Not your average three-hanky tragedy

ME and Earl and the Dying Girl is an upbeat coming-of-age film about unlikely friendships, growing up and - by the way - dying with dignity. But this is not your average three-hanky tragedy. Instead, it will induce more laughs than tears. Going for the funny-bone rather than the heartstrings can be risky business when the narrative involves someone with a terminal illness but director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon pulls it off with aplomb and without much melodrama, thanks to a witty script and sincere, sensitive performances.

Based on the young-adult book of the same name by Jesse Andrews, who also wrote the screenplay, the film chronicles several months in the life of Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann), a student who has successfully navigated high school while managing to keep on superficial good terms with the various social cliques within the school. He serves as the film's narrator, prefacing each segment with deadpan humour ("Day 64 of Doomed Friendship").

Greg has a pasty complexion and is focused on self-loathing, not socialising. He spends his spare time making short parodies of classic arthouse movies with Earl (RJ Cyler), a childhood friend whom he refers to as a "co-worker" rather than admit to anything resembling a strong social bond. The films' titles are an inherent part of their goofiness - the punnier the better (Death in Tennis, My Dinner with Andre the Giant, A Sockwork Orange - you get the picture).