headings, text periodically shows up on the screen. This text is used to portray the amount of time Greg and Rachel have been friends or to add humor in the way the chapter titles did in the novel.
Greg’s monologue introduction of his school from the book is copied straight into the movie. However, it does not mention that he went to Jewish school. The categories, specifically Upper-Middle-Class Senior Jewish Girl Sub-Clique 2a, are all the same and still include Naomi and Anna. However, Greg does not specifically mention the exact Clique Rachel is in until later in the film.
Dr. Victor Gaines is in the move more prevalently than in the book. We are introduced to him in the scene when Greg’s mother tells his about Rachel, however he is not introduced until later in the book.
The Gaines sisters are removed from the movie entirely but it does not lack in their absence. Also, Earl’s family is limited to Maxwell and his dog on screen, though others are vaguely mentioned.
Greg-acil is still used in the movie as Greg’s “pick up” line to Rachel. It is still just as awkward as it is in the book.
The dialogue used in the fight between Greg and his mother over going/calling to Rachel is straight from the book.
The conversation between Earl and Greg about Rachel in Mr. McCarthy’s room is changed to discuss Rachel’s boobs rather than her “Cave of Wonders”. This is for obvious rating reasons.
Francesca and the Pillows are still very much in the movie, and the dialogue is straight from the book. Additionally, Rachel’s Huge Jackman poster is present in the movie.
Throughout the movie, Greg continues to mention the “If this was a normal teenage romance movie,” and tells the audience that in the end, Rachel doesn’t die. This continues until she actually does die, and then he explains himself. I actually really enjoyed this aspect because I felt it replaced the whole “I can’t believe you are still reading this” pieces that Greg includes in the book.
Earl and Greg do become obsessed with Aguirre, the Wrath of God, however they do not remake it. The movie just decides that they will make spin offs of old movies.
The scene of Mr. McCarthy, Greg, Earl and the Pho is present in both adaptations, though they never recognize where the drugs actually came from in the book, were in the movie, Earl traces it back to him being given them. Respect the Research also makes it into the film. In the film, when Greg insults Scott Mayhew, he gets revenge by bringing it up in class that Earl and Greg thought that Mr. McCarthy’s Pho was drugged.
Greg and Earl go to Rachel’s house while they are high in both adaptations, however, they go for popsicles in the movie instead of ice cream
Pretty sure that Greg’s arm isn’t broken ever in the movie however he still goes to visit Rachel and they both discuss college.
The “Chipmunk Effect” Greg describes in the book is portrayed in the film, however the pretty girls are Moose instead of Elephants. I believe this has something to do with screen size.
The regretful Polar Bear comes in later in the movie than in the book, and is placed during the scene when Rachel tells Greg that he was right saying she was going to die.
Madison is still very present throughout the movie, though there is not backstory on any of Greg’s past girls.
Greg tries every method in the book to make Rachel’s movie including the interview with Rachel’s mother and the interviews from the students.
Rachel and Greg get more mad in the movie than in the book over the fact that Rachel has decided to stop Chemo. This creates a division between them that prevents them from talking for the rest of the movie.
The above leads into the fight between Earl and Greg about the movie and Earl telling Rachel that him and Greg were making one for her. Earl does punch Greg but then he leaves him. They don’t start getting back together until Greg see’s Earl’s tape to Rachel and Earl saves Greg from a fight.
So from this point on, the movie is different from the book. In the movie, Greg has been getting bad grades and gets kicked out of Pitt, which freaks his parents out. Rachel knows this too, and she wants him to stop putting himself down. Earl and Greg realize they have a deadline and attempt to finish the film for Rachel. Greg’s conversation over grades with Mr. McCarthy is changed into a discussion over how someone can continue to live after someone has passed, which is a continuing theme throughout the movie. Madison asks Greg to prom but rather than him going, he is convinced by his Taxi driver to go talk to the women he likes, so he goes to talk to Rachel, who has been put back into the hospital. So Greg, in prom attire, goes to the hospital, gives Rachel the corsage, shows her the film, during which her system starts to fail and Greg is pushed out of the room. We hear that Rachel went into a Coma and died. Greg attends Rachel’s wake and goes up to her room to find a note for him, including a note she wrote to the admissions of Pitt, convincing them to let him back in and explaining why Greg had such poor grades. The movie ends with Earl and Greg talking and Greg sending the book and his last movie to Pitt (rather than destroying all of the movies like he does in the book. He also never has the assembly.)
Though the end was different, the flavor and feel of the movie stayed the same. Rachel’s accent couldn’t be heard in the slightest and all of the castings felt perfect.
Overall, I would highly recommend both “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and the movie, coming out on June 12, to anyone looking for a funny and sad book with a lot of heart.